WrestleMania 41: Cena's got the gold, but WWE dropped the ball

Nothing should be able to top the fact that John Cena is now a record 17-time World Champion—surpassing Ric Flair to cement his legacy as the undisputed GOAT of professional wrestling.

What makes the milestone even more poignant is the drought it ended. Cena's last world title win dates back to 2017. After eight long years, the moment finally arrived.

And yet, somehow, WWE managed to underdeliver.

For a moment of such magnitude, the execution felt alarmingly flat and underwhelming. It was as if Triple H and his creative team believed Cena's name alone would carry the weight of history, while doing very little to actually honour it.

Contrast this with last year's WrestleMania. 

Roman Reigns was dethroned after a marathon run. Cody Rhodes gave the triumphant final touch to his long and emotional story. It was a spectacle, elevated by appearances from The Rock, The Undertaker, and Cena himself.

It was, as many fondly remember, "an absolute cinema."

When the babyface locker room poured out to celebrate with Rhodes, it felt like the closing scene of an epic saga. An era-defining moment, delivered with grandeur.

This year? 

Cena's historic 17th title win involved a rather random Travis Scott interference and a brief, awkward post-match celebration. 

That was it. 

No fanfare. No emotion. And no Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who began it all and was meant to be the heart of the entire storyline. 

Thus, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment wrapped in forgettable packaging.

The match itself didn't help either. It was nothing remarkable. Cena, now playing a heel, predictably cheated to win—more so to protect Rhodes as WWE's long-term babyface poster boy. 

While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, the quality of the action was subpar. The in-ring storytelling left a lot to be desired. There could have been more layers—more nuance—beyond Cena's generic "I don't care about fans anymore" attitude and occasional dirty tactics. 

To supplement this narrative, Rhodes was also reduced to a merely brainless "good guy"—reminiscent of the heydays of Super Cena. 

In the end, there was the glaring absence of that all-important exclamation point—"what's next?"—something we witnessed in full force during the previous night's main event triple threat match between CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.

Paul Heyman's shocking betrayal of both Punk and Reigns to side with Rollins left everyone stunned. It triggered a whirlwind of emotions and opened the door to countless questions about what lies ahead for all four central figures in the storyline.

From the in-ring (and often outside-the-ring) action to the layered storytelling, the drama, the nod to mutual histories, and the psychological tension—everything about the match was masterfully woven together. It was professional wrestling at its finest, with each man given the spotlight to shine in his own right.

In the end, the negatives far outweighed the positives of WrestleMania 41. Fast forward a few months, the only match that will truly stand the test of time is the first night's main event. After producing two stellar WrestleManias back-to-back, it seems Triple H finally stumbled on his third attempt. Still, it may be premature to say he has lost his golden touch.

Punk lost in his first-ever WrestleMania main event, Reigns now finds himself without any ally for the first time in years—but still, Rollins winning the match felt just right, and thoroughly well-deserved. 

After being last WrestleMania's MVP and carrying the company on his shoulders for over a decade in the most selfless way possible, this was truly his moment.

Beyond the tale of the two main events, WrestleMania 41 at Las Vegas had plenty of other highlights spread across two nights, with some hits and more misses. 

Kicking things off with the positives, the second night opener—Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair for the Women's World Championship—was a true standout. 

From start to finish, it delivered a brilliant mix of high-energy offence and thrilling unpredictability, a style not often seen in WWE but pulled off so flawlessly that it had the entire arena holding its breath.

Iyo Sky clinching the victory was the ideal conclusion—a long-overdue moment in the spotlight for a talent who has often been overlooked, finally receiving her flowers on the grandest stage of them all.

The much-anticipated showdown between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair with WWE Women's Championship on the line, built around personal animosity, fell short of expectations. Flair taking a rare loss was a welcome change, the bout lacked intensity and ultimately failed to make a lasting impact.

The first night's opener between Gunther and Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship was even more disappointing. While it provided a feel-good moment with Jey finally "finishing his story" in spectacular fashion, it came at a significant cost—Gunther's credibility. 

Watching a dominant powerhouse like him tap out so quickly and unceremoniously was hard to believe, especially given his dominant victories over Uso in their previous three encounters. 

This latest defeat marks Gunther's third consecutive loss on a major stage, following last year's WrestleMania setback against Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship and his loss to Rhodes in a Champion vs Champion encounter at Crown Jewel. Going forward, this pattern of faltering under the brightest lights will certainly undermine his character's previously invincible aura.

Meanwhile, the grudge match between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight was the second consecutive "this is awesome" match of the second night. 

It was genuinely impressive to see McIntyre deliver, considering he had every reason to be frustrated for not being involved in a more high-profile feud after 2024, where he was undoubtedly one of the standout performers, excelling both in-ring and on the mic. 

Randy Orton getting TNA Champion Joe Hendry as his surprise opponent was also something that was not on anyone's bingo card. But was it able to go past its initial buzz? Not really. 

It is high time WWE reconsidered the lazy practice of bringing in TNA superstars only to have them subjected to glorified squash matches. Simply doing crossovers for the sake of it has been losing steam, given how often they have been repeated in recent years. 

Becky Lynch's long-awaited return to team up with Lyra Valkyria for the Women's Tag Team Championship match against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez was highly predictable. The match served little purpose beyond giving Valkyria the moment of walking out of her first WrestleMania with two belts on her shoulders. 

What WWE chose not to do with Flair this year, they made up for by doing with Lynch—a move that speaks volumes about the company's tendency to hand titles to its biggest stars on a silver platter upon their return.

And then there was a flurry of matches that, perhaps unsurprisingly, drew lukewarm reactions from the crowd—starting with the Tag Team Championship bout between The New Day and the War Raiders, the Intercontinental Championship scramble featuring Bron Breakker, Penta, Finn Bálor, and Dominik Mysterio, the US Championship battle between Jacob Fatu and LA Knight, the directionless Logan Paul vs AJ Styles clash, as well as the decent El Grande Americano vs Rey Fenix match, and the Jade Cargill vs Naomi showdown.

In the end, the negatives far outweighed the positives at this year's WrestleMania. Fast forward a few months, and chances are the only match that will truly stand the test of time is the first night's main event.

After producing two stellar WrestleManias back-to-back, it seems Triple H finally stumbled on his third attempt. Still, it may be premature to say he has lost his golden touch. 

Perhaps the bigger question is how much of the blame falls on him—and how much on The Rock, whose increasingly central involvement in key storylines continues to fall short of delivering a real payoff.