WrestleMania 41 Night 1: Ranking every WWE match from worst to best
WWE WrestleMania 41’s first night has come to a close. While the show delivered an overall grand experience, it wasn’t void of shortcomings in some of its matches.
With fans awaiting the action of Night Two, here is a rundown of what the Stamford-based promotion did right and where it fell short on Night One.
#4 Worst: El Grande Americano and Rey Fenix couldn’t deliver a WrestleMania-worthy match
The singles bout between El Grande Americano and Rey Fenix didn’t live up to the standard of a WrestleMania match. Ending in just under eight minutes, this was the shortest match of the night. Fenix tried his best to fill the shoes of Rey Mysterio following an unexpected injury to the Hall of Famer. However, Americano and Fenix didn’t have any storyline connecting them together.
Because of this, the match felt like it belonged on the regular weekly episodes of RAW, especially since Fenix has appeared in just two singles matches before this. Things could have been better if Dragon Lee had filled in for his mentor, especially since he had to pay El Grande back for unmasking him.
#3 Best: Jacob Fatu won big at WrestleMania 41
LA Knight’s United States Championship defense against Jacob Fatu was phenomenal in several ways. Neither wrestler held back while also showing great synchronization from the get-go. LA’s reversal of the Mighty Moonsault into a BFT carried the flair of an RKO, with WWE cleverly calling it a “BFT outta nowhere.”
The Samoan Werewolf has now won his first-ever singles title in WWE and added more gas to his no brakes approach. While this frees up LA Knight for a potential world championship opportunity, Fatu’s story with The New Bloodline will also see new drama now that he is a champion, while Solo Sikoa is not.
#3 Worst: The New Day failed to deliver despite clinching the World Tag Titles at WrestleMania 41
The New Day challenged The War Raiders for the World Tag Team Championship. While both teams had a workable storyline where they had their reasons to win, the match was fairly stale, considering all four wrestlers have a wealth of experience. The match’s pacing, as well as its look, didn’t offer anything new.
Kofi Kingston’s underhanded method of helping Xavier Woods secure the pinfall failed to land the shock that was intended behind it. The match looked out of place, especially when the WWE Tag Team Championship will be defended by The Street Profits in a TLC match next week on a regular SmackDown episode.
There was anticipation that Big E would make an appearance, especially because The New Day’s heel turn started with him being kicked out. Moreover, Woods and Kingston targeting the necks of Erik and Ivar also hinted at a return from E at WrestleMania 41. It remains to be seen how this new World Tag Team Championship run plays out for the heel faction.
#2 Best: Tiffy Time will continue beyond WrestleMania 41
The WWE Women’s Championship match between Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton had the fans guessing till the last minute. In terms of in-ring competitiveness as well as the storylines of both wrestlers, the Stamford-based promotion did a great job at keeping the result unpredictable. Especially since the match had several points where it seemed Flair would bag her 15th world championship.
Tiffany Stratton muscled through the match and continued to fight hard despite chipping a tooth and taking a nasty bump to the head. This coincidence, coupled with her WrestleMania 41 win against the biggest women’s wrestler produced by WWE, has greatly bolstered the significance of Tiffy Time.
#2 Worst: Jey Uso’s lackluster World Heavyweight Championship win
The World Heavyweight Championship match between Jey Uso and Gunther kicked off the first night of WrestleMania 41. Main Event Jey looked serious owing to his vengeful stance for Jimmy Uso against The Ring General. On the other hand, the defending champ was seemingly wrestling on the back foot the entire match.
The match’s ending looked absolutely inorganic as Jey Uso made Gunther tap out to his opponent’s submission move, the Sleeper Hold. The Yeet Master hadn’t dished out enough damage to The Ring General, and he isn’t one to usually use a submission move either. Moreover, the Austrian tapped out very quickly without making great effort to escape the chokehold.
This match held great potential, especially because of how both wrestlers kept elevating the stakes every week on the Road to WrestleMania 41. Although Jey Uso overcame his 0-3 losing streak against Gunther, the win seemed like the product of a creative decision instead of his grit and perseverance.
#1 Worst: Jade Cargill’s victory against Naomi
Jade Cargill and Naomi had an organic feud and faced each other to settle their differences. While the storyline carried punch, it didn’t have enough momentum to be a WrestleMania 41 match. The match carried some good looks, but it seemed WWE could have saved the conclusion of this feud for another one of its premium live events.
There wasn’t space for any other PLE between Elimination Chamber, when Jade Cargill returned, and their 'Mania match tonight. However, this feud could have seen its end at Backlash. Cargill’s win failed to signal if Naomi would stop haunting her, either.
#1 Best: Paul Heyman’s double betrayal at WrestleMania 41
The main event of the first night saw Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns clash in an epic Triple Threat battle. The crowd was evenly split and was backing all three wrestlers, with the momentum shifting several times. The OTC faking a Shield reunion with The Visionary and Reigns’ Spear turning into a mid-air Pedigree from Rollins were key highlights of the match.
However, Paul Heyman took the cake with his double betrayal. The final moments of the match saw The Wiseman hand a steel chair to CM Punk to attack The Tribal Chief and win the match. However, the Hall of Famer low-blowed his best friend and handed the chair to the OG Bloodline leader, only to low-blow him as well after he finished off Punk, revealing that his real allegiance was with Seth Rollins.
The Architect took the chair from Paul Heyman and smashed it into Roman Reigns’ back and followed it up with a Stomp to win the match. With this, The Revolutionary is now a heel once again and has The Wiseman in his corner. It will be interesting to see what happens on the second night of WrestleMania 41 and what Heyman and Rollins plan to do next.