Murphy’s WrestleMania 41 Night Two Predictions – Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship

By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)

I’m back at it with my preview and predictions for WrestleMania 41 Night Two, taking place this Sunday night from Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium. I won’t repeat my overall thoughts on Mania here, but they can be found in my Night One preview. Let’s get right to it and run down the card for Night Two.

Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship. This is the match that’s driving the Mania train this year, for better or for worse. I have enjoyed Cena’s heel run so far, but I can listen to those who say that it’s too little, too late. There have been some details around the turn that I would have liked to have seen them build in, such as The Rock’s relationship with Cena, but it’s been fine overall. Rock has been mentioned in passing, and I suspect he’ll be involved in the finish in some way, shape, or form.

Beyond the outcome, I’m curious to see how the crowd plays this. The Mania crowd is different from the average audience, and as we saw on Smackdown, Rhodes is not above being booed. He was able to get them back, but it was definitely there. Will they hijack the match and make Cena the face here, or will the talents do an effective job by making the fans react the way they want to. Also, what does Cena look like in the ring? Chances are he’s winning the title and will have to carry it for the better part of eight months. Sure, he won’t be wrestling every night or even every month, but can he still perform at that level where fans anticipate his matches?

Don Predicts: John Cena wins the WWE Championship.

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat for the Women’s World Championship. The build to this was a mess. They took one of, if not their most over babyface on either roster in Rhea Ripley and turned her into someone who whined her way into a match. Bianca’s been fine, as it looks like they’re turning her heel, except there was no reason to go down the path where she would have had any interest in refereeing Sky and Ripley. Then there’s Sky, who is the most over of the three, but sadly looks like she’s nothing more than a placeholder to take the pin. The biggest miss in all of this has been Adam Pearce, who is usually pretty good. He’s been booked to completely disregard all thoughts of logic, adding Ripley to the match simply because he was tired of dealing with her. In any case, the match should be fine when the bell rings, with a new champion likely to be crowned.

Don Predicts: Bianca Belair wins the Women’s World Championship.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Lyra Valkyria and Bayley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. This is an update to my previous entry, as Bayley has been taken out of the match due to a storyline backstage attack, as noted during the WrestleMania pre-show yesterday. Beyond the storyline, no reason has been given regarding the switch as she’s reportedly not injured so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. In terms of the match, I think the obvious choice would be to have Becky Lynch return to team with Valkyria. Lynch attended the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, so she is in Las Vegas, though it’s possible that she’s just there with her husband (some guy named Seth). Should it be Becky, it creates an interesting scenario because I don’t see a way the babyface team would lose. This would set up a babyface team vs. babyface team for the women’s tag titles on Tuesday’s NXT, as Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley earned a shot at the titles during the Stand & Deliver pre-show. The only other possibility could be a returning Asuka, but given the history between Lynch and Valkyria, as well as Lynch and Morgan, my money is on Becky taking the spot here.

Don Predicts: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor in a four-way for the Intercontinental Title. Another multi-person match that didn’t need to be. The story here will hopefully be the official breakup of Mysterio and Balor. I don’t see a title change here, but I expect some good spots from Breakker and Penta.

Don Predicts: Bron Breakker retains the Intercontinental Title.

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight. Drew McIntyre is my WWE MVP. He’s done such a good job over the past year that he deserves a big Mania match. I’m not sure this fits the bill but I give him credit for making the most of it and telling the story of how Priest has been involved in every instance where McIntyre felt that he was screwed. Priest doesn’t do it for me as a top babyface, but I think these two will try to steal the show. Then, it’s up to the creative team to put McIntyre back into some higher-profile programs.

Don Predicts: Drew McIntyre defeats Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight.

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul. This is not the highest profile match for Paul, but the man generates heat, while Styles has evolved to be a fun legacy act. I think Paul needs a big win here as he’s lost his last several. Furthermore, Styles is a guy who can absorb it.

Don Predicts: Logan Paul defeats AJ Styles.

Randy Orton holds an open challenge. The injury to Kevin Owens is a real bummer, as I was really looking forward to hiss scheduled match with Orton. Here’s hoping for a quick recovery first and foremost. Now, we speculate who Orton’s opponent will be. I’m going to buy into the rumors and declare tomorrow as “Rusev Day.” That would mean a Rusev win, as it should. The only issue is that Orton seems pegged to challenge for the WWE Championship at Backlash in his hometown. Sure, it’s Randy Orton but they’ll still have to do a little work to get him to title contention if he’s coming off a loss at Mania.

Don Predicts: Rusev answers the open challenge and defeats Randy Orton.