Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to WrestleMania weekend! For the sixth consecutive year, Mania will cover two nights. This year, the Show of Shows will take place in Sin City. This is the second time that WrestleMania has taken place in Las Vegas; the first being WrestleMania IX in 1993 at Caesar’s Palace.
While we won’t have Bret vs. Yoko with Hogan interjecting himself, we do have Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena. We won’t have Doink vs. Crush, but we get Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk in a triple threat match. There’s no Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez, but there is Gunther vs. Jey Uso. Instead of trying to match cards (WM IX was an awful card by the way), how about we just look at the two-day lineup by themselves and I’ll give you who I think will win?
NIGHT ONE SATURDAY
Triple Threat Main Event
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk
A Visionary, a Tribal Chief, and the Best in the World walk into a bar…This story has been really, really fun. You’ve got the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns (who, might I say, is a badass whether he has a belt or not) squaring off against his former stablemate Seth Rollins. The build-up between these two ever since Seth turned on Roman and The Shield in 2014 has boiled over to this moment. But you’ve also got Roman going against CM Punk. And not just any CM Punk, but a CM Punk with Paul Heyman in his corner. Yes, you heard me correctly. The OTC’s Wise Man will dial it back and fulfill the favor he owes to CM Punk by standing in the corner of the “Original Paul Heyman Guy.” Seth has been loving this because he’s been calling this since day one. The boiling point reached a new high on Monday Night Raw this week when Roman pushed Paul to the ground and Punk ran out to his defense. Now, the beef isn’t only between Roman and Seth and Roman and Punk. Let’s add the final dimension to this match: Seth and Punk despise each other. I think we’re in store for a great match between the three of these future hall of famers. So what makes the most sense — who wins? Well, I don’t think Roman wins, but I don’t think they’ll make him look weak; meaning, they’ll have whoever wins pin the other person. Seth has been a jobber for a while now, losing match after match. And while it would be poetic and make sense for Punk to win in his first WrestleMania main event, I think there will be some shady business done to prevent this. Seth has dropped some fun Easter eggs this week. On Raw, he said “what’s best for business,” drawing to his days serving The Authority and then on Smackdown, when he said he’d win at Mania and it “isn’t a spoiler, it’s a prediction,” a classic line from Paul Heyman. Many people who follow the business suggest Seth to win this with the help of Paul Heyman. I’m leaning this way as well. I think with Roman incapacitated, Heyman screws Punk and helps Rollins get the win.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Gunther (C) vs. Jey Uso
After winning the 2025 Royal Rumble, Jey Uso wasted little time to declare he’d be challenging for Gunther’s title at WrestleMania. We’ve seen over the last month, things have really heated up between the two. Jey Uso is perhaps the most OVER talent in the business right now. Main Event will try and knock off The Ring General. I’ll keep it simple here, Jey Uso will win this. Do I like it? I do not. That doesn’t mean I dislike Jey Uso, I just really think Gunther is THE guy. He’s an old school heel and that’s getting lost with a lot of today’s fans. Again, it makes sense to have Jey win. You can’t call him Main Event and then have him lose the biggest match of his career. Let us also not forget that Gunther’s iconic and record breaking Intercontinental Title reign came to an end at WrestleMania XL when he lost to Sami Zayn. Jey wins and YEETS all over Vegas.
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Tiffany Stratton (C) vs. Charlotte Flair
I’m over Charlotte. I’ve been over Charlotte. She came back at Royal Rumble (it was the worst kept secret) and it was obvious she was going to win. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll go down as one of the greatest women to ever do it, but this business has so many worthy women that Charlotte should not be taking opportunities away. She’s a 14-time champion — it’s time to pass the torch for good. Stratton has fought hard to reach this point and become champion. I want Stratton to retain, but I just don’t see them having Charlotte put her over. So I guess I’m going with — you know what — screw it. Something wonky happens and Tiffany retains. WrestleMania XLI will be on Tiffy Time.
World Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders (C) vs. The New Day
People are dogging this match online, but I think we’re going to get a classic tag team match that is worthy of being on the Mania card. War Raiders have done an excellent job carrying the titles, but I think their time comes to an end. I think The New Day becomes 13-time tag team champions.
United States Championship Match
LA Knight (C) vs. Jacob Fatu
If you know me, you know that I’m all-in on Jacob Fatu. The guy is a superstar and when I say superstar, I mean SUPERSTAR. So the SUPERSTAR will take on the megastar in what has been a fun, little feud. LA Knight is clearly over with the fans, but I think it’s time to put a strap on Jacob Fatu. This guy is going to be in the main event picture before too long. He has great mic skills and is far too athletic for his frame. Jacob Fatu picks up the win and becomes the U.S. Champ.
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
This has been a fun back and forth. Rey Mysterio is a legend and has put on some classic WrestleMania matches. Chad Gable is — whoops — I mean, El Grande Americano has shown that he’s a stellar wrestler as well. I have a feeling that as an exciting match draws close an end, Rey unmasks El Grande Americano before defeating him. And once the mask comes off, it’ll be “No Mysterio” who Grande Americano is. (Okay, I tried.)
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
This build-up has actually been pretty good considering there’s no title involved. Jade is hellbent on payback as Naomi is the culprit of knocking her out of action for several months. It’s pretty clear that Jade will win this match, I just hope it’s a good match. Naomi is a solid talent in the ring. Jade is pretty green. Jade looks the part, but man, she’s just not impressed in the ring. I hope the time off allowed her to get better in the ring.
NIGHT TWO SUNDAY
Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (C) vs. John Cena
It’s the future vs. history in this match. One year ago, Cody Rhodes became the face of the company when he ended Roman Reigns’ 1,316 rule as champion. Since then, he’s been the IT guy for the WWE. If you asked me last year what I thought would happen at this year’s Mania, I would have told you Cody/Roman III. But alas, here we are. There’s been so many twists and turns to get here. John Cena announced his retirement tour and that 2025 would be his final year in the ring. He said he wanted to go out as a champion and break Ric Flair’s record of 16 championships by winning it one more time. So he entered the Royal Rumble and made it to the final two before being eliminated by Jey Uso. He followed that up with a win in the Elimination Chamber which gave him the opportunity to challenge Cody at Mania. Following Cena’s victory, Cody came out to congratulate him, but The Rock came out as well. There was had been tension building between The Great One and Cody Rhodes. The Rock wanted Cody to be his champion; a corporate champion so to speak. Cody hit Rock with a classic line:
And then, something we never thought we’d see:
Never did I ever think that Cena would go out as a heel, but it was absolute CINEMA. And the promos from each of these two leading up to Sunday night have been fantastic. I’ll be honest with you, I’m picking Cena to win. I think Cena wins and he gets the record. That way the record for most world titles in the WWE belongs to a guy who never jumped ship to another promotion; Cena was a WWE lifer. Do I agree with this? No. I think Cena winning here and then dropping the title before 2026 diminishes what the title stands for. I’m not saying give Cody 1,300+ days like Roman, but he just crossed a year as champion. I think this takes away a bit from the fact that Cody ended Roman’s reign (pun intended) by dropping the title to a guy retiring the following year. I’m just a fan sitting on his couch watching this. I’m not saying I could book it any better; all I’m saying is that I think it’s the wrong route to go. Will HHH do something after this that completely electrifies the company? Probably. And I’ll be left looking like a moron.
Women’s World Championship Match
Iyo Sky (C) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
Let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room: I want Rhea Ripley to win this. Mami’s always on top. If you’ve been listening to our podcast you know I’m a big, big, big, BIG fan of Rhea.
I want it on record that I want Rhea to win. I don’t think it’s going to happen (I’m sorry Mami). I think we’re going to get a third women’s match that really delivers. They’ve been doing a lot with the promos between the three over the past several weeks. Rhea is looking to take out Bianca for costing her the title when she lost focus in her match with Iyo on Raw a couple months back. Bianca has been serving up the trash talk right back. But lost in all this is Iyo. She’s been an afterthought. She’s a high-flyer going up against two women who rely on their strength. I think we get a helluva show, but I think in the end Bianca Belair comes out on top. (It pains me to say this because I cringe listening to Wade Barrett try to say Bianca in his English accent). I think this will end up setting something up between Bianca and Jade down the road.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (C) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
This match is an odd one to me. I have nothing against the WWE women’s division. I just am not enthralled with this match in the least. I think three of the four are incredible workers (sorry Raquel). I’m sorry to say, but this is a bathroom break, snack, and fill my drink up match. I think Liv and Raquel retain because Lyra already possesses a belt and that wouldn’t make sense. I’ve been wrong before though.
Fatal Four Way Intercontinental Championship Match
Bron Breakker vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor vs. Penta
You are probably sick of reading this line, but the story and build-up for this match has been terrific. That’s why I hate when I hear people say this is a bad card. Damn near every match has a wonderful story that’s been built behind it. Bron has been a MENACE and all-out force. Penta has been pushed to the moon since his debut. Finn has turned back into a top-caliber performer. And then there’s Dom who has been the best heel this company has seen in years. He has so much heat from the fans. So what happens here? Well, I’m going to give you two ways I think this could go. Finn has been teasing the demon moniker lately. If we get Demon Balor, I think Finn wins this. If we get regular Finn, wait for it, I think Dom wins (ducks all the tomatoes being thrown). Listen, quiet down, listen — Penta isn’t ready for a singles title, but they won’t make him look weak. He’ll lose, but he won’t be pinned. Bron is ready for the next step — I’m not saying World Heavyweight Championship on Monday Night Raw the next night, but I could see him moving into a position to challenge for it. They won’t make him look weak and get pinned either. There has been a power struggle in The Judgement Day between Finn and Dom. Dom is the ultimate heel and has actually gotten much better in the ring. Dom pins Finn. I put the strap on Dom. No one thinks Dom has a chance to win so he’d be a good transitional champion while you figure out the route you want to go next with the IC belt. Hell, you could even build Dom vs. Finn after this.
Sin City Street Fight Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
If JR was calling this match, he’d call it a SLOBBER KNOCKER. I think this match is going to be fun and brutal. Not much to say about it other than that. I think Drew comes out on top.
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
This match is going to be a fun, technical and high-flying wrestling match. Two of the company’s best in-ring performers square off after building up a rivalry over the past several weeks. Who needs this match more? Personally, I think Logan does. I think we see a veteran AJ Styles put over Logan Paul in an instant classic. Styles doesn’t need the victory to cement his legacy; Logan needs a marquee win on his resume. Give me Logan Paul in a fun one.
The last thing we have to talk about is who will answer Randy Orton’s challenge? Orton was set to square off against Kevin Owens, but Owens has since backed out due to a neck injury. On Friday night’s Smackdown episode from Vegas, Orton told the crowd and the locker room that he’d have his boots laced up on Sunday night and would come out to the ring to take on anyone who wanted a shot at him. Rumors are running wild on who this could be. I’ll give you the three rumored opponents that make the most sense to me:
1) Trick Williams – Williams is slated to participate in the main event of NXT’s Stand and Deliver on Saturday afternoon. I think he’ll lose and he’ll be ready to make the jump to the main roster. This could be the jump. He answers Orton’s challenge and goes out and gives the Legend Killer a solid match. Orton wins, but shakes the hand of Williams and introduces him to the WWE universe.
2) Rusev – You read that right. Rusev is slated to return to the WWE anytime. He re-signed with the company earlier this month. Could we see Rusev return at the Show of Shows to answer The Viper’s challenge? Only time will tell. Personally, I think they save Rusev for the Raw after Mania.
3) Nick Aldis – This is my pick. Nick Aldis will answer The Apex Predator’s open challenge and put on an excellent match with Orton. For those unfamiliar, simply search Brutus Magnus/Magnus in TNA. Aldis was a world class performer in TNA and after Orton’s RKO to Aldis, I think he’s chomping at the bit to get back into the squared circle.
There you have it, a full rundown (Hey Jim, can I get that rundown) of both nights of WrestleMania XLI. Enjoy it. Take it all in. Don’t listen to the haters. This is a STACKED card and it will deliver.
I can’t now babe, it’s WrestleMania Season.
Silence your phones and live in the moment.
Ohio Sports Radio 
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