Calling Spots: Wrestlemania 41 - Night 1
We've finally arrived at The Grandest Stage of Them All
We finally made it to Wrestlemania!
At its core, professional wrestling is storytelling. The in-ring athleticism is an incredible bonus, but it’s all in service to the narrative being told onscreen on a week-to-week basis. Think of it as Game of Thrones with more powerbombs and less incest. Stories have to make sense. Characters do something, and their actions have consequences. Cause and effect. If we follow the breadcrumbs being left by the WWE writing team, perhaps we could figure out where the stories are headed — aka, the results of their matches.
Let’s preview the upcoming WWE Premium Live Event, Wrestlemania 41 - Night 1, and make some match predictions based on the ongoing stories being told each week on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown.
THE UNDERCARD
Before we look ahead, let’s look back and see how our predictions fared last month at the Elimination Chamber.
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match
Prediction: New tag team champion Liv Morgan continues to roll with (hopefully) a triple threat match at Wrestlemania against both Rhea and Iyo.
Result: ❌ The Jade return was fantastic! My prediction was not. I guess it makes sense not to give the current tag team champion a world championship match. But Liv definitely showed out. As did Bianca’s hair whip. Ouch!
Tiffany Stratton & Trish Stratus vs. Nia Jax & Candice LeRae
Prediction: Tiffy and Trish triumph in Toronto.
Result: ✅ Predictable yet fun!
Unsanctioned Match
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Prediction: No winners. No losers. Just chaos.
Result: ❌ Well, I predicted the chaos part right. Two options for winners and I chose secret option 3: No winner! Whoops.
Men’s Elimination Chamber Match
Prediction: John Cena will headline his final Wrestlemania.
Result: ✅ Got the winner right, but oh boy at what cost!
Final Tally
2-for-4. Great in baseball. Bad in predictions.
Season Record
This brings our prediction record to 34-for-43. Not our best PLE, but I have a feeling we’ll close out the season strong!
THE MAIN EVENT
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman)
This match has more layers than an onion cake wrapped in toilet paper. Okay, that’s a disgusting thought. But there’s a lot of layers!
Roman was betrayed by Seth while they were in The Shield. Seth has despised CM Punk ever since he returned to the WWE. CM Punk did Roman a favor by teaming with him for War Games, and now he’s claimed Paul Heyman as his manager for this match. Layers!
Roman being “betrayed” by Paul Heyman has to have some tangible effect on the Tribal Chief during this match. I don’t see him overcoming the odds of that hit to his emotional psyche. Similarly, I’m not sure Paul Heyman’s assistance will have the desired effect CM Punk believes it will.
That leaves Seth “Freakin” Rollins, who appears to have the edge leading up to this match considering how he stood tall this week on Monday Night Raw — hitting Roman in the back with a chair ONCE AGAIN. Poor Roman can’t catch a break here.
Actually, not “poor Roman”. If you have trash political opinions you deserve to get stomped into the mat. GTFOH.
Prediction: Seth Rollins cashes in his own Paul Heyman favor and wins the battle for the soul of the wrestling industry.
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
This one got real personal real quick! Initially this match felt like a matchup of old school versus the new school. Can Charlotte — a no-doubt Hall of Famer — defeat the newest, and arguably most popular, wrestler on the roster? They even tried that one multi-segment brawl on Smackdown that ended with Tiffy doing a Swanton Bomb onto a pile of security guards (and totally missing Charlotte LOL).
What happened instead is that one promo segment has completely taken over the entire conversation surrounding this match. The segment was supposed to be a face-to-face meeting between the two combatants with Wade Barrett moderating. Things begin to take a weird turn after Charlotte started to make fun of Tiffy’s voice. Tiffy responded by making fun of Charlotte’s recent television appearance where she cried while discussing her failed marriage to Andrade, even going so far as claiming Charlotte has gone 0-3 in her marriages. In the strangest twist, Charlotte responded by claiming that Tiffany’s boyfriend, Ludwig Kaiser, is trying to get at her in her DMs.
I love mess! I think Tiffy has to win this. I want to see her establish herself with a strong win against a legit opponent. That being said, putting the belt on Charlotte right now will give her absolute nuclear heat seeing as how the crowd has completely turned on her since her return at the Royal Rumble. And as we’ve heard the past few weeks from those at the top of WWE, they sure love cheap heat1.
Prediction: It’s Tiffy Time in Las Vegas.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso
If you asked me one month ago I would have told you Gunther was no-doubt winning this. The story they were building was that Gunther is the ultimate boss that Jey Uso can not defeat. It was the same story they did last year with Gunther and Sami Zayn. I couldn’t see an avenue where they would do the same storyline again to Gunther just one year later.
I can see it now.
The story now is that Jey was afraid of Gunther. He’s lost to him three times over the past few years. Gunther is the mountain that Jey can’t climb. Not only can’t he defeat him, but Gunther began tormenting Jey every week on Monday Night Raw by resorting to sneak attacks and choking Jey out every chance he got. But Gunther made a mistake when he went after Jimmy Uso. Gunther busted Jimmy open and literally rubbed Jimmy’s blood all over his own body (like a maniac) — all while Jey was tied to the ropes unable to help his twin brother.
That awoke something in Jey. He is no longer carefree. He’s wearing black. He’s stoic. He’s focused. He’s not yeeting. He’s ready to kick ass.
Jey Uso has had one hell of a year. He won his first Intercontinental title, he won the Royal Rumble, and now he’s competing for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania. And if my prediction for the WWE Championship match is correct, WWE is going to need a new babyface world champion to hold down the fort.
Prediction: Jey Uso caps off an incredible year with his first world championship.
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
This will be the very first women’s one-on-one, non-title match in Wrestlemania history. Absolute insanity.
Historic milestones like this are often praised by a company as an example of individual excellence — “these two women made themselves undeniable and made this opportunity for themselves” — but really they are an indictment on company culture. Frankly, I’m sick of the notion that wrestling is a meritocracy. If I have to listen to Triple H say, “the best story will main event, regardless of gender” one more time I will Canadian Destroyer myself. My guy, you write the stories! If you give the women a shit storyline and no television time the audience isn’t going to care and the women aren’t going to main event anything. Don’t try and pawn your failures onto your employees — excuse me, your “independent contractors”. They always want to invoke “personal responsibility” until it’s time to actually take personal responsibility themselves.
Okay, back to the true stars here — Jade Cargill and Naomi. All year they were given time, motivation, character development, and more TIME to tell this story. I know why Naomi is angry and bitter. I know why Jade feels hurt and vengeful. Give the women a real chance, and they will flourish.
Prediction: Jade needs to have a strong singles win on this stage to cement her role in the company. And Naomi needs to go after Bianca next2.
United States Championship Match
LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
In a year where LA Knight turned his meteoric rise into championship gold, WWE has found him an opponent who can actually match him in insane crowd reactions — the Samoan Werewolf, Jacob Fatu.
The downside is the story here isn’t too deep. LA Knight has been feuding with some version of The Bloodline for over a year. This new Bloodline iteration with Solo Sikoa at the helm has been a thorn in Knight’s side for a few months now, seemingly for the only purpose of bringing the United States Championship into The Bloodline.
If WWE wants to get creative, I can see them having Solo cost Jacob the title, setting up the Solo/Jacob feud we all thought we were getting for Mania. Regardless, LA Knight and Jacob Fatu should put on a great match if given the time. They work well together, and Jacob is a damn freak. A damn freak soon to be shrouded in gold.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu earns his first singles championship in the WWE.
World Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
The New Day are finally heels. The War Raiders3 are absolute WORKERS. This match should be a lot of fun.
Story wise, there isn’t too much meat on these bones. The New Day are baddies, and they want to reclaim the Tag Team titles to reestablish their dominance of the tag team division as this new iteration of themselves. The War Raiders ruined the New Day’s chance at winning the titles on Raw after getting themselves disqualified.
The big4 question is will Big E find himself getting involved in this matchup? My guess is no, not yet. But I feel like he’ll insert himself back in this storyline soon.
Prediction: *Sister Mary Clarence voice*: It’s a New Day, ladies and gentlemen. A brand New Day.
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
This may be the weakest match, storyline wise, that we’ll see Wrestlemania weekend. But that’s okay because we get to have Rey Mysterio and Chad Gable El Grande Americano on the card.
We’ve seen Chad Gable talk about his “luchador problem” — which honestly I didn’t even clock any such problem happening on television. But it seems that Gable found what he was looking for as he is now competing as the masked luchador.
I honestly thought Rey was going to lose his last two Wrestlemania matches, so who knows what will happen here. I personally would have Gable go over, but Rey is Rey and I’ll take more Rey Mysterio Mania wins for as long as we’ve got him.
If you were watching Smackdown tonight on Friday, April 18, we saw Rey disappear from the Six-Man Tag Match against American Made. Looks like he may possibly be legit injured with less than 24 hours until his Wrestlemania match. Devastating.
Prediction: If he can go, Rey Mysterio somehow will pull off another Wrestlemania victory. If he can’t go and is replaced by someone like Dragon Lee or Rey Fenix, I give El Grande Americano the edge.
Those are my called spots. Tell me yours! Who do you think is walking out on top at Wrestlemania 41 - Night 1?
🤮
Those text messages said ‘Delivered’, Bianca!
Thank GOD they stopped going by the Viking Raiders.
Pun intended.