Here are the top takeaways from a wild Sunday at WrestleMania in Las Vegas:
Where is The Rock?
The big Sunday surprise wasn’t John Cena’s record-breaking victory over Cody Rhodes to claim the Undisputed WWE Championship. It was why The Rock, the puppet master who put all the pieces into place for the WrestleMania 41 Night 2 main event, was nowhere to be found.
It was The Rock who offered Rhodes to become ‘his champion,’ an offer Rhodes declined at Elimination Chamber in March. Cena then turned heel, sided with The Rock, and mounted a challenge against Rhodes to become the first 17-time world champion.
The Rock was barely mentioned in the seven weeks that passed between Elimination Chamber and Sunday. The Final Boss didn’t show up to WrestleMania either. Instead, it was rapper Travis Scott — who sucker-punched Rhodes at Elimination Chamber ― who abruptly interrupted the match and helped Cena get the win.
The finish was, to put it mildly, weird. Commentators on WWE’s post-show even referred to it as a ‘clunker.’ Having Scott break up the match’s rhythm and affect the outcome felt undeserved and cheapened the product.
It felt hastily strung together, as if WWE had a grandiose plan that fell apart at the last minute and needed to improvise how the match would unfold. Unfortunately, it resulted in the incredibly hyped match falling well short of expectations.
It’s no secret that The Rock — really Dwayne Johnson ― has an incredibly demanding schedule. But it feels short-sighted to have him arrange the pieces for WrestleMania’s biggest match only to disappear entirely.
Uncertainty for Judgement Day
The Judgement Day, one of RAW’s most influential factions, faced mixed results on Sunday. While Dominik Mysterio claimed the Intercontinental Championship, the first singles belt of his WWE career, he did so at the expense of teammate Finn Balor. Meanwhile, members Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez lost the Women’s Tag Team Championship to Lyra Valykria and Becky Lynch.
It’s fair to wonder where the Judgement Day, which once had other influential members such as Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, goes from here. Balor would seem to be out of the picture, leaving just Mysterio, Morgan and Rodriguez … and Carlito (I guess).
Will the group recruit new members? Is Mysterio the new leader? We’ll undoubtedly get some answers Monday on RAW.
Breakker turns the page
It was always inevitable; the Intercontinental Championship was too small for Bron Breakker. It was the perfect way for Breakker to lose the title, which was won when Dominik Mysterio pinned his Judgement Day buddy Finn Balor. The nuance of the result protects Breakker and possibly allows him to challenge for a world title in the coming months.
We also settled the dispute of which wrestler is the best purveyor of the spear. It’s not Edge or Roman Reigns or Goldberg or Rhyno. The answer is Breakker, and it isn’t close. He followed up his viral front-flip spear of Carlito a few weeks ago with a jumping spear from one announce desk to another, again at the expense of Carlito.
Breakker is a freak athlete and an elite in-ring talent who, despite the WrestleMania loss, is destined for bigger opportunities.
Heavyweight classic
Both Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest showed us why both men should remain in world championship contention after an incredibly entertaining Sin City Street Fight match.
McIntyre especially looked incredible. The Scottish bruiser showed his strength while also showcasing his incredible athleticism. Do you know another man his size who can front-flip over the top rope like Penta?
Get these guys some title opportunities soon; they earned it with their WrestleMania performances.
Statement win for Sky
The triple threat contest for the Women’s World Championship might have been the most unpredictable match heading into WrestleMania weekend. Still, a victory for Iyo Sky felt like the least possible outcome.
And yet it was Sky who prevailed over both Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, breaking up a Belair pin on Ripley with her signature Moonsault and turning it into a winning pin. The victory represents a huge moment in the career of Sky, who now sees her stock rise over two roster mainstays: Ripley, perhaps the most popular female wrestler in WWE, and Belair, who has won multiple world titles.