NFL
By Keith Richards
The Road to WrestleMania 41 is now at a dead end. The journey is complete. Now that the Granddaddy of them all is complete, what now? At WrestleMania 41, we saw it all. Betrayals. Redemptions. Receipts. Returns. Everything. Except for Dwayne Johnson, we saw everything. Many WrestleMania 41 moments could have made my top three, but I somehow narrowed it down to three superstars.
The three WrestleMania 41 superstars and moments that leave the biggest impression on me coming out of the weekend are Iyo Sky, John Cena, and Jey Uso. I also considered Seth Rollins, Dominik Mysterio, and Joe Hendry, but guess what? It’s my list! Like I said, so many were deserving. However, these three stood out the most to me. Let me explain why!
The Genius of the Sky Cements Her Place at the Top
It’s unbelievable to think that Iyo Sky went into her WrestleMania 41 triple threat match as the underdog. While much of the Internet Wrestling Community was behind the Women’s World Champion, it was not nearly as much as it should have been. Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair are phenomenal WWE superstars. However, the focus of the match should have been the champ, and it wasn’t.
Coincidentally, the focus between Ripley and Belair was split 50/50, positively and negatively, respectively. I’m not sure why Rhea continues to be over with the fans. Still, she gets some of the biggest pops everywhere she goes. On the other hand, the fans are turning on the EST of WWE, Bianca Belair. Many seem confused by this, which I don’t understand. It’s been the subliminal messaging of her character and story for months.
However, it doesn’t matter what the current sentiment surrounding Rhea and Bianca is; Iyo won the championship fair and square. Arguably, Iyo has been the most consistent women’s wrestler in WWE for at least two years now. As Sheamus would say, the Genius of the Sky, week in and week out, puts out banger after banger after banger after banger after BANGER! Consequently, Iyo went into the match with a lot to prove. Accordingly, she delivered!
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair of both powerhouses. However, Iyo is pure grace. She’s not called the Genius of the Sky in jest. Ripley and Belair are both speedy. Even so, the brand of speed that Iyo brings is not matched by many in the women’s wrestling division. Furthermore, combining Sky’s speed with her aerial prowess makes it easy to see why The Eradicator has been unable to defeat Iyo.
While there were moments that Iyo struggled to combat the powerhouses, she prevailed in the end. A perfectly timed Over the Moonsault on Bianca as Bianca tried to pin Rhea proved the decisive move. Henceforth, though she may be small, the women’s division can no longer ignore Iyo Sky. She is the WWE Women’s World Champion and proved why at WrestleMania 41. What’s next for her? During Raw After Mania, we got a taste of what could be when Iyo faced Stephanie Vaquer. However, Rhea Ripley doesn’t appear to be done with her either.
Cena Gives Us Nothing
In one of John Cena’s first promos after turning heel at Elimination Chamber, the now 17-time champion was clear in his objectives. The GOAT said he would give the IWC nothing. John Cena looked into the souls of millions and said he would ruin wrestling. He achieved his goal based on the reaction to the match between Cena and Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.
Yes, the match between Cena and Rhodes was boring. The only twist it contained was interference by Travis Scott. In other words, it lacked the excitement we’ve grown accustomed to. Additionally, compared to the main event of WrestleMania 41 Night One, it seems to have fallen short. However, that was the point! When Cena said he would give us nothing, he gave us absolutely nothing!
In short, John Cena played the fans from day one. One of John’s biggest beefs with the WWE Universe is that he’s been in a toxic relationship. The fans boo while trying to lift him at the same time. Nowhere was that more apparent than Friday on SmackDown. The crowd booed the WWE Undisputed Champion for unexplained reasons, only for Cody to win them back in seconds! Makes no sense!
Then, when we get to the match on Sunday night, the crowd proves John even more correct. Although Rhodes did get a pop during his entrance, that’s where it stopped. Las Vegas was clearly on the side of the man they were booing for weeks. Does a relationship get more toxic than that? Ultimately, Cena gave them what they deserved: Nothing—no five-star banger. It was a very low-energy match in which Cena did only what was necessary to win.
Nevertheless, when you listen to the promos of the past few weeks, this is all we were ever going to get. It’s not a copout. It’s not making excuses. The story has been right in front of our faces all along. We just chose to ignore it. Consequently, that’s on us. On Raw After Mania, John Cena drives the point home and uses Cody Rhodes again as an example. Amidst a mixture of boos and cheers, Cena stated, “You heartless bastards, you boo him on Friday and cheer him on Friday then boo on Sunday, and I say his name and the man we all put on our shoulders last year because he finished his story now disgusts you? That’s what’s wrong with this.” However, John Cena would not get the last laugh Monday night.
Rightfully so, the 17-time world champion was eating the crowd alive. Nevertheless, he made one fatal mistake. John Cena forgot that it comes from out of nowhere, and the Viper can strike at any moment. Randy Orton would not let Cena continue his tirade. Out of nowhere, he hit John Cena with the three most devastating letters in sports entertainment: RKO. As Orton stood tall over Cena, and with Backlash in St. Louis, it seems we have John Cena’s first title defense. It will be glorious.
The World Heavyweight Championship is Now Feeling Ucey
He can’t wrestle. The move set is not good enough. All he does is “YEET.” Those are just a few inflammatory remarks about Jey Uso heading into WrestleMania 41. Henceforth, there is one thing we know about Jey Uso. Main Event Jey Uso is no longer just a tag team specialist. Jey Uso is your new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. What a journey it has been!
It started back in the pandemic days when Main Event Jey was born. He had a great rivalry with his cousin, Roman Reigns, when no one expected it to be successful. Jey would take a backseat to the OTC for a bit longer. However, he would not look back once Main Event Jey finally broke free of Roman’s control. He would only continue to reach new heights and would go on to win the Intercontinental Championship and solidify himself as a star.
When Jey won the 2025 Royal Rumble, many felt it was a mistake. “No way they can put the title on Jey Uso. He’s just not good enough.” Meanwhile, with all the negativity surrounding Jey within the IWC, the live crowds told a different story. “You deserve it,” chants and demands for more Yeeting followed Jey to every city.
Even after three losses to Gunther, it felt like Jey’s time. We saw real growth in his character on the Road to WrestleMania, and his promo improved. While Jey did not altogether ditch the Yeet persona, he proved he could do more. It’s a side of Uso that we saw glimpses of during his battles with Roman Reigns. A serious side. A business side. It was something Jey sorely needed against someone like Gunther, who is all about business.
At WrestleMania 41, for the first time in a long time, if not ever, Jey Uso did not deliver a single Superkick. If he did, it must have been when I looked away for a hot second. I do not recall seeing any. It was the most technical match that Jey has ever wrestled. Main Event Jey proved he’s not a one-trick pony with a limited vocabulary. Jey Uso is a bona fide WWE Superstar and, as the crowd told him Monday, he deserves it.
What else is in store for Jey Uso in the coming months? What will the fallout of the new alliance between Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, and Bron Breakker be? Will Cody Rhodes ever ditch his good guy persona and do what is necessary? Stay tuned to Team NBS to find out!
