WrestleMania 41, Night 2 concluded Sunday in a somewhat uneven showing, including a polarizing main event that saw John Cena defeat Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship and become an unprecedented 17-time world champion.
A year after Rhodes helped author one of the greatest main events in WrestleMania history, the contest against Cena will likely be remembered more for the questionable involvement of Travis Scott than either it being Cena’s final WrestleMania match or a record-setting performance. It was a stark contrast from the Night 1 main event between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and CM Punk that was widely regarded as one of the best in recent memory, if not ever.
John Cena stood victorious after Night 2 of WrestleMania 41. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
Finale aside, there was plenty to love about WrestleMania 41, Night 2. In the opening contest, Iyo Sky retained her Women’s World Championship against both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair. It was an excellent match and will be in the discussion for the best women’s match in WrestleMania history.
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Dominik Mysterio, arguably the biggest heel in professional wrestling, won over the Las Vegas crowd and secured his first singles championship on the main roster by defeating Bron Breakker, Finn Balor and Penta to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Mysterio will be the only Judgment Day member with gold as Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez lost their Women’s Tag Team Championships to Lyra Valkyria and a returning Becky Lynch. Valkyria now is one half of the women’s tag champs in addition to being the current and inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest changed up the overall pace of WrestleMania 41 with an entertaining Sin City Street Fight in which McIntyre emerged victorious. Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles in singles competition, continuing to show why he’s one of the fastest rising stars in WWE, despite not being a full-time performer.
In the shortest match of the night, Randy Orton defeated his mystery opponent, TNA World Champion Joe Hendry.
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All told, six championships changed hands across both nights.
John Cena and Cody Rhodes closed out WrestleMania 41, Night 2 with a battle for the Undisputed WWE Championship. (Photo: WWE/Getty Images. Design: Hassan Ahmad, Yahoo Sports)
Here are the full results, grades and analysis from WrestleMania 41, Night 2.
John Cena defeats Cody Rhodes in 25:03 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.
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Best spot: The opening moments
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Analysis: The reason I picked the opening moments as the best spot in this match is because there were very strong The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan vibes from it. The crowd was hot and seemed to be backing Cena a bit more than expected in his pursuit of history and a WrestleMania finale. There was an opportunity to tell a really great story here without getting Travis Scott involved. Cena needed to win here to further his heel turn and reestablish Rhodes as the underdog/chasing babyface. Cena could have — and should have — corrupted Rhodes, planting seeds of doubt in his ability to stay champion and continue to do things the right way. If Rhodes swings the belt at Cena and then we get the low blow/win from him anyway, the crowd erupts even louder at the end. After seeing The Rock — the ultimate architect in this current story — at Elimination Chamber, we haven’t seen him on WWE programming in more than a month. Last year worked so well because the “Final Boss” was present and a looming threat. This time around we had an uneven build with solo promo work carrying it for more than a month — and the resulting match was nothing short of a disappointment.
Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria defeat Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in 8:42 to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
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Best spot: Becky Lynch’s return
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Analysis: Perhaps not immediately since she’s now a tag-team champion, but Lynch’s return shakes up everything in the women’s division. She becomes an instant contender for any title on “WWE Raw” or “SmackDown.” Valkyria being a double champion is as big of a push as we’ve seen behind any emerging women’s talent in recent memory, and she’s deserving of it as she’s a star both in and out of the ring. The women’s tag titles changing hands plays second fiddle to Lynch’s return, and I assume we’re not quite done with the feud between the new champs and the Judgment Day.
Logan Paul defeats AJ Styles in 17:43.
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Best spot: Dueling Styles Clashes
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Analysis: Paul and Styles put on a very good match, which was to be expected considering the level of talent, even with the disparity in wrestling experience. Like him or not, Paul will be able to continue to insert himself into any feud as he continues to pick up wins and prove his ability every time he steps in the ring. Naturally, there was some outside interference from one of Paul’s cronies, but that served mostly as a vehicle to advance the story between Styles and Karrion Kross, which is intriguing and perhaps a launching point for something bigger involving both men.
Randy Orton defeats Joe Hendry in 3:08.
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Best spot: Orton’s RKO to win the match
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Analysis: This match was everything it needed to be. Hendry was able to get some offense in, played to the crowd and then took a few RKOs — including one truly out of nowhere — in his WrestleMania debut. Surprises are always fun, even if they don’t lead to five-star matches.
Dominik Mysterio defeats Finn Balor, Penta and Bron Breakker in 10:29 to win the Intercontinental Championship.
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Best spot: Breakker’s table-to-table spear to Carlito
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Analysis: When we broke this match down on the WrestleMania 41 preview show, the Uncrowned crew all agreed we needed to see Mysterio vs. Balor coming out of his match, regardless of who ultimately walked out as Intercontinental Champion. We got that and more, considering Mysterio was the victor and he pinned Balor to do so. This new wrinkle of the Judgment Day should breathe new life into the faction and get Balor into position to break out on his own again. Breakker isn’t hurt from dropping the title either — in fact, it opens a door to potentially move up into the main-event picture on “Raw.” Penta’s first championship run will have to wait, but with Rey Fenix finally in the hold, there’s potential for The Lucha Bros. to take over the tag-team division.
Drew McIntyre defeats Damian Priest in 13:54.
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Best spot: McIntyre shoving Priest off the top rope and through two tables
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Analysis: A much-needed change of pace on the entire WrestleMania 41 card, McIntyre continued to show why he’s one of the best WWE has, especially in these physical, hardcore-esque matches. It’s difficult to continue a feud after a match like this, but there is undeniable chemistry between Priest and McIntyre — and with Backlash being the next Premium Live Event, I don’t think anyone would complain if we saw these guys lock up once again. Ultimately, both should find their way into the Money in the Bank ladder match this summer.
Iyo Sky defeats Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley in 14:26 to retain her Women’s World Championship.
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Best spot: Tower of Doom superplex sequence
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Analysis: Even after the stunning Night 1 main event, there’s a chance that we look back at WrestleMania 41 and remember this as being the best match of the weekend. All three women elevated their game when the lights were the brightest and kicked off Night 2 in spectacular fashion. Sky didn’t pin both women, but by taking out both with the Over the Moonsault and pinning Belair she now has bragging rights for the foreseeable future. Sky’s next challenger is unknown, but it shouldn’t be either Ripley or Belair, whose rivalry is deserving of a non-title program that has the potential to be one of best feuds of the year. If you watch one match from Night 2, it should be this one.
