Photos courtesy of WWE for Headline Surfer / TOP LEFT: Night One of Wrestlemania 41 main event: CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth "Freakin'" Rollins. TOP RIGHT: Night Two Heel John Cena vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
By JEFF WILEN / JAWBreaker/ Guest pro wrestling column for Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- I've been out of the weekly wrestling writing for a while now, only dabbling on X (Twitter) every so often. But that hasn't stopped me from watching almost all of the WWE pay-per-views and most of Raw and SmackDown each week.
In my free time, which is very little, I'm a devoted listener to two weekly podcasts - Kevin Nash's Kliq This and Eric Bischoff's 83 Weeks.
And, on a local note, get ready for Atomic Legacy Wrestling's Star Spangled Slammer 9 at the historic Daytona Beach Ocean Center - home of the Hulk Hogan heel turn and formation of the New World Order, on Sunday, July 27th!
With that being said, there's been a ton of news since WrestleMania.
Let's break down WWE:
WrestleMania: Two nights of 4-5 hours is too much. It's not as special anymore. You technically have two main events. WrestleMania is too long. I was at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando in 2017 - it was a super long day, as in one day. Two days is too much.
WrestleMania 41: I can't believe I've watched 41 WrestleManias. This year's WrestleMania wasn't in the "top 10 on Netflix."
Statistics can be deceiving, as there are different platforms to watch the show on, depending on whether you are in the United States or overseas. I was very surprised that the two best matches, in my opinion and many others, were the triple threat matches (Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins-CM Punk) (Iyo Sky-Bianca Belair-Rhea Ripley).
Statistics can be deceiving, as there are different platforms to watch the show on, depending on whether you are in the United States or overseas. I was very surprised that the two best matches, in my opinion and many others, were the triple threat matches (Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins-CM Punk) (Iyo Sky-Bianca Belair-Rhea Ripley).
Logan Paul vs. AJ Styles did not meet my expectations, but Randy Orton vs. Joe Hendry achieved its purpose (of showcasing Hendry).
Cody Rhodes-John Cena didn't have a super payoff (in the second main event) because The Rock started a story and didn't finish it, instead pushing Travis Scott with a slow entrance and music to the ring, and The Rock not showing up at all.
Stone Cold Steve Austin's return was humiliating, crashing into the barrier and sending a fan flying.
The rest of the two-night show was very average, with Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton beating the legend Charlotte Flair and a deserving Jacob Fatu knocking off LA Knight for the US Championship being the highlights. Jey Uso defeating the Heavyweight Champion, Gunther, was the right call; Uso will sell lots of merchandise. And Dominik Mysterio will make the IC belt enjoyable as a superb heel with multiple options for feuds.
Travis Scott is not Dennis Rodman in the ring. But he brings a ton of new eyes to WWE as an influencer. Scott stepping into the ring, even for a tag-team match, is a horrible idea, although it's one WWE might make happen before Cena retires.
The Rock and Triple H at odds? The Rock says sitting out WrestleMania was his idea. Was that decision made for storyline purposes? Or did he try to sandbag Triple H with a power play move, knowing fans would be upset he didn't show up? My take: The Cena story isn't over. The Rock will have a match involving Cena and Rhodes, or at the very least, play a part in the story. I firmly believe any supposed heat between Triple H and The Rock is being done for WWE Unreel footage. So, don't work.
WWE roast: WWE held a roast on Night 2 after WrestleMania. It didn't go over very well, as there were some brutal jokes about current and past roster members who had been released. But a roast is supposed to be crude, direct, and hit a nerve. The problem here was that the jokes got "out." I doubt WWE holds one of these again, unless, of course, this is more WWE Unreel footage to push along another feud.
Women's roster: Does Liv Morgan need to wear more attire? Maybe. But compared to some of the matches and attire from previous years, it's no different. Her character push will continue, even as a tag-team champion. Becky as a heel is good, I think. Stratton is starting to earn my respect. I'm still not a fan of Nia Jax. Tessa Blanchard has been trending lately. I doubt she'll show up in WWE, but who knows?
Men's feuds: Cena-Orton, in St. Louis, is brilliant. Their back-and-forth verbals on SmackDown were refreshing. Expect Cena to win. Goldberg-Gunther, rumored in Saudi Arabia, isn't a horrible idea. Rusev is back, and that's not a bad thing. Penta should move into a tag-team role with Rey Fenix. Putting Bron Breakker with Rollins will keep the momentum going against Reigns and Punk. Good to see Aleister Black back, too. And props to the SmackDown main event, with Street Profits beating DIY and Motor City Machine Guns.
What's next for JAWBreaker? I'll pop back up here on Headline Surfer from time to time. Please don't forget Atomic Legacy Wrestling on July 27th in Daytona Beach. Get your tickets now! I'll have limited comments on X - @JAWBreaker386.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando. He was a breaking news reporter (covering metro cops and courts) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. Before that, he covered the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland and Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes sports and feature stories, takes photos, and shoots video. • Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.