McGuire’s Mondays: The pros and cons of WrestleMania 41

By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer

Well, here we are. It’s WrestleMania go-home week. I’d say something like, “It’s all over, but the whining,” but the truth is that none of this is over. There’s still a Raw, a Smackdown, both nights of Mania, and then the Raw After Mania. So, really, there’s a lot left to do, but the whining part seems to be shared by a lot of us who have been moderately disappointed with the build to this year’s Big Event.

As such, I thought I’d look at not just those reasons some of us continue to groan at some of the booking decisions for this weekend’s extravaganza – but also some of the things that might warrant a tiny bit of optimism when it comes to the 41st installment of the Granddaddy Of Them All. Because it can’t all be bad … right?

… Right?!

Behold the pros and cons of WrestleMania 41 (The Before It Happens Version).

PRO: Expectations are tempered.

Whenever I’m lucky enough to appear on the Pro Wrestling Boom podcast, Jason Powell often asks me what my excitement level for an upcoming event is on a scale of 1 to 10. Going into this weekend, I’d probably put that number at … 4? 5, maybe? There isn’t anything on the card that has a lot of juice in my mind. I might be looking forward to some matches more than others, but there isn’t a single thing that I feel is must-see. At this point, it almost feels possible I’ll forget Mania is even happening this weekend and bail on the whole thing (OK, that won’t happen, but you get it).

All of that is to say … well, you can’t get too low if you aren’t that high to begin with. There have been tons of cards through the years for which we have some amount of hope that it’ll knock our crocs off and yet, by the time the final bell rings, those crocs stay firmly planted on our feet. WrestleMania 41 will not do that for this viewer because this viewer’s crocs will be glued to the floor – a floor devoid of all expectation. It’s always better to be pleasantly surprised than it is to be unexpectedly let down. With this year’s Big Event working from the bottom, it feels almost impossible that I, for one, will be – or could be – let down.

CON: We should always have high hopes for WrestleMania, damn it!

While it’s nice to take a “no expectations/no disappointments” approach, the reality is that this is the biggest weekend of the pro wrestling year and to not have a ton of momentum going into it feels a bit sad. Maybe it’s the European Tour build (those Raw on Netflix start times still have my head spinning). Maybe it’s the booking. Maybe it’s some type of unknown behind-the-scenes Rock will he/won’t he influence. Whatever it is, WWE dropped the ball on this year’s Mania build. It’s a shame, too, because the business has enjoyed a lot of positive momentum over the last few years and WWE’s roster is arguably as deep as it’s ever been. At the end of the day, all of this should be better than what we got.

PRO: Mystery in the main event (Night Two Edition).

I think there’s a genuine chance that John Cena beats Cody Rhodes for the WWE Universal Title Sunday night in Vegas. And in short, that’s fun. It feels less and less common anymore that a main event’s outcome is truly in question, but I could see this going either way. And if I’m honest, I think I’d even rather see Cena walk out of the weekend with that title around his waist. Why not? Heel Cena breaks Ric Flair’s vaunted record. Cody goes into chase mode. Feels like it could be a fun summer, does it not? However it turns out, the bigger reality here is that none of us are exactly sure how Mania’s biggest match is going to play out. That’s a good thing.

CON: Mystery in the main event (Night One Edition).

CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins. That’s your Night One main event, and I’m inclined to think that most of us also don’t know how this one is going to play out, too. The problem? Nobody really cares, either. All three guys could have been used in different (read: better) ways for this year’s Mania. Even if any two of these three had a singles program together, it would be more compelling. Reigns vs. Punk in a Heyman On A Pole Match. Rollins vs. Reigns, considering the history. Rollins vs. Punk in a Loser Leaves Town Match. Whichever combination they wanted, they could have had and it would be better than whatever this triple threat will most likely be. The fact that we are where we are with these three is one of WrestleMania 41’s biggest disappointments.

PRO: A lot of titles feel like they could change hands.

The consensus is that Jey Uso beats Gunther, right? And Bianca Belair walks out as the new WWE Women’s Champion? I already mentioned the possibilities with Cena. Bron Breakker has three other people to beat and he could lose that I.C. strap without actually taking a loss. And it just feels like it’s Jacob Fatu’s time, doesn’t it? The WWE champions list could look drastically different one week from today and if that’s the case, it’ll be nice to have things freshened up a bit as WWE’s unofficial New Year begins. I’m all for it. But I’m also just A Guy On The Internet. So, what do I know?

CON: What’s next?

If there are two guys I have my eye on coming out of this weekend who were champions going into it, but not champions coming out of it, those two guys would be Gunther and LA Knight. The former has worked his way into a position in which it would be outright awkward for him to be anywhere but the absolute top of the card. If he’s not a Heavyweight Champion, he should always be fighting for the Heavyweight Championship. And if he’s not going to be worked into John Cena’s or Cody’s world, how does Gunther stay Gunther if he loses this weekend? Then there’s Knight, who continuously, miraculously gets some of the biggest pops each night he hits the ring, but the decision-makers can’t seem to make up their minds about if they want to push him further up the card. His U.S. title reigns have felt inconsequential, and if he loses this weekend, is he somewhat defined down by being so underutilized? I like Knight, so I’m a little bit scared to discover the answer to that question.

PRO: One on one matches.

Chad Gable … er El Grande Americano … gets a singles match at WrestleMania against Rey Mysterio, who can’t have a lot of these left in him. Jade Cargill and Naomi become the first two women to have a singles match on this thing without a title involved. The War Raiders are actually in a traditional tag match – and coming in as defending champions, to boot. Lyra Valkyria will get her moment under the bright lights for the first time. AJ Styles has a spot. I’m happy for all those people. Even if some of the stories are flimsy (Rey Fenix has been on WWE TV longer than Bayley and Valkyria have been teaming), it’s nice to see some fresh – and mostly deserving – faces in there.

CON: You’re killing me with these multi-person matches, Hunter.

Not in any world can you convince me there is a single good reason Bron Breakker needs to be defending his Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Penta. We’ve already been over the atrocity that is the Night One main event. Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Belair feels like such a wasted opportunity for all three women, it makes me want to cancel Netflix for good (which, in reality, is something I’d never do because I don’t know how I’d live without Love Is Blind). Multi-person matches just feel so lazy these days. There isn’t any undeniable logic that applies to why any of it had to be this way. So … why do it this way?

And finally …

PRO: Randy Orton will still be on the card …

… Right?

CON: But it’s against Solo Sikoa and not Nick Aldis?

Come on, man!