Tossing Salt Presents:
WrestleMania 41 – Night One
Thoughts & Predictions
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Coming up Saturday night, live from Las Vegas, it’s Night One of the biggest wrestling event of the year, WrestleMania 41. And that means it’s prediction time. Let’s forget about the small talk and get to it. And away we go.

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk with Paul Heyman vs. Seth Rollins.

The question here is where and with who Paul Heyman will end up at the end of the night. Many people are predicting Heyman will join forces with Seth Rollins, but I just don’t see it. I think Seth is there to be the fall guy in this match and after the smoke clears, we’ll see a long-anticipated Seth versus Roman feud. As for this match, with Heyman at his side, and moving on to the World Title scene, it’s the best in the world, CM Punk.

Winner: CM Punk w/ Paul Heyman.

WWE World Champion GUNTHER vs. Jey Uso.

I am so torn on this one. It’s going to be a moment to see the entire crowd Yeeting. That will be cool. But after that, Jey has to wrestle and while he’s a decent performer, he’s not truly in Gunther’s league as an in-ring performer or character. Jey’s character has cooled off so much and the build has been less than great. I want Gunther to win, but I understand how it works. Jey wins, gets a moment and a short run, and then will drop the belt at SummerSlam, most likely back to Gunther. But here, at Night One of WrestleMania 41, look for a new World Champion.

Winner and NEW World Champion: Main Event Jey Uso.

WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair.

Nobody wanted to see Charlotte win the Royal Rumble. Nobody wants to see Charlotte in the match with Tiffany Stratton. And nobody wants to see Charlotte as the new Women’s Champion. I hope that Triple H got the memo, and Night One of Mania becomes Tiffy Time.

Winner and STILL WWE Women’s Champion: Tiffany Stratton.

WWE World Tag Team Champions The War Raiders vs. The New Day.

Nobody seems to expect much from this match, but it could be the dark horse match of the night. The New Day are on track to be on top again, but they’re missing one thing. A third person to make the unit whole again. The War Raiders have improved a great deal over the past year, but it’s time for a change. It’s time for a new day in WWE. So, I expect we’ll see Kofi and Xavier bring in a new partner and use that advantage to capture some tag team gold. And why? Because New Day rocks!

Winners and NEW WWE World Tag Team Champions: The New Day.

WWE United States Champions LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu.

The fans like LA Knight, but he seems like a placeholder rather than a dominant champion. Jacob Fatu is the future of WWE and he starts by winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania 41. Knight gets a few shots in, but Fatu dominates and scores the win.

Winner and NEW United States Champion: Jacob Fatu.

Jade Cargill vs. Naomi.

Naomi has been great in her short run as a heel. I’m becoming a fan. But this match will be short and sweet. Look for a brawl and for Jade to dominate for a brutal and easy win.

Winner: Jade Cargill.

Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano.

This match is just getting started well and has a long way to go. If Rey wins or Americano gets unmasked, it’s over. It’s too soon for that. Look for EL Grande Americano, who is obviously not Chad Gable, to pull some shenanigans to get the win. And the feud continues to an eventual Mask versus Mask, maybe at SummerSlam.

Winner: El Grande Americano.

And there you go with my predictions for Night One of WrestleMania 41. It’s a solid and packed show, but does it feel like a WrestleMania to you? What are your thoughts and predictions? Let me know in the comments. And I guess that’s all for now. I’ll be back later on with my predictions for Night Two. Thanks for reading. Stay well and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!