Featured Video
Reacting to Cena's 17th Title 🤯
Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images
Erik BeastonApr 19, 2025
WWE WrestleMania 41 kicked off Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with part one of a stacked card, headlined by CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat match, and world heavyweight champion Gunther defending against Jey Uso.
What went down when the top stars took to The Grandest Stage of Them All?
Find out with this recap, including live grades and analysis for each match.
Match Card
1 of 9
Heather McLaughlin/WWE via Getty Images
Announced for Night 1 on Saturday:
* Triple Threat match: CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
* World Heavyweight Championship: Jey Uso vs. Gunther (c)
* WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
* United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
* World Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
* Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
* Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
(c) Denotes defending champion
World Heavyweight Championship: Jey Uso vs. Gunther
2 of 9
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Jey Uso is the new world heavyweight champion.
The 2025 men's Royal Rumble winner made good on his latest chance to defeat The Ring General, using his own arsenal against him.
Uso dropped him with a powerbomb, delivered three consecutive top-rope splashes and tapped him out with a rear naked choke hold to secure the World Heavyweight Championship that had eluded him previously.
The finishing sequence was the culmination of a contest that saw both combatants throw everything they had at each other, unleashing chops and superkicks and daring the other to answer.
They did, all the way until Uso unloaded with what Gunther did not expect: his own signature maneuvers. By the time the challenger locked in the choke, The Ring General had no fight left and his reign came to an abrupt halt.
A great opener with a red-hot crowd, the outcome felt inevitable but few could have predicted how we would get there. Uso outwrestling the superior grappler with his own patented offense was certainly not one of them.
This was the coronation Uso has earned following his rise to the top of the industry. Organically over and beloved by fans, he proved he was more than a catchphrase, doing something even his Hall of Fame father, Rikishi, did not: Win the world title.
Result
Uso defeated Gunther to win the title
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Immediately, this felt like a main event-worthy match. The special entrance for Uso, the big-match feel, the title match introductions...this was special.
* Gunther chopped Uso, who responded with an uppercut that rocked the champion and knocked him off his feet.
* Uso kicked out of the powerbomb and then Gunther out of the top rope splash in consecutive dramatic near-falls.
* The challenger laughed off the champion's late chops, playing mind games with an increasingly frustrated Ring General.
World Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders vs. The New Day
3 of 9
WWE.com
The New Day may not rock anymore, but they are champions after defeating The War Raiders in the second match of Saturday's WrestleMania.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods overcame the size and strength advantage of their opponents to secure the victory, earning their 12th main roster tag title reign.
The match featured some perfectly acceptable wrestling from two veteran tag teams, but a lack of story and fans coming off the high of Uso's championship victory hurt the reactions significantly, leading to a quieter crowd than one would have hoped for the talent involved.
Result
The New Day defeated The War Raiders to win the titles
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* New Day winning tag team gold on the WrestleMania stage just feels right. This was Kingston's first title win on the grand stage since defeating Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship in 2019.
* The lack of reaction was an indictment on the creative (or lack thereof) that went into the tag team division in the lead-in to this event.
TOP NEWS
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi and WWE WrestleMania 41 Matches That Exceeded ExpectationsBleacher Report1dBackstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Rusev, Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky, and MoreBleacher Report21hJade Cargill vs. Naomi
4 of 9
WWE.com
Jade Cargill seemingly put her rivalry with Naomi behind her with an emphatic victory in which she absorbed everything the former women's champion threw her way before powering her up on her shoulders, turning it into a powerbomb and adding Jaded for the pinfall victory.
The story entering the contest was great, and Naomi shined as a heel, but there were questions about the match once it got to the ring.
Those worries were extinguished early, though, as the heel reminded the world of her excellence and Cargill delivered her best singles performance yet in a WWE ring.
The chemistry was there to the point that it would be no bad thing to see them run it back in an attempt to get Naomi some of her heat back. But Cargill appears to be in a position to make a legitimate championship run during this comeback.
Result
Cargill defeated Naomi
Grade
B-
Top Moments and Takeaways
* This was the first non-title singles match between two women at The Show of Shows since Torrie Wilson battled Candice Michelle at WrestleMania 22.
* Naomi's presentation, from the theme to the gear, was extraordinary.
* Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel was at WrestleMania. Did not have that on the bingo card.
* The finish looked iffy to start but was ultimately physically impressive.
United States Championship: LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu
5 of 9
WWE.com
Jacob Fatu has been one of the most visually impressive wrestlers on the roster since his arrival to WWE last summer and in front of a jam-packed Allegiant Stadium, he earned his first piece of championship gold with an emphatic victory over LA Knight.
Fatu overcame several high-impact maneuvers from The Megastar to down him and deliver consecutive moonsaults for the defining win to claim the United States title.
This was the second year in a row in which Knight's scheduled match flew under the radar but wound up being one of the better contests on the show. His chemistry with Fatu had been apparent in the weeks ahead of the event, and they saved their best for when it counted most.
A significant moment for Fatu, it should be the start of a major run for The Samoan Werewolf, who has world title potential.
Result
Fatu defeated Knight to win the U.S. title
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Analyst Wade Barrett criticized Knight for competing on SmackDown just 24 hours earlier, but he apparently forgot Fatu was in the same tag team match.
* The Megastar scaled the ropes and caught his opponent with an overhead German suplex off the top in an incredible spot.
* Knight caught a moonsaulting Fatu mid-flight with Blunt Force Trauma.
* Dueling chants late in the match indicated both men are over with the audience.
Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
6 of 9
Mike Owens /WWE via Getty Images
Rey Fenix replaced the injured Rey Mysterio, defending lucha libre against El Grande Americano.
He did not fare any better than the legend would have, thanks in large part to the heel's reliance on an undetected metal plate.
Grande tucked it in his mask so that when Fenix kicked him in the face, it hurt his own ankle. From there, the obviously Chad Gable delivered a diving headbutt, driving that metal into his opponent's face and scoring the pinfall victory.
It was a long overdue moment for the Olympian, who has been one of the hidden gems of the WWE roster for even longer.
For Fenix, it is merely the start of what should be a fruitful run with a company that has already invested in his presentation and will have bigger and better in mind for him in the coming weeks and months.
Here is hoping for a Mask vs. Mask match between the competitors, and involving Mysterio, at some point that ends with the exposure of Gable's charade.
Result
Americano defeated Fenix
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Vikingo caught Grande with a kick before the match. The world-renowned luchador was part of the announcement earlier in the day that WWE had acquired AAA.
* What a way for Fenix to make his first WrestleMania appearance, by filling in for a Hall of Famer on short order against one of the best in-ring performers in the industry.
* The "metal in the mask" gimmick is going to be a lot of fun for as long as Gable continues to invest in this Grande character.
WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair
7 of 9
WWE.com
Tiffany Stratton sent an emphatic message to the wrestling world that she is a legitimate champion, when she defeated Charlotte Flair to retain the WWE Women's Championship.
The Center of the Universe and The Queen beat the life out of each other in a contest that reflected the intensely personal rivalry that preceded it. So much so that Stratton was clearly missing at least part of a tooth afterward.
Both women targeted each other's knees and failed to put the other away with one set of finishers. Stratton, though, recovered from missing on one Prettiest Moonsault Ever to deliver another and secure the victory.
This was a star-making performance from Stratton, one that we will look back on as the moment she earned the credibility needed to be a believable champion.
For The Queen, it was yet another example of her excellence when it comes to big-time matches and another entry into her sparkling WrestleMania legacy.
Result
Stratton defeated Flair to retain
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Stratton exited a Barbie box for her special WrestleMania entrance. She's self-aware if nothing else.
* Barrett with some great insight, as he revealed Stratton's inexperience means it takes her an extra second or two to figure out what to do next, giving Flair an opening.
* The knees to the midsection off the Prettiest Moonsault Ever spot looked like it hurt.
* Stratton kicked out of Natural Selection to keep the hope she might win alive.
Triple Threat Match: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
8 of 9
WWE.com
Seth Rollins defeated CM Punk and Roman Reigns in a phenomenal Triple Threat main event that concluded with Paul Heyman betraying both his best friend and The Tribal Chief and aligning himself with The Visionary.
The finish saw Rollins blast Reigns with a steel chair and deliver a Stomp for the pinfall.
The stunned faces of some and the singing of Rollins' theme by others suggests the twist ending went over as expected, with some not foreseeing the betrayal and others embracing the new pairing of The Visionary and Heyman.
The contest itself was extraordinary, a Match of the Year contender with tremendous heat and dramatic near-falls.
The action built throughout before the barrage of finishers gave way to the excellent surprise finish and propelled the story forward, creating intrigue and anticipation for what is next.
Result
Rollins defeated Punk and Reigns
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* An excellent video package recapping Punk's WWE career and set to his old theme music, "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage, gave way to Living Colour performing "Cult of Personality" live for his entrance.
* Reigns launched himself into the crowd, wiping out Punk, Rollins and almost the first row.
* Rollins countered a Spear from Reigns into a Pedigree in a cool spot but still could not keep The Tribal Chief down for three.
* Punk delivered a Go To Sleep to Reigns, but he kicked out at two.
* A Shield Bomb tease from Reigns and Rollins descended into chaos, with the former delivering an uppercut to The Visionary and then driving Punk through one commentary table and Rollins through another.
* Rollins, the ultimate troll, trapped Punk in his favorite wrestler's finisher: Bret Hart's Sharpshooter.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images
Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 was a mixed bag, with some matches outperforming expectations and some not.
At the end of the journey through Saturday, though, was an all-timer main event that concluded with a shocking development in the form of Heyman's alliance with Rollins.
That main event, coupled with Uso's win in the night's opener, was enough to earn this a thumbs up, but Triple H and Co. will need a huge show on Sunday to rank even remotely close to last year's era-introducing classic.
Grade: B
