PINACL: WrestleMania 41 Star Ratings and Analysis
- Apr 20, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 25
Overview
WrestleMania comes back to Vegas, the first time since WrestleMania IV-which was held in the parking lot of Caesar's Palace. Despite the move to a multi-billion-dollar stadium, and some of the best production work from a wrestling promotion, the product has received mixed reviews amongst the IWC as the concerning booking of the show is well documented. Nonetheless, how good was WrestleMania in Las Vegas really? Let's take a further look into my takeaways and match ratings from the 41st edition of the Showcase of Immortals.
PINACL's Tiering System:
4.75 - 5.00 Stars PINACL! 4.00 - 4.50 Stars Incredible 3.00 - 3.75 Stars Noteworthy
2.25 - 2.75 Stars Average 1.50 - 2.00 Stars Concerning 0.00 - 1.25 Stars Lackluster/ASS
Scroll down to the very bottom to see PINACL's rating of this show as a whole.
1-on-1 World Heavyweight Championship Match
GUNTHER (c) vs. Jey Uso
Rating: 2.75 Stars - Average
This match was a very okay match. Nothing too special and while the match might not be the best in the series between these two, as I'm revising this post almost a year later, It wasn't anything that will stick out in their catalog. Besides this being Jey's first title win, and only victory against GUNTHER. The finish was a bit questionable with GUNTHER tapping out to a move Jey has never even used, let alone as a finish to such a dominantly booked superstar in GUNTHER. An 'okay' contest.
2-on-2 World Tag Championship Match
The War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
Rating: 2 Stars - Concerning
Look, I was in the stadium for this show. I left to use the bathroom, and grab a drink. Went back to my seat and the match was over. Despite the extremely negative reviews, I went to watch back the entire show when I made it back to the hotel, and this match was an amazing waste of 15 minutes. My expectations for this match were extremely low and the two tag teams managed to perform lower than my expectation. This match leaves an even more sour taste when I was already upset that this tag title match was booked on the card over the triple-threat WWE Tag championship match that was held the following Smackdown. The defending Street Profits, Motor City Machine Guns, and #DIY put on, what I would say, WWE's tag match of the year, and one of its best matches of the year period. I felt robbed, and it doesn't help that The New Day vs. War Raiders was a complete stinker.
1-on-1 U.S. Championship Match
L.A. Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Rating: 4 Stars
This match was very good. As a fan, I had a lot of fun watching this contest. It managed to protect Knight despite his defeat, and it was very comforting watching Fatu get this title win. This match also had some great spots, and very good pacing. Great match, with a great finish.
1-on-1 Normal
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
Rating: 3 Stars - Noteworthy
Another match on this show that was pretty solid. It was well-paced, great action despite a very green Jade Cargill, and the dynamic between the two wrestlers were great. While I maybe would've enjoyed this match just a bit more if recently turned heel Naomi came out with the win, the match rating is diminished just a bit more when the two would match up again where Naomi would eat another pin. Nonetheless, this was a good match.
1-on-1 Normal
El Grande Americano vs. Rey Mysterio
Ratings: 2 Stars - Concerning
I don't know, as a fan in Allegiant Stadium, I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to see Rey Mysterio fight, especially in this latter part of his career. While Rey Fenix wasn't a bad replacement, nor a bad performer in the match, the match just didn't sit right with me, making it harder to enjoy as I was there. Watching the replay, the match was fine. As it went on, especially with Americano's cheat finish, it didn't really give off a WrestleMania-feel. Especially with this match setting up the formula for many El Grande Americano matches—him using the metal plate for a headbutt—this match could have been booked on the following Monday Night Raw.
1-on-1 Women's Championship
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Rating: 2.25 Stars - Average
As a Stratton fan myself, this match was meh. The in-ring chemistry between the two were as bad as it gets. The pacing of the match was questionable, which does not help the match at all considering it was well over 20 minutes. And as a viewer both Stratton and Flair seems very sluggish as the contest goes on. That is very apparent in Charlotte Flair, as to this day, she still gets dragged throughout the internet for supposedly "sandbagging" Tiffany Stratton. Now with that, the heated build has made the match pretty believable, and the match excels in physicality where at many moments in the the two women genuinely looked as if they hated one another and delivering stiff shots. Additionally, Stratton getting over against perhaps the most decorated female superstar in WWE history, built the foundation for the 2025 year that catapult her into the main event scene she's in today.
Triple Threat Normal
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk
Rating: 4.75 Stars - PINACL!
This match is about everything you would expect with the three men involved. Beginning to end was just constant action that started inside the ring, spilled to the crowd area, and ended in a double turn from Paul Heyman. In-ring, incredible chemistry and storytelling from the three as well as Heyman, and their contrasting dynamics just work with each other. Areas of the match that keeps this match from a perfect five stars are in the closing moments of the match. While there was a solid fifteen wrestling, past that mark the match really turned into a heated finisher fest. Additionally, while the double-turn moment was great, its not a segment that many fans can say they didn't see coming. Seth Rollins was the correct winner but expected as well. Altogether, this once-in-a-lifetime, blood matchup has great replay value and still holds up to this day and stands out as a frontrunner for a 2025 match of the year.
Triple-Threat Women's World Championship Match
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
Ratings: 5 Stars - PINACL!
Earning it's 5-star, Belair, Ripley, and Sky at WrestleMania 41 becomes the first match to earn a 5-star rating, PINACL! rating. To this day, almost a year later, it remains as the only 5-star rated match. This match exceeded my expectations by a significant margin. Not saying that I thought this match was going to be bad by any means, but this match did it for me. Belair, Ripley, and Sky for 20 minutes put on perhaps the best female performance for WWE that year. Being the opening match for Night 2, they set the standard for the show extremely high for not only the rest of the night, but for WrestleMania matches going forward.
1-on-1 Sin City Street Fight
Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
Rating: 4 Stars - Incredible
This is a very solid street fight. Great action, memorable moments, and a great finish and winner. As solid as a street fight could be.
Four-Way Intercontinental Championship Match
Bron Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor vs. Penta
Rating: 4 Stars - Incredible
WrestleMania 41: Sunday started off very hot, with this 4-way adding more fuel to the fire. It was great, yet fast-paced that showcased all its participants. Being in the stadium, the crowd erupted when Dominik pinned Balor to take the title. Dominik's win was such a feel-good moment for just about anyone in the arena and an amazing way to conclude a great match.
1-on-1 Normal
Randy Orton vs. Joe Hendry
Rating: 0.5 Star - Lackluster/ASS
This match pissed me off in so many ways. Not only is both the superstars are some of my favorite of all time, and I wasn't going to be able to watch them live. But Randy's mystery opponent, which was the big selling point for this match, was then TNA Champion, Joe Hendry. That wasn't even what pissed me off the most, the fact that this match ended in a squash match felt like a slap in my face. This match pissed me off so much for the rest of the night, I wasn't even excited to see Steve Austin following. This match almost a whole year later, remains as the worst rated match from PINACL.
2-on-2 Women's Tag Championship
The Judgement Day (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria & Becky Lynch
Rating: 2.25 Stars - Average
This match was okay. I missed a good portion of it while in the bathroom and making my way around the stadium. When I made it back, there was solid action for the remainder of the matchup, and seeing Becky back after almost a year and winning the contest with Valkyria was a good feel good moment. Despite its rating, the match wasn't too bad. Just another match that could've done well on a regular edition of Monday Night Raw. Also, the crowd absolutely roared for Lynch. At the concessions, the ground was rumbling and just from the pop, that was louder than the music, I just knew that Becky returned.
1-on-1 Normal
A.J. Styles vs. Logan Paul
Rating: 2.25 Stars - Average
Again like most matches on this card, this match isn't terrible. But for a WrestleMania spot? this match wasn't much different from the typically Logan Paul matches we get every week now on Monday Night Raw. Very flat contest, and this is coming from someone who's favorite wrestler of all time is actually A.J. Styles and was able to see him in person.
1-on-1 Undisputed Universal Championship
Rhodes (c) v. Cena
1 Star - Lackluster/SS
I'm going to keep this as nice as possible, Cena vs. Rhodes I might be WWE's worst spectacle of the year. The entire city of Vegas was littered with this match card and all weekend the Allegiant Stadium was drowned out by "Let's Go Cena! Cena Sucks!" and "Cody, Cody Rhodes!" chants. They were overwhelming, and honestly the loudest chants I heard in any setting. By the end of the two night spectacle, visible (audible) frustration from me and the other 60,000+ people leaving the stadium. Cena's attempt at "ruining professional wrestling" by controlling an awfully slow paced and boring match was enough to make the casual viewer fall asleep. And the overbooked mess at the end with Travis Scott had three things come out of it: One, no one asked for it, and for the short time he got a pop from the live crowd is because we believed that it would eventually lead to The Rock getting involved -which did not happen. Two, having Travis Scott being the deciding factor in one of the biggest wins in company history in John Cena winning his 17th world championship was a beyond terrible decision by creative and seeing where their relationship with Travis Scott would go later down the line, I am extremely positive that Triple H and WWE will regret that decision for a long time. Lastly, I am positive that this match would've done a lot better if WWE would have made the decision to just put Cena over clean in this match without any Travis Scott appearance. While the match would have been below good regardless, Travis Scott being involved became the biggest talking point of this match and in the worst way possible. I would go as far and say that the reception of Travis Scott's involvement in this match, as well as an absent Rock somehow overshadowed John Cena's 17th world title win as it pissed off fans all over the country, and to this day, almost a year later, pisses fans off the IWC and other sports fans. Travis Scott aside, this match was just bad. And that's an insult to the word "bad".
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