Wrestlemania 41 – Night 2 Report Card: Grading Every Match And Moment, Including John Cena’s Record Breaking Win

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Wrestlemania 41 – Night 2 has capped off a massive weekend for WWE. It proved to be superior to Night 1 in many ways, except in a couple where it truly counted. There are plenty of headlines to take away from what was a jam-packed evening in Vegas. Keep reading below for results and grades on the entire eventful evening.

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Women’s World Championship Triple-Threat Match: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky

In terms of crowd response, Bianca definitely got the lion’s share of the boos. Tough position to be in with how beloved Rhea and Iyo continue to be. Fantastic action in the early going with poor Iyo being used as a weapon at various points. The energy was high throughout with all three featuring heavily in the fray. Like any effective triple-threat match, this gave each of the competitors ample time to shine.

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a certain electricity in the air anytime Rhea and Bianca faced off. There’s something special there every time. We got a terrific finish with Iyo eeking out the win by nailing a moonsault on Bianca who had just taken out Rhea. Iyo retaining really felt like the right move. It can’t be overstated how consistently great these three are and Wrestlemania 41 was yet another showcase of their formidable talent.

Result: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Grade: A

Sin City Street Fight: Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

Making this a street fight was a brilliant touch. It gave these two monsters free rein to get creative with their carnage. They took full advantage early on with stairs and tables coming into play. McIntyre truly deserves his flowers. He’s a master showman who loves the big stage and maximizes every opportunity. From taking a selfie over a downed Priest to flying over the top rope like a cruiserweight, he filled the first half of this match with highlights.

Priest was more than game, though, and held up his end even putting McIntyre through a table with a Razor’s Edge. The selling point for this match was always going to be the physicality, and they delivered plenty of that. The finishing sequence of Priest being sent sailing through multiple tables followed by a Claymore through a chair put a fitting and violent end to this one. Terrific stuff from these two.

Result: Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest via pinfall

Grade: A–

Related: Wrestlemania 41 – Night 1 Report Card: Grading Every Match And Moment, Including The Shocking Ending To The Main Event

Intercontinental Championship Fatal-4-Way Match: Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor vs. Bron Breakker

They really can’t go wrong with any winner here. All four have plenty of storyline potential to claim victory and carry the title. The crowd was unsurprisingly very heavy into Penta and were with him for every “zero miedo.” There was great interplay throughout between Finn and Dom. First working in tandem and then with the inevitable breakdown of their alliance. Carlito showing up at ringside only added to the Judgment Day shenanigans.

Speaking of Carlito, he served his purpose eating a gnarly spear through the Spanish announce table from Bron who looked like an absolute beast. Yet another fantastic closing sequence here that saw Dominik hit a Frog Splash on Finn to win his first IC Title. It’s been amazing following the rise of Dirty Dom and how organically he has connected with the crowd. From deafening boos every Monday to rabid cheers at Wrestlemania 41. Unreal.

Result: Dominik Mysterio wins via pinfall (New Champion!)

Grade: A–

Read More: Report Details Serious Injury That Took Rey Mysterio Off WrestleMania 41 Card And Could Sideline Him For Months

Randy Orton Open Challenge

What was supposed to be a grudge match has become an open challenge due to Kevin Owens’ unfortunate injury. Orton made the best of it, though, celebrating his 20th Wrestlemania and soaking up the well-deserved love from the crowd. As for who his opponent would be, they said his name and he appeared…IT’S JOE HENDRY!

The crowd went crazy for the appearance of the beloved TNA World Champion. It’s pretty wild to see the TNA World Title showcased on the Wrestlemania stage. The two wound up having a fun little bout with Hendry getting caught mid-taunt by an RKO out of nowhere for the Orton win. The match itself was what it was but the vibes were immaculate and they turned a bad situation into an entertaining diversion. Hendry got a Wrestlemania moment and Orton gets celebrated like the legend he is. We’re all winners here.

Result: Randy Orton def. Joe Hendry via pinfall

Grade: B+

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Logan Paul vs. AJ Styles

Say what you want about Logan (please do) but the man knows how to make himself stand out. We saw that again tonight with his incredibly innovative entrance involving multiple cameras and a drone. Things dragged a bit in the beginning with Logan in control and doing a lot of grandstanding to the crowd. It picked up a bit once Styles started to respond. Getting him at Mania while we can is always a treat.

As things moved along, one of Logan’s buddies tried to get involved with a set of brass knuckles. This led to some unexpected involvement from Karrion Kross who cut him off at the past and retrieved the knucks. He then tried to convince Styles to use him but AJ refused and punched him out for his trouble. It would prove costly as Logan took advantage of the distraction and put Styles away for the win. Nothing disastrous but it pales in comparison to the rest of the Wrestlemania 41 Night 2 card to this point. But it does serve as a nice continuation of Kross and Styles’ interesting story, so that counts for something.

Result: Logan Paul def. AJ Styles via pinfall

Grade: C+

Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria and a mystery partner vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

The question coming into this one, of course, was who would replace Bayley as Lyra’s partner. Many had their suspicions and, well, those suspicions wound up being correct as “The Man” Becky Lynch answered the call and made her return.

The match went pretty much as one would expect. Lyra was shining early on until Liv and Raquel managed to gain control for a good bit. Eventually, Lyra made the hot tag to Becky who cleaned house, got the pin and that was all she wrote. New champs are crowned. Great moment with Becky coming back and Lyra getting a major Mania showcase is well-deserved. It’s a shame they sacrificed the highly entertaining Liv and Raquel to get us here but I guess we’ll see where it goes.

Result: Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch def. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez via pinfall

Grade: B-

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Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

Cena coming out to stark, plain graphics and just slowly walking to the ring was a hilarious touch. Cody with a mechanized helmet and a motorcycle stunt crew paying homage to Evel Knievel was pretty dope. This match undoubtedly has the big fight feel it warrants.

Cody sent Cena out of the ring a couple of times at the start, establishing he is not intimidated by the living legend. The crafty Cena eventually wrestled away control and slowed down the pace. He was savoring every moment of his advantage much to the crowd’s chagrin. Cena’s first match under his new heel persona is a huge window into what we’ve missed out on. His mannerisms and cocky swagger were tremendous and you could tell he was having the time of his life out there. It was incredibly effective.

Perhaps a little too effective as about halfway through this thing the crowd clearly turned on Cody. It was no fault of his own, as he was great in there. But it felt like we were getting a Hogan/Rock at Wrestlemania 18 situation. Cena began playing the hits and the crowd response only intensified. A moment came in the match when the referee got caught in the crossfire and got knocked out. Cody hit a Cross Rhodes but there was no ref to make the three count.

Soon after, Travis Scott made his way to the ring to try and aid Cena and distract Cody. He ate a Cross Rhodes of his own for his trouble, but not before pulling the freshly recovered ref out of the ring and prolonging the match. Cena tried to capitalize and use the title but Cody wrestled it away. We then got Cena begging off Cody who could not bring himself to use the title himself. Cena seized the opportunity to give Cody a low blow, knock him cold with the belt and waltz right into history at Wrestlemania 41 for his 17th World Championship.

There was a lot to like here. Cena played his role tremendously and relished being the bad guy. Cody fought a solid match as well and played his part. But I can’t help but have a problem with Rock’s lack of involvement. Why even set him up in this if he wasn’t going to be here for any of the build or the match? Travis Scott slowly sauntering to the ring was a poor substitute. I’m sure they’ll cry “wait and see” but as it stands right now it feels like Rock just wanted to shoehorn his way into the huge heel-turn moment then hit the bricks. That dampens this whole thing.

Result: John Cena def. Cody Rhodes via Pinfall

Grade: B-

Also Read: WWE Roster – Latest Rosters For Raw, SmackDown And NXT

By Jose Maldonado
An unabashed wrestling fan and self professed movie fanatic, Jose has a lifetime's worth of knowledge and passion that ... More about Jose Maldonado
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