Watch V: Initial Notes from WWE WrestleMania 41 (Night 1)

Hello, Diary. I promised myself I would review WrestleMania 41, and the draft started as a long review. But then my mind went all over the place, so I listed my notes and split them into 2 parts (because WrestleMania has 2 nights).

Here are my initial thoughts on Night 1 of WrestleMania! (Buckle up because this is going to be a long list. The notes are initial; this is not an in-depth review.)

1. WWE killed it with the casino-themed entrance stage! And seeing the stadium with so many people is just unbelievable. I hope to watch WrestleMania in person someday.
2. Gunther vs Jey Uso was a good match, but Gunther easily tapping out to Jey Uso’s sleeper hold is weird. They could have gone with him passing out. Oh well. Anyway, Jey Uso is the new World Heavyweight Champion! Yeet!
3. The New Day ran to the ramp seconds after they won the World Tag Team Championships from The War Raiders via heel tactics, and I laughed. They are such villains. Their match was great though. One of my favorite spots would be Erik throwing Ivar from the ring to both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.
4. That spot where Naomi jumped from a ring corner and Jade Cargill caught her and turned it into a Jackhammer was amazing. Jade’s strength is amazing.
5. A very powerful Jacob Fatu won against LA Knight, capturing the United States Championship in the process. He won his first singles championship at WrestleMania. Well-deserved!
6. So, Rey Fenix replaced Rey Mysterio as El Grande Americano’s opponent… and their match was good. Mr. Rey’s high-flying ability and El Grande’s athleticism were on full display here. And El Grande’s 450 moonsault was fucking insane!
7. I know Tiffany Stratton was my pick for the WWE Women’s Championship match, but somehow I was also expecting Charlotte Flair to win. But Tiffany got the pinfall victory after the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Hell yes!
8. Seth Rollins entered the ring in all-black, and when the screen turned black, I got worried for a second. But then I heard the crowd noise, the screen went back, and Mr. Rollins was now in all-white. Cool entrance. As for Roman Reigns’ entrance, it’s weird to see him making his way to the ring without his wise man, Paul Heyman. But at least Mr. Reigns’ entrance and swagger are still there.
9. I never thought I would hear CM Punk’s old theme song “This Fire Burns” (by Killswitch Engage) again on WWE, but they used it on his hype package that has clips from OVW and ECW… and I love the entire video! (My favorite part would be Punk screaming “It’s clobbering time!” and then the chorus went on full blast.) And it was also great to see Living Colour performing “Cult of Personality” again while Punk and Heyman walked to the ring!
10. The CM Punk/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns triple threat match is the match I was looking forward to on Night 1, and they did not disappoint. There are so many great spots like Rollins doing a frog splash on Punk while Punk was applying the Anaconda Vise to Reigns, Reigns powerbombing Punk and Rollins through the announce table, and Punk stomping Reigns and GTS-ing Rollins. This is the match of Night 1, for sure.
11. I should have seen the Paul Heyman betrayal coming. But anyway, Heyman and Seth Rollins? A breath of fresh air. I wonder what will happen in the coming weeks.

My initial notes on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 will be published tomorrow.

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Published on April 24, 2025 at 10:58pm. Edited on April 27, 2025 at 2:11pm.