The WrestleMania 41 Build Has Me Underwhelmed, But There Are A Few Reasons I'm Not Sounding The Alarm... Yet

The two-night WrestleMania 41 will be here in short order, and I have to admit that I am a little underwhelmed with the build to the “Granddaddy of Them All.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to spend a large chunk of Easter weekend yelling at the TV, eating way too much food, and watching some of the biggest WWE matches in recent memory. But at the same time, this year’s “Road to WrestleMania” has been a little lackluster, if I’m being honest.

But, I’m not sounding the alarm… yet, as there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about the two-night wrestling extravaganza. I mean, CM Punk is going to have his first WrestleMania main event, this is John Cena’s final Mania before hanging up his boots, and the undercard has some sleepers that could steal the show.

Outside Of The Two Main Event Matches, This Year's WrestleMania Build Has Been Lackluster

Okay, the two main event matches – Night 1: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins; Night 2: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena – have some hot feuds, as they should, considering they’re going to be two marquee matches on the WrestleMania 41 card. Punk is finally headlining the event, and John Cena is finally wrestling as a heel (something we haven’t seen in two decades). These are two things I honestly thought would never happen, yet here we are. And, both have been HOT in terms of getting me pumped for the show.

The rest of the major championship matches on the card have been weak for a variety of reasons, however. Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair’s build to their WWE Women’s Championship match has ranged between awkward and awful, some of the steam in the Gunther and Jey Uso feud has been lost, and the triple threat for the Women’s World Championship has done no one any favors, which is a shame. These wouldn’t even be engaging feuds for one of WWE’s B-level premium live events at this point.

Some Of The Mid-Card Title Matches Have Me Extremely Optimistic, Though

Though the Women’s World Championship, WWE Women’s Championship, and World Heavyweight Championship matches leave much to be desired, I can’t say the same when it comes to the mid-card title matches on this year’s card. Nothing has been announced about the Women’s United States Championship or Women’s Intercontinental Title just yet (Chelsea Green NEEDS to be in Mania), but the two men’s belts up for grabs have me extremely optimistic about the event.

First off, Jacob Fatu taking on United States Champion LA Knight has the potential to be an all-timer, especially with Fatu’s explosive combination of power, speed, and pure charisma. Nothing against Knight, but this feels like a “coming out” party for the Bloodline member and second-generation superstar.

Then there’s the fatal four-way for the Intercontinental Championship that will see Bron Breakker defend his title against Judgment Day members Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor as well as the massively popular Penta. This one could honestly go any way, which makes it even more exciting.

Plus, Jade Cargill And Naomi's Singles Match Is Historic, And Could Steal The Show

A few months after Jade Cargill was attacked and taken out of action, it was revealed that Naomi, her friend and WrestleMania 40 partner, was the perpetrator. Now, the former pals are in the middle of WWE’s most heated feud and one that could honestly steal the show come April 19 or 20 (the exact date of their match hasn’t been revealed yet). Naomi, with her great in-ring skills, and Jade, with her incredible physique and star power, have what it takes to prove to WWE that they are deserving of a title shot, and this could be the night they reach new heights.

So, what makes this matchup so historic? Well, for the first time in WrestleMania history, two female wrestlers will square up for a singles match with no stipulations. While it is true that Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle had a one-on-one match at WM 22 in 2006, that was a “Playboy Pillow Fight.” Though it’s disheartening for this to be happening just now, this is great to see for stars of this caliber.

WWE Has Done A Great Job Of Pulling It Together In Recent Years. Take WrestleMania 40 As An Example

WM 40, which had the most ridiculous main event of all time when everyone and their mother helped Cody Rhodes finish his story by beating Roman Reigns, had a great build… when it came to the two main event matches. Though Sami Zayn’s feud with Gunther going into Philly was good and the lead up to Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins had its moments, there wasn’t a lot of heat outside of all the Bloodline stuff. But, it ended up being one of the best WrestleManias ever.

What I’m getting at is that WWE has a history of taking a show without a lot of heat and giving fans an all-timer. WM 31 was this way back in 2015, and is now considered one of the best WWE shows of the past 20 years. This is the main reason I’m not getting too worried about the lackluster build this year. Make sure to ask me about this come next weekend if it all goes to hell, though.

There's No Way This Year Can Be Any Worse Than Some Of Those 2010s Manias, Right?

WWE kicked off the 2010s with the tremendous Mania 26, which saw the Undertaker defeat Shawn Michaels in a “Career vs. Streak” match, and there were some great shows throughout the decade like WM 30 and the aforementioned 31, but there were more than a few duds before the decade ended. In fact, it feels like there were more misses than hits thanks to 32, 33, and 34. While the 2019 event was great, 35 could have lost four or five matches and been a better show.

Basically, though I’m somewhat worried about WrestleMania 41 and its not-so-stellar build, the truth is that I doubt it’ll be anywhere as bad as some of the previous events. We’ve been on a roll in the 2020s (let’s act like the COVID-19 Mania didn’t happen), and I honestly think that’ll continue despite the slow build.

WrestleMania 41 is in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 19 and 20. Like every other upcoming WWE event, you can watch it with a Peacock subscription.