WWE WrestleMania 41 Night 1 - Best and Worst - Reason why Paul Heyman betrayed Roman Reigns; Jey Uso blunder
Well, what a show that was. Night One of WrestleMania 41 was a complete mixed bag. There were some massive highs, but the few lows dragged it down quite a bit.
What went right, and what did WWE do wrong? Let's get right into the show. Here is the best and worst of WrestleMania 41 Night One.
#3. Best: Tiffy Time continues at WrestleMania 41
There was a real fear that Tiffany Stratton would lose her WWE Women's Championship to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 41. She would've lost a lot of momentum had that happened, but thankfully, we don't need to worry about that.
Stratton did well against the great white shark that was Charlotte, arriving in a Barbie box and leaving with a chipped tooth. Tiffany's grit opposite The Queen tonight will have shaped her into a better wrestler and a bigger star.
#2. Worst: Midcard misses
One of the biggest problems with WrestleMania 41 Night One was the state of the undercard. Multiple matches felt like they didn't belong on The Grandest Stage of Them All, but not all of it was WWE's fault.
Rey Mysterio's injury forced a last-minute change, as Rey Fenix subbed in for him against El Grande Americano. While good in the ring, it lacked much heat and felt like a RAW match. The same can be said about The New Day's tag team title win over The War Raiders. It just didn't pack enough of a punch, especially without an appearance from Big E.
WrestleMania 41 would have been so much better if the WWE Tag Team Title TLC match had happened here instead of next week's episode of SmackDown.
#2. Best: The Werewolf howls
It has been a productive 10 months for Jacob Fatu in WWE. He looks like a complete killer every time he steps into the ring, with WrestleMania 41 being no exception. The New Bloodline member's match against LA Knight was fantastic, as he picked up the United States Championship.
Fatu and Knight executed some epic spots, with the Moonsault-turned-BFT being the highlight. Hopefully, bigger things are in The Megastar's future. He proved how good he can be in the ring tonight.
#1. Worst: A flat finish
First off, we are so happy for Jey Uso. He has finally won the World Heavyweight Championship after dethroning Gunther. However, the finish of their match was massively disappointing.
The Ring General and The YEET Master opened WrestleMania 41 with a solid contest, although it could've gone to greater heights. It ended with Uso hitting all of Gunther's moves and making him tap out with his own chokehold finisher.
He had never used a submission move like this beforehand, leaving a visible disconnect in the story. It also failed to protect Gunther, who looked quite weak after spending eight months as the World Heavyweight Champion. This should have been much better, given how good their feud had become.
#1. Best: Double strike
The main event of Night One of WrestleMania 41 was epic for so many reasons. CM Punk's entrance made it bigger than it already was, even before the action got fierce and intense.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are wrestling soulmates, as everything they did in this match was magic. From the Spear-to-Pedigree counter to the OTC's Shield reunion fakeout, their chemistry remains timeless and off the charts.
However, what everyone will remember most is the finish. Paul Heyman handed Punk a chair before low-blowing him and handing it to Reigns. The Wiseman then did the same thing to his (ex-)Tribal Chief, before handing the chair to Rollins.
This double swerve was insane, but it had to happen. Heyman betrayed Punk because of the position he was put in with the favor. The WWE Hall of Famer likely betrayed Reigns because of the OTC's outburst towards him after the favor was revealed. Rollins empathized with him, which set the stage for his next great alliance.
What's next for everyone involved? One can only guess until the RAW after WrestleMania 41 unless The Visionary pays a visit in the main event of Night Two.