World Wrestling Entertainment is just that. Entertainment. For years, WWE has leaned more on the story and entertainment aspects of the business, rather than the actual pro-wrestling. That’s what makes alternatives fun, such as AEW, NJPW, TNA, ROH, the independent circuit, and so on and so forth.
I love professional wrestling, I watch everything. This weekend alone, I watched a retiring Sabu wrestle Joey Janela in a No Rope Barbed Wire Match, and it was a spectacle like you’ve never seen. It was great. But, when you’re tuning into WrestleMania weekend, you’re looking to be entertained by the grandest show of them all, the show that caps off the weekend, or, now, two days in recent years.
For WrestleMania 41, Saturday kicked us off with what looked to be a decent card. But, let’s be honest, night one did not fully live up to the hype. At least, the undercard didn’t. It had its moments, we saw some cool gears and entrances and the pizzazz of it all, as you’d expect. But like I mentioned earlier, WWE has leaned on just the pizzazz in years past, but in recent years, especially under the Triple H regime, actual wrestling has become more prominent. So, when you go into a WWE show, especially WrestleMania, you’re looking to be thoroughly entertained by the show of it and impressed by the in-ring ability of the athletes. The WrestleMania night one card didn’t give us that in-ring greatness many fans desire.
That was until the main event. On a show that was lackluster to say the least, the main event made everyone forget about everything else and live in the moment like WrestleMania should. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk. A match with no title on the line, but headlining because of the name value. Headlining because if all else fails, there are the three guys that WWE can piggy-back off of to pull out something great for the fans, and that they did.
Does CM Punk still have “it” heading into his first ever WrestleMania main event? Does Seth Rollins have enough restraint to put on a great match and not let things turn sloppy with a person he legitimately hates in CM Punk? Does Roman Reigns even care if there’s not a championship on the line? And what the hell is Paul Heyman doing? Well, all those questions were answered in a positive manner. We’ll save the last question for last, but let’s take a look at the match itself.
Yes, CM Punk still has “it” with every fiber of his being. This isn’t beat up, old, hurt Phil, no, this is gritty, determined and main eventer CM Punk. This is a Seth Rollins that hates his opponents, but is fueled to win and he won’t let anyone else throw him off of his game. And there’s no title on the line, but big match Roman shows up in his 10th WrestleMania main event.
From the opening bell, these guys went at it. Without breaking down every second of this match, because you can just go watch it if you haven’t, we did see some great in-ring action. This match had it all. From Punk and Rollins brawling through the crowd, using weapons and letting their heated rivalry break down *literally* right in from of the WWE crowd, to Roman Reigns throwing caution to the wind and doing dives, which is a rarity for the big man. The match had moments that made the crowd stand on their feet.
The match had drama inside the ring with stolen finishers, near falls, pin breaks and moves you only see these guys pull out on special occasions, like Seth’s beautiful counter into a pedigree off of Roman’s spear. This is pro-wrestling. And half way through the contest, it was clear that this was without a doubt the ‘Match Of The Night’. And after all this fantastic action had the crowd screaming their lungs out, there’s one question that remains. What the hell is Paul Heyman doing?
We saved this question for last, because this was the culmination of everything coming together. We set the scene, all three men are down in the center of the ring. Seth Rollins is a little more off to the side, while Reigns and Punk are slowly, but surely, trying to pull themselves up within maybe a few feet from each other. Then, Paul Heyman gets himself involved and he grabs a steel chair. He walks to the apron, he looks to his right and sees Roman Reigns. He looks to his left and see’s CM Punk. And the flashbacks begin.
Paul Heyman is the wiseman for Roman Reigns, but he’s also the best friend of CM Punk, the man who brought Punk into WWE. Paul Heyman would do anything for Roman Reigns, but he also wouldn’t turn down a favor for CM Punk. We saw this happen when Paul recruited Punk for Roman’s War Games team, on the condition that he owed Punk a favor.
That favor came to fruition a few weeks before WrestleMania when Punk cashed that favor in and asked Paul to be in his corner at WrestleMania instead of Roman’s. Paul accepted, and Roman snapped. How could you, Paul? The man who brought you along to multiple WrestleMania main events, unlike CM Punk, who told Paul he would, but never could get there.
But, Paul would never turn down a favor for Punk, how could he? he’s known Punk since he was a young wrestler trying to break through, before Roman was even in the business! Of course he’d side with CM Punk! But, a monkey wrench was tossed into this ordeal, and that’s Seth Rollins. Seth had a clear path and opportunity to take Paul Heyman out and make sure he wasn’t even able to walk either man down the aisle on Saturday night. Rollins told Roman that Paul Heyman was a snake. Rollins told Punk that Heyman was a bad friend. But was it true?
As the memories flooded the fans heads, and probably Heyman’s, he stood there with the steel chair, still looking at both men. Then, he made his decision. He handed the chair to CM Punk. Roman is furious. How could you, Paul? You’re a terrible wiseman! No, Paul’s a terrible friend.
Just as CM Punk went to hit Reigns with the chair, Paul drops to a knee, low-blows CM Punk, and the crowd gasps. It was all a scam. Reigns laughs, Heyman smirks and looks at Roman, “I acknowledge you, my tribal chief!” Paul says while handing Reigns the chair. Seth Rollins was right, Paul Heyman is a terrible friend to CM Punk. And Reigns was glad for it.
Roman proceeds to beat Punk down with a chair, but again, this is not a one-on-one encounter, and Heyman reminded the OTC of that. “Look, turn around!” Paul exclaims, pointing to Seth Rollins who’s pulling himself up by the ropes with his back turned.
Then, the flashbacks flood the fans again, and now they also flood the head of Roman Reigns. Rollins and Reigns (and Ambrose!) were brothers. But, Seth Rollins turned on his former Shield mates and hit Roman in the back with a chair while in this same position over 10 years ago. Now, it’s payback time.
Reigns remembers, he grips the chair a little tighter, he raises it above his head and… Paul drops to a knee and down goes Roman with another low-blow! Rollins is right again. Paul Heyman is a snake. But, so is Seth Rollins. Always has been.
Paul Heyman hands Seth Rollins the chair, Rollins uses it on Reigns and seconds later, 1…2…3. Seth Rollins wins the main event of WrestleMania with the help of Paul Heyman.
Is this the favor? Seems so. It’s all too perfect. Paul Heyman is a bad friend. Paul Heyman is a snake. And so is Seth Rollins. He turned on the shield. He joined the authority, and he did it all over again right in front of Roman Reigns and CM Punks faces and they never caught on. The only way to defeat a snake is to cut off its head. Well, Rollins and Heyman’s brains are still intact.
Seth Rollins told everyone that the winner of this main event determined the future of the industry. And that future is Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman. Heyman may be a snake, but his track record is phenomenal. Champions, main eventers, he’s managed them all. Now, the snake has two heads and Rollins is a Paul Heyman guy.
This is the epitome of the WWE. This is what we all want. Matches that can be considered classics, with a story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the night, WrestleMania night one showed some decent entertainment, and some solid, at best, in-ring wrestling. But, the main event encapsulates exactly what WWE should be, and what fans are clamoring for. Now, we can’t wait to see what happens next.
Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and CM Punk are main event level talent, and they showed everyone exactly why they headlined WrestleMania. If this match determined the future of WWE, then the future is looking bright.
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