Calling Spots: Wrestlemania 41 - Night 2
And now, the exciting conclusion to The Year of Cody
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 2, 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 night at Wrestlemania 41 — Night 1.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso
Prediction: Jey Uso caps off an incredible year with his first world championship.
Result: ✅ This feels like this will be the high point for this Wrestlemania weekend. Prepare to be sad from here on out, folks!
World Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
Prediction: *Sister Mary Clarence voice*: It’s a New Day, ladies and gentlemen. A brand New Day.
Result: ✅ No Big E, and The New Day are more obnoxious than ever.
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
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 next.
Result: ✅ Jade looked fantastic. Naomi looked incredible. No complaints.
United States Championship Match
LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Prediction: Jacob Fatu earns his first singles championship in the WWE.
Result: ✅ Glad they didn’t involve a Solo run-in. Jacob can — and did — beat LA clean. And he looks great in gold.
Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
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.
Result: ✅ Devastated than Mysterio couldn’t go, but thrilled that Rey Fenix got a chance to shine here. But I still don’t understand where the Chad Gable story goes from here.
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Prediction: It’s Tiffy Time in Las Vegas.
Result: ✅ Great match. As much shit as Charlotte gets (some deserved, some not) she is solid as ever in the ring.
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman)
Prediction: Seth Rollins cashes in his own favor and wins the battle for the soul of the wrestling industry.
Result: ✅ Heel Seth is back baybeeeee! With a Wiseman by his side. Terrifying.
Final Tally
7-for-7. 😏
Season Record
This brings our prediction record to 39-for-50.
THE MAIN EVENT
WWE Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena
I was at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia last year, tears falling from my eyes when Cody finally defeated Roman Reigns to win the WWE Championship for his father, his mother, and himself. With absolutely no irony or sarcasm in my heart, that was a top three experience in my life — and it wasn’t number two or three.
So, it pains me to say that Cody is losing his championship in the main event on Wrestlemania Sunday. It has to happen. John Cena turning heel has to mean something. John Cena selling out to The Rock has to mean something. He has to win the world championship for a record-breaking 17th time, and threaten the future of this industry by taking the belt and retiring.
My gut says John won’t win clean, however. Shenanigans are afoot. But shenanigans from whom? The Rock and Travis Scott1? Seth? Randy?
Prediction: His time is now. John Cena closes out his final Wrestlemania on top.
Women’s World Championship Match
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
This is the match I’m most looking forward to on Wrestlemania Sunday. I still hold my (very correct) opinion that Iyo Sky is the best wrestler on the roster today. And that’s coming from someone that truly believes that Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair are two of the best in the world. Triple threats can be messy, but this one has the capacity to be industry-shifting.
Both Rhea and Bianca have basically been treating Iyo like a child getting in the way of grown folks business. Rhea blames Bianca for distracting her during her title defense against Iyo, and costing her the belt. Bianca thinks Rhea didn’t earn her way into this championship match since Bianca had to win the Elimination Chamber to get her shot. So, where does Iyo fit in? Iyo is that woman that’s going to come in and show these giants exactly who has been kicking ass for the past 20 years.
Prediction: Iyo proves herself and retains while slaying these two giants.
Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way Match
Bronn Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor vs. Penta
This match has the potential to be extremely interesting storyline-wise. Yes, Bron Breakker is an absolute menace who will shred everyone in this match. And yes, Penta is the hottest act currently on the roster (not named Rey Fenix). But Finn versus Dom is the big story here.
Finn and Dom have been low-key bitchy towards one another for months now (in the best way possible). WWE is working at Tarantino levels of slow-play, and it’s finally ready to explode on the big stage. Dom has to betray Finn here. They are on the outs, and Dom is too good as a heel to risk messing with that formula. Though, I do love a heel Finn as well (those abs deserved to be boo’d). Either Dom costs Finn his chance at winning, or Dom pins Finn straight up. And of those two options an Intercontinental champion Dom seems so excruciating I gotta see it.
Prediction: Dom betrays Finn and becomes the new Intercontinental champion.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria & ???
I love all four woman in this match, and I think they’ll put on a fantastic match if given the proper time. That being said, this feels completely rushed. Liv and Raquel didn’t have a match on the Wrestlemania card (or any storyline momentum) just two weeks ago. And the solution to that was a women’s tag team gauntlet match where the winners were never in question. So, here we are.
Double-champ Lyra has a nice ring to it. They could find a way to have Lyra and Bayley (not at all a tag team) coalesce just in time to beat the champs. But to what end? I suppose the story can come later, but that’s not usually what you want. It’s what you get after poor planning. But these women don’t have any control over that. What they can control is their match, and I have no doubt they’ll all show out.
**As of Saturday, April 19, Bayley was attacked backstage at Wrestlemania, and can no longer compete in this match. Lyra will have to find a new partner. And all signs point to a Becky Lynch return. Liv is the one who “retired” Becky on Raw months ago, and she also has Irish ties to Lyra. So, it makes sense. But I’m still super bummed for Bayley.
Prediction: Back when this was Bayley I had Liv and Raquel retaining easily. Now this complicates things. If it really is Becky, I think I still have to go with Liv and Raquel here. A heel Becky turn (and subsequently going after Lyra and the Intercontinental title) is more interesting to me right now than a face Becky going after Liv. But it’s hard to bet against Becky on her big return.
Sin City Street Fight
Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
It’s always funny to me that WWE tries to brand their street fights based on city. It’s just a No-DQ match. They’ll try to do something cute like bring out a thumbtack bag only for it to be filled with dice or something equally ridiculous instead.
But I won’t let that ruin my fun. I am buying high on Damian Priest. I thought he was a fantastic world champion, and I felt he proved so much during his title run this past summer. Similarly, I have no bad words to say about Drew McIntyre. Every single match he shows out in a big way, and he deserves a real title run in 2025.
This match has the capacity to be as brutal and violent as the Drew versus CM Punk Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood this past year. Damian has cost Drew his championship opportunities at both the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber. (He also cost him his right eye for about a week.) Drew is looking for payback, and I have a feeling he’s going to get it. Viciously.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre hits the jackpot against Priest.
Open Challenge
Randy Orton vs. ???
Randy versus Kevin Owens would have been magical, and I’m so sad for everyone involved that it won’t be able to happen. So where does that leave us?
Randy came out on Smackdown and issued an open challenge to “anyone in the back”. The odds on favorite to answer the call is Smackdown General Manager, Nick Aldis, considering Randy has been mildly tormenting the guy this past year with multiple RKOs. Other contenders include former WWE superstars and newly free agents Aleister Black and Rusev. I personally wasn’t watching WWE during the era of Black and Rusev, so I have no feelings one way or the other. But if I had my wish? I’d say his name and he’d appear. I believe in Joe Hendry!
Prediction: I will never bet against RKO, no matter who he is against.
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
AJ deserves so much better than this.
Prediction: They’re going to let Logan win aren’t they?
Those are my called spots. Tell me yours! Who do you think is walking out on top at Wrestlemania XLI - Night 2?
The inclusion of Travis Scott is still so stupid to me.