Photos for Headline Surfer / TOP: WWE photo courtesy use for Headline Surfer. A victorious Seth "Freakin'" Rollins walks out of the area with Paul Heyman by his side after the main event TripleThreat match with Roman Reigns and CM Punk.
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. -- Seth "Freakin'" Rollins prevailed in the epic triple threat match against Roman Reigns and CM Punk, Night 1's main event for WrestleMania, was clearly a 5-star match, a rare treat in the world of pro wrestling.
With arguably three of the top wrestlers in the business today going at it with their arsenal of signature moves - Reigns' Superman Punch, Drive-By, and Spear; Punk's Go to Sleep; and Rollins' Pedigree and Stomp - the arsenal was on full display and choreographed to near perfection.
The wildcard in this three-way epic battle was the "The Wiseman" Paul Heyman, and he did not disappoint with his diabolical role where he not only betrayed the Original Tribal Chief a few weeks ago by agreeing to go in Punk's corner, but he two-timed Punk and Reigns when he entered the ring with a steel chair and delivered a low-blow, first to Punk, then to Reigns.
Ultimately, Heyman handed the chair to Rollins without the two even making eye contact. Rollins smacked Reins with the chair and then delivered a stomp for the 1-2-3 pin.
Multimedia video: Heyman's double cross
YouTube download / WWE on USA / courtesy use WWE / Paul Heyman with an unbelievable double cross against both Roman Reigns and CM Punk! Stream WrestleMania 41 (2025) on Peacock. Watch every WWE Premium Live Event exclusively on Peacock.
Wrestling ReWind recruited Jeff Wilen of @JAWBreaker365 for his analysis on this year's WrestleMania. His pick to win the triple-threat match was Punk.
"Rollins: Big-hyped match and pre-speculation buildup," Wilen said. "Stupid to have Punk-Rollins wrestle in the crowd so long while Reigns rested; I can’t stand that. It got much better after that, helped by the crowd. The move of the night was Punk’s almost pin off the Reigns’ spear attempt. Good close falls. Reigns' power bombing through the tables was surprising. Heyman's double-turn was highly speculated, and they stuck with it."
"Rollins: Big-hyped match and pre-speculation buildup," Wilen said. "Stupid to have Punk-Rollins wrestle in the crowd so long while Reigns rested; I can’t stand that. It got much better after that, helped by the crowd."
Wilen continued: "The move of the night was Punk’s almost pin off the Reigns’ spear attempt. Good close falls. Reigns' power bombing through the tables was surprising. Heyman's double-turn was highly speculated, and they stuck with it."
Wilen was 5-2 with his picks for Night 1; Wrestling ReWind was 4-3 in picks:
First Match: "Main Event" Jey Uso defeated World Heavyweight champion Gunther.
Wilen had Uso to go 1-0.
Wrestling ReWind had Uso as well to go 1-0.
Second Match: The New Day defeated the Viking Raiders to win the WWE World Tag Team titles.
Wilen had the New Day winning while holding his nose to go 2-0.
Wrestling ReWind had the Viking Raiders to go 1-1.
Third Match: Jade Cargill defeated Naomi with several high-power moves in a payback match for Naomi's sneak attack beatdown on her several months back.
Wilen had Jade Cargill to go 3-0. Wrestling ReWind also had Cargill to go 2-1.
Fourth Match: "The Samoan Werewolf" Jacob Fatu defeated United States champion LA Knight to take the title.
Wilen had Fatu to go 4-0. Wrestling ReWind picked Fatu to go 3-1.
Fifth Match: El Grande Americano defeated Rey Fenix by placing a piece of metal in his mask and delivering a devasting aerial head butt to claim victory.
Wilen had El Grande Americano to go 5-0.
Wrestling ReWind had Rey Mysterio, who wasn't medically cleared to compete, and so dropped to 3-2.
Sixth match: Tiffany Stratton retained her WWE Women's Championship by defeating Charlotte Flair in what was an impressive match, second only to the main event
Wilen had Flair, so he dropped to 5-1.
Wrestling ReWind had Flair fall as well, to fall to 3-3.
Multimedia video: Tiffany Stratton wins
YouTube download / WWE on USA / courtesy use WWE / Tiffany Stratton retains the WWE Women's Championship over 14-time champ Charlotte Flair.
Seventh Match of Night 1: Seth Rollins prevailed over Roman Reigns and CM Punk in the Triple-Threat Main Event with a couple of big assists from Paul Heyman.
Wilen lost by picking Punk to finish Night 1 of WrestleMania at 5-2 in picks.
Headline Surfer picked Rollins and finished the opening night at 4-3 with its picks.
YouTube download / WWE / Seth Rollins is a Paul Heyman guy?: WrestleMania Recap, April 20, 2025
Editor's Note: Wrestling ReWind will present a new story segment shortly (with analysis from Jeff Wilen) on predictions for Night 2 of WrestleMania, headlined by John Cena's championship match with Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE championship. Will Cena's heel turn propel him to a record championship?
Previous-Related Coverage:
Wrestling ReWind: WrestleMania 41 marquee matches & picks: Sat: Rollins prevails in triple threat with Punk and Reigns; Sun: Rhodes takes down Cena / Published: Sat, 04/19/2025 - 11:03
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