Photos for Headline Surfer courtesy WWE / TOP: Hero turned-heel John Cena returned to ruthless aggression to become the 17-time champion with his big win over Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed World Championship, thanks in part to outside interference from rapper Travis Scott.
LEFT: This locator map shows the distance from Orlando, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center (close to home for Wrestling ReWind) and the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania, which is being held in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Tonight is the second of two nights for WWE's biggest PLE of the year, streaming on Peacock in the US and on Netflix outside of the US.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cody Rhodes losing to John Cena at Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas was a fate complete.
After all, a date with history was on Cena's side in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania at Reliant Stadium.
Wrestling ReWind didn't buy into the hype surrounding Cena's ascendancy as hero-turned heel over Rhodes, the undisputed WWE champion. Another voice thought otherwise.
"Don’t think jabroni Cody will win -- it would be pointless on the mania stage for Cena to lose." Such was the spot-on wisdom of longtime wrestling blogger Jeff Wilen @JAWBreaker386, recruited by Wrestling ReWind to provide analysis for WrestleMania 41. He'll be referenced moving forward simply as JAWBreaker.
Wrestling ReWind didn't buy into the hype surrounding Cena's ascendancy as hero-turned heel over Rhodes, the undisputed WWE champion. Another voice thought otherwise.
"Don’t think jabroni Cody will win -- it would be pointless on the mania stage for Cena to lose." Such was the spot-on wisdom of longtime wrestling blogger Jeff Wilen @JAWBreaker386, recruited by Wrestling ReWind to provide analysis for WrestleMania 41. He'll be referenced moving forward simply as JAWBreaker.
Yes, the narrative and events surrounding Cody Rhodes losing to John Cena at WrestleMania 41, including Cena's heel turn and aligning with The Rock, suggested a predetermined outcome. Cena's motivation to win his 17th title and become the "last real champion" added to the sense that the loss was scripted.
Cena's decision to turn heel and align with The Rock was a significant departure from his usual character, indicating a willingness to do whatever it took to win.
Cena's stated goal of winning his 17th title and becoming the "last real champion" suggested a strong desire to win and a potentially scripted outcome to achieve that.
The Rock's presence in Cena's corner and his involvement in the match, including using a weight belt with "Cody's soul" on it, further solidified the sense that the result was predetermined.
Rhodes' statement that he would protect the title and had a reason to be angry after his loss suggested that the loss was part of a bigger narrative that would drive his future storyline.
The narrative surrounding the match, with Cena selling out and aligning with The Rock, was designed to build a story and create tension and anticipation, potentially leading to a scripted outcome. The match itself, with Cena using a low blow and the championship to defeat Rhodes, was not a surprise, as the setup and narrative indicated that Cena was likely to win and surpass Ric Flair's record of 16 wrestling championships.
"It was a perfectly-paced match," JAWBreaker said, "as the crowd ate up almost every move. Fairly flawless execution by both, who could take their time."
"Great ref KO and use of the turnbuckle," JAWBreaker said of the main event, concluding, "Solid stuff with Travis Scott. And an awesome title swap and low blow into the finish! Cena has put Flair’s record to rest!"
Multimedia video
Headline Surfer YouTube download / WWE video / Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena | WWE Championship Match: WrestleMania 41 Sunday highlights / Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends his title against the villainous John Cena, presented by Drumstick. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, and more.
Among the earlier Night 2 WrestleMania matches:
Opening Match: Triple Threat - Women's World Champion Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley.
The winner was Sky, which was no surprise to JAWBreaker.
"Great choice for the opener -- action-packed and paced," JAWBreaker said, adding, "Crazy how the triple threat matches have delivered big on the big stage. Win gives high cred for the champ, who has the odds against her in a triple-threat. The crowd seems louder on Night 2.
2nd Match: Sin City Street Fight - Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
Headline Surfer picked Priest, but it was McIntyre who prevailed in this bruiser of a contest as predicted by our guest analyst.
"Loved the street fight stipulation in this one," JAWBreaker said. "Priest took some sick bumps. The crowd was into this one also.
3rd Match: Fatal 4-Way - Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio
Mysterio really came alive in this one, and the crowd loved it. Headline Surfer thought Breaker would retain, but Dirty Dom came alive with loud and raucous crowd support.
JAWBreaker had a good read on this Fatal 4-Way all the way: "Breaker really dominated. Surprised Carlito got involved. Huge pops for Dom. It was a very good match."
Indeed, it was. Then came the first surprise match of the night.
4th Match: Randy Orton vs. anyone in the back, which turned out to be TNA Heavyweight champion Joe Hendry. Wrestling ReWind's reaction? "Wow!"
It wasn't much of a match at all - squash all the way - which ended with the three most dangerous initials in sports entertainment - R-K-O.
JAWBreaker stated the obvious when Orton's surprise opponent was announced and entered the arena from the back: "Joe Hendry is super over, but he ain’t gonna win."
And he didn't. Oron actually showed a little humanity, helping Hendry up to his feet, only to show why he's the viper, by hitting a second RKO on the hapless Hendry.
JAWBreaker's assessment: "Hendry was a decent surprise, and got a nice pop. Can’t really blast this segment. It’s passable."
Perhaps, but no doubt the next match was far better.
Multimedia video
Headline Surfer YouTube download / WWE video / Randy Orton takes on TNA World Champion Joe Hendry on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania, presented by Wing Stop. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, and more.
5th Match: AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
This match too was interrupted by outside interference. First, there was one of Paul's wormy sidekicks with a foreign object, but that simply served as a means to bring Karrion Kross into the picture and try to convince Styles to use the weapon on Paul—a cheap shot to win. Styles wasn't having any of it and floored Kros outside the ring. But when Styles re-entered the squared circle, Paul unloaded on him with his titanium-loaded right hand.
"Attention-grabbing entrance by Logan," JAWBreaker noted, adding, "It was a nicely paced match. Excellent use of the ring apron. I expected a better match... Logan needs to learn to stop wasting time and ditch the sidekick."
6th Match before the main event: WWE Women's Tag Team Title Match - Champs Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch (substituting for the injured Bayley)
JAWBreaker's reaction: "Kinda not fair with Becky returning."
And as it turned out, he was right. Becky Lynch was the difference maker in the dethroning of the three-time tag-team champs.
Multimedia video
Headline Surfer YouTube download / WWE video / Becky Lynch returns to help Lyra Valkyria challenge Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title, presented by Papa Johns. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, and more.
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Coming Up:
• Making the Grade: WrestleMania 41
• Post-WrestleMania Top 100 Male Wrestlers & Top 100 Female Wrestlers
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