WrestleMania 41 Night 1 takeaways: Stunner — Seth Rollins is officially a Paul Heyman guy

Yahoo

20-04-2025

WWE WrestleMania 41, Night 1 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is officially in the books, with plenty of surprising twists and turns having come along the way. The landscape of the WWE looks plenty different from how the night began, with three titles changing hands and the first night of WWE's biggest show of the year providing plenty to digest.
Here are our five biggest takeaways from WrestleMania 41, Night 1.
1. Seth Rollins is officially a Paul Heyman guy
The story heading into Saturday night's triple-threat main event between Roman Reigns, CM Punk and Seth Rollins was who would earn the support of Paul Heyman. No title was on the line, but Heyman's support felt nearly as valuable. Heyman discussed the temptation to be disloyal with Uncrowned approaching the big match — then he followed that up by feeding into the urge, first dropping Punk with a low blow before doing the same to Reigns.
Paul Heyman raises Seth Rollins' hand after his WrestleMania 41 Night 1 victory over CM Punk and Roman Reigns. ()
(Ethan Miller via Getty Images)
Where WWE goes here is incredibly intriguing: Is this story kept in a silo with the new Rollins-Heyman duo? That path forward is seamless, keeping things moving quite naturally with Punk and Reigns. But a second night of WrestleMania 41 still awaits, and the possibility of another turn in the story between Cody Rhodes and John Cena exists.
2. Jey Uso is the genuine main event now
Can you be a true main-eventer if you're consistently falling short? That was a legitimate concern heading into WrestleMania 41 for Jey Uso, who broke out from being simply a tag-team guy and began to make a name for himself as a singles competitor in 2020. Outside of a brief midcard title run, he hadn't shown he could win the big one until Saturday night.
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The decision to have Uso fall short against Gunther just a week prior to winning the 2025 Royal Rumble felt like two decisions made in respective vacuums. He needed the WrestleMania moment more than almost anyone on the roster — a loss could have removed any credibility of him as a serious challenger in the future. He called his shot that he was going to shock the world against Gunther, and he did just that, submitting the monster in the opening bout. Now the 'Main Event' part of his name is very much warranted.
3. Naomi is exactly what the women's division needs
When Jade Cargill joined WWE from AEW, it was a natural progression to align her with veterans like Bianca Belair and Naomi as she honed her in-ring and mic skills. She never lacked athleticism, and her raw talent is why her ceiling as a future WWE champion — and potentially an all-time great — remain so high.
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What she lacked was a story to really make fans care and an in-ring partner who could make her look every bit of the no-doubt star that she can be. Naomi filled that role in the build to her WrestleMania 41 match with Cargill — and she executed it flawlessly.
Jade Cargill in action against Naomi during WrestleMania 41 Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
Naomi played the innocent, unsuspecting heel really well until it was time to turn the dial up and show her ruthless side. In the ring, she helped piece things together, serving as a masterful dance partner. Cargill's strengths were illuminated throughout the evening and ultimately she came out of the match with highlight-reel moments. Naomi deserves her flowers for the role she played, showing the chops to be in a title program as the character fans can despise.
4. The rise of Jacob Fatu comes with tradeoffs
Jacob Fatu is an absolute mega-star in the making. He has everything you're looking for in a future world champion — athleticism, strength and charisma. Moving Fatu up the roster and handing him his first taste of WWE gold was a no-brainer. The fact that it came at the expense of LA Knight, though, is less than ideal for his continued growth.
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Knight is just as popular as ever, but it feels to an extent that he's plateaued. His second stint as United States champion didn't feel particularly memorable, lasting just over 40 days before passing the belt to Fatu.
Fatu came out of WrestleMania 41 looking dominant. And while at one time it appeared to be only a matter of time before Knight held a world title, it feels like Fatu now holds that designation — with no clear path for the former champion.
Tiffany Stratton retained her title after a heated build with Charlotte Flair. (WWE via Getty Images)
(WWE via Getty Images)
5. Real-life emotion still works in wrestling
In the moment, the manner in which Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton built their WrestleMania 41 match felt messy, clunky and like a boundary had been crossed. Real-life tension was creeping its way into weekly promos and there was an uncomfortable element to the personal, less character-driven barbs that made their way onto television.
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The final weeks leading up to their match allowed that personal tension to build into physical confrontations. Words were no longer needed — it made all the sense in the world that these women hated each other and would come to blows at each encounter.
When the bell rang on Saturday night, they maintained the level of intensity that was present in the final weeks before the show and allowed that to take center stage. The match was hard-hitting and far from perfect, but the real elements of their rivalry drew fans into a clear position of who they'd support. Stratton's offensive movements and her pinfall victory drew a massive ovation. In the end, no pleasantries were exchanged, just an acceptance of who was the better woman this night.