WrestleMania 41 - Matches of Interest (Day 1)

Happy WrestleMania, Enthusiasts!

Are you excited for the show? I can’t say that I’m giddy with anticipation but the curiosity is pretty high. I’ll admit that. So, I’ll discuss a few of the matches that have my particular interest and then it’s on with the show. I got enchiladas to make 😉

So, first match we’re looking at is rumored to be Jey Uso vs. GUNTHER for the Heavyweight Championship. Jey went against general advice and went for the Emmy. Will he win it? Doubtful but there is an outside chance they give him the Championship. 

Say what you will about Gunther, he does serve the role well and is settling into it nicely. I don’t mind him being champion. However, Jey has been slanging for a while and if this isn’t his day in the sun, I don’t know when it is. So, I won’t be surprised if Jey gets it but it may not be clean or it could be contentious. I also don’t expect his reign to be long but it should be the compliment it ought to be. This is as good a time as ever and Gunther could always win it back. They also could give it to Jey on a RAW or SmackDown so I suppose the real goal is to have a good match. That is definitely possible so, let’s see if they hit the mark, no matter the outcome.

After that, I’m looking at Charlotte Flair vs. Tiffany Stratton. Flair was made to work for this one and I hope that as in most aspects of life, if it doesn’t kill her, it should make her stronger. I don’t fully understand the hate she gets though I can respect others’ point of view. She never bothered me and recently, the Crowd has been a bit…arbitrary in their leanings. For whatever reason they’re souring. That’s a hard thing to keep happy so when faced with this sort of thing, Flair did the “genuine” thing and got back to basics. She’s just pissed and looking for a fight!

Given the way the Crowd is leaning, on paper, it’s Stratton’s to win or lose. As things stand, the Crowd will cheer her just because she isn’t Flair. That would be unfortunate if it were a real contest but since this is entertainment, I’m thinking they’re trying to make a Flair loss interesting. 

The taller task is making a Flair win a triumphant victory but I don’t know. The Crowd doesn’t seem to want it and they’ve turned a result before. This one may not be fair so the real goal is to make it entertaining. I have nothing against Stratton so I don’t care if she wins but it leaves the question of what’s left for Flair? She’s got plenty of years left. What’s the next chapter? Suppose we’ll see.

And so that leaves what has to be the main event in the Triple Threat between CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. If I make the call, Punk pulls out the win mainly because of the history between them all.

I returned to wrestling after the SHIELD broke so I didn’t know Punk was there at the beginning. But seeing how he is a sort of “Founding Father” I think his seniority should be maintained at this point. Both Reigns and Rollins are being “themselves” more than ever these days and that should inform Punk of how to handle them. 

Chances are Reigns and Rollins get too caught up in themselves and forget the true task of winning the match. That’s what Punk should be looking for or even instigating. Rollins won’t hesitate to play dirty and Reigns could be called gullible. He could easily justify doing “what it takes”. 

If that doesn’t happen, I can’t help but lean towards Rollins finagling it somehow. He’s been leading with a new and improved “Architect” sensibility and I believe it. With Punk easy to figure and Reigns susceptible to being misled, Rollins could easily orchestrate a win and I wouldn’t be upset with it. 

The surprise win here for me is Reigns. Given recent press, it could be seen as WWE Brass’ way of rewarding solidarity. I say this because to look at these players, one would think Reigns would win by physicality alone. He has to be the strongest of them. Why not just bash ‘em in? Fortunately for Punk and Rollins, no one really wants to see that. 

Reigns is no wrestler but has learned how to execute wrestling moves and perform a good match. The downside for him is that realistically, people would expect him to just kick their asses and since no one really wants to see him stomp them out, I’m not sure how he wins at this juncture unless it’s some sort of bullshit, the Ref got knocked out during a count and Reigns was able to recover to pin an exhausted either one of them. If that happens, then Brass called it.

And so, that’s what I’m looking at. Since it’s a 2-Day affair, the start time is the more standard 5pm PDT. You can stop by for Kick-Off at 4pm of course. I’ll be multitasking in the kitchen this time around as I feel WrestleMania is our Super Bowl so I have to make sure there are a lot of good eats around. I suggest you follow the theme. Have fun! Indulge! 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)