already confirmed to open the show) and a triple threat main event between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and CM Punk. While no championship is on the line for that triple threat match, there's still quite a bit of intrigue as Paul Heyman will be in Punk's corner - leaving Reigns without the guidance of "The Wise Man" for the first time since 2020.

Other confirmed matches include Tiffany Stratton defending the WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair, United States Champion LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu, and The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will attempt to finally become champions again when they face The War Raiders for the World Tag Team Championships. Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano was also set to take place, but Mysterio suffered an injury on Friday's edition of WWE SmackDown. Rey Fenix was announced as Mysterio's replacement during the WrestleMania pre-show.

Here are your key moments from WWE WrestleMania 41 Night 1:

  • A hype package voiced by Dana White airs, recapping the history of Las Vegas and WWE's involvement in the city.
  • Country singer Jelly Roll performs "America The Beautiful"
  • Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton are all shown arriving at Allegiant Stadium. Jey Uso, already fully decked out in his ring gear, is shown warming up.
  • A video package narrated by Triple H airs
  • Triple H officially opens the show in the middle of the ring, welcoming the fans in attendance and watching around the world.
  • Jey Uso defeats Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship via submission. He unloaded a powerbomb, two superkicks, a spear, and three Uso splashes before applying a sleeper hold to force "The Ring General" to tap.
  • A video package airs, recapping Woods and Kingston betraying Big E and eventually targeting The War Raiders
  • The New Day beat The War Raiders to win the World Tag Team Championships. After attacking Ivar's kneck, the pair hit the big man with their Daylight finisher. Kingston then held down one of Ivar's as Woods made the pin, making him unable to kick out. This marks The New Day's 12th reign as tag team champions.
  • Jade Cargill pins Naomi. Most of the match saw Cargill counter Naomi's aerial attacks with powerful counters. The match ended after Cargill turned an electric chair into a powerbomb, then connected with Jaded to score the pin.
  • Jacob Fatu pins LA Knight to win the United States Championship after hitting consecutive moonsaults. Knight had one of the biggest moments of the night when he caught Fatu in mid-air on a moonsault attempt with a BFT, but could only manage a two count.
  • A video package recapping the "history" of El Grande Americano airs.
  • El Grande Americano beats Rey Fenix. Americano loaded his mask with a metal plate late in the match, causing Fenix to hurt his leg when he attempted to kick Americano in the face. Americano then delivered a headbutt and a diving headbutt with the loaded mask to secure the pin. Lucha Libre AAA's El Hijo del Vikingo appears after the match to help Fenix to his feet.
  • Shawn Michaels appears on the entrance ramp to announce the stadium attendance for Night 1 as 61,467.
  • Tiffany Stratton retains her WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Flair spent the bulk of the match trying and failing to put Stratton away, made all the more difficult once the champ targeted her surgically-repaired knee.
  • A recap of Friday night's WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs. The inductees all appeared on-stage to an ovation from the Las Vegas crowd.
  • The main event kicks off with a series of entrances. Seth Rollins arrives with a flamethrower and two different outfits. Roman Reigns keeps his entrance surprisingly low-key. Meanwhile, CM Punk receives his own video package recapping his WWE career, followed by a live performance of "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour.
  • Seth Rollins pinned Roman Reigns to win the triple threat. The final moments of the match saw Paul Heyman betray both Reigns and Punk, hitting both men with low blows before handing a steel chair to Rollins to help him secure the win.

Here are your results from WWE WrestleMania 41 Night 1:

  • World Heavyweight Championship: Jey Uso def. Gunther
  • World Tag Team Championships: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) def. The War Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
  • Jade Cargill def. Naomi
  • WWE United States Championship: Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight
  • El Grande Americano def. Rey Fenix
  • WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton def. Charlotte Flair
  • Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns, CM Punk

Paul Heyman Aligns With Seth Rollins

A New Alliance Formed In The Main Event

Everyone went into Saturday night's main event questioning who Paul Heyman would side with. CM Punk has been his best friend for years. Roman Reigns has been his "Tribal Chief" for half a decade. But Heyman decided to shock the world and go with the third option, aligning with Seth Rollins and hitting both Reigns and Punk with low blows.

While it's unexpected, I have to it it's the most interesting option of the three. Rollins is the only one in the bunch who still works on a full-time schedule, and he has consistently been forced to take a back seat to bigger storylines like The Bloodline Saga, Cody Rhodes "finishing his story" and Punk returning to the company. But an alliance with Heyman could be just what "The Visionary" needs to finally be positioned as the top heel on WWE Raw. You can go ahead and start the countdown to a Rollins vs. Jey Uso World Heavyweight Championship match now.

A Night of New Champions, But Not Many Twists

With The Exception Of The Main Event, There Weren't Many Surprises Tonight

Saturday night was rough if you were walking in as a champion. Tiffany Stratton was the only champ to retain, and even she walked out minus a tooth or two. Jey Uso silenced the doubters with an emotional victory over Gunther, The New Day cheated to win the world tag titles from The War Raiders, and Jacob Fatu won the United States Championship after some jaw-dropping moments in his match with LA Knight.

The biggest surprise of the night was honestly how straightforward it wound up being. Stratton/Flair never went off the rails with stiff shots. The El Grande Americano match ended the same way as his last few matches on WWE Raw. Fatu won the title without the slightest hint of dissension from Solo Sikoa. And there was no sign of Big E to put a stop to The New Day’s cheating. Maybe they’re saving the big surprises for Sunday?

A Mid Mania?

Night 2 Needs To Step It Up

The consensus among fans and critics heading into WrestleMania 41 seemed to be that the build-up was just okay, but that the show could be redeemed once the bell rang and the wrestlers started competing in front of a sold-out stadium. The opening match and the main event lived up to their end of the bargain and made the show feel like a proper WrestleMania. But the rest of the night was noticeably lacking. Nothing was particularly wrong with any of the matches, but the crowd never seemed fully invested (at least from where I was sitting watching along at home) and many of the entrances lacked the pomp and circumstance WrestleMania usually provides.

Thankfully, there's still plenty in store for Night 2. John Cena competing as a heel is something fans have been waiting to see for two decades. The women's tag team championship match and Randy Orton's open challenge all but guarantee some surprise returns or debuts. And the women's triple threat and Sin City Street Fight both have the potential to steal the entire weekend. I wasn't wowed by Night 1, but I'm not giving up on WrestleMania 41 just yet.