The Champ is here… again!

KARACHI:

John Cena broke the record and became a 17-time world champion by defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 41 night two.

Cena broke the record previously held by Ric Flair. Although Flair has won 21 world championships across WWE, WCW and NWA, WWE recognizes only 16 of his reigns. Since Flair's last world title victory was in WCW in 2000, it has taken 25 years for someone to break the record.

While Cena vs Rhodes was a strangely booked and underwhelming match, the shocking result will have exciting implications and sets the stage for several money feuds for the remainder of 2025, by the end of which Cena is set to retire.

It was a typical Cody match with multiple finishers and kickouts and an interference by Travis Scott instead of The Rock. It's fascinating to see how the audience demanded Cena to turn heel for decades but now that he did, they cheer for him and boo the good guy Rhodes. Despite the lackluster buildup and match quality, the outcome of Cena making history evens it all out.

However, in terms of expectations, delivery and entertainment value, it was the night one main event that delivered big time. CM Punk, in his first ever WrestleMania main event, battled against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in an all-out war. It was cathartic to see Punk, who's been on a roll since he returned to WWE, fulfilling his life-long dream.

Going into 'Mania, the distrust and hatred between the three men was on breaking point. Add to it, the wildcard Paul Heyman, who was Reigns' Wiseman for years. Punk called in a favour Heyman owed him and took the wiseman away from Reigns at 'Mania to be in his corner. However, Heyman pulled a classic Heyman when he turned on both Punk and Reigns to side with Rollins and helped him defeat his former two clients.

There were many callbacks for long-time fans who remember The Shield days with powerbombs on the commentary table and chair shots to the back. Although there were signs leading up to the match that Heyman would side with Rollins, the delivery, timing and overall execution was so perfect that it didn't matter. The audience ate it up.

An absolute five-star classic, the match was already one of the greatest 'Mania matches in history even before the twist ending. The climactic betrayal merely solidified its status. If the gravity of Cena's history-making, record-breaking victory wasn't an element on night two, the triple threat match was the true main event of WrestleMania.

Title changes

Both nights of WrestleMania 41 saw multiple titles change hands. One of the most well-deserved victories was by Jacob Fatu who defeated L.A. Knight to win the WWE US Championship. This beast hasn't even been on the roster for a full year and already has won over the crowd and the company with his unparalleled charisma, in-ring skills and character work. And now he can call himself the new United States Champion.

Rey Mysterio's son Dominik Mysterio also won his first singles title in WWE. He defeated Bronn Breaker, Penta and his Judgement Day teammate Finn Balor to win the Intercontinental Championship. Since he won by pinning his teammate, the fallout will be interesting as it is bound to lead to an inevitable implosion within the group.

Lyra Valkyria and Bayley were supposed to face Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the women's tag titles. But someone attacked Bayley last night and Valkyria brought in 'The Man' Becky Lynch to team with her. Lynch left WWE last year after being defeated by Morgan. This time at 'Mania, Lynch and Valkyria defeated their opponents to become new champs. While it's great to see Lynch back, the workhorse Bayley deserved to be on the show, especially considering her incredible chemistry with Valkyria whether as a partner or rival. The New Day also defeated the War Raiders to become new tag team champions.

Royal Rumble 2025 winner Jey Uso finally defeated World Heavyweight Champion Gunther to win the title. While the match didn't deliver in terms of quality, and the final sequence left much to be desired, it was a well-deserved victory for Jey, who's organically grown and become a superstar in his own right.

And still…

Iyo Sky defeated Rhea Rhipley and Bianca Belair in a fantastic triple threat match for the Women's World Championship. Sky winning was the only correct decision, considering the buildup of the match. The three women delivered an exceptional match to open night two of the show.

The curse of Charlotte is finally over too as Tiffany Stratton defeated the veteran to retain the WWE Women's Championship. It was another lackluster match on the show where Charlotte played stiff, no-sold the champion's offence and gave her a chipped tooth. The crowd wasn't engaged in the match either and it seemed that everyone was just waiting for Stratton to defeat Charlotte and get it over with. Thankfully, WWE learned from their mistakes and put over the young champion who should be a mainstay on the roster for years rather than forcing a past-her-prime Charlotte and handing her another pointless title run only to match her father's record.

Grudge matches

Drew McIntyre defeated Damien Priest in a violent street fight, whereas El Grande Americano (who is definitely not Chad Gable with a mask) defeated the newest Lucha sensation Rey Fenix, who replaced Rey Mysterio after the latter was injured on SmackDown.

Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles in a great match and Jade Cargill showed up and showed out in a hot showcase match against Naomi. Cargill, despite her limited experience, is definitely a star and WWE is building her up slowly as such. Her debut WrestleMania match was a great display for her, as she continues improving her skills.

After Kevin Owens's real-life neck injury forced him out of action, his slated opponent Randy Orton refused to sit out the show and issued an open challenge. TNA Champion Joe Hendry answered. In his 20th WrestleMania, Orton defeated Henry in a short but fun match.

Both nights of WrestleMania 41 attracted an attendance of 124,693 people from 50 USA states and 68 countries. It was also the first WrestleMania to be available live and worldwide on Netflix. Overall, the show was a massive success and delivered fantastic action throughout.

With many new champions, including Cena at the top of the mountain once again, the landscape of WWE has changed. But the exciting season isn't over as the Raw and SmackDown after 'Mania promise debuts, returns and massive fallouts as we build up towards next month's premium live event (PLE), Backlash.