There was little question that the championship match pitting John Cena against Cody Rhodes in a quest to make WWE history was going to main event one of the nights of the two-night WrestleMania 41 extravaganza. Now, it’s official which match will main event the other night and it looks like dreams do come true.
Triple Threat the Absolute Right Call for WrestleMania 41 Main Event
CM Punk Fulfills his Dream
After CM Punk lost in the Royal Rumble, he lost one opportunity to main event at WrestleMania. When he lost in the Elimination Chamber, he seemingly lost the other. But as it turns out, Punk’s dream wasn’t as dead as he believed it to be. Traditionally, the main events would go to the championship matches, either male or female, but last year saw a shift in that mentality as the massive star power of the Rock and Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes was too much to ignore. That match main evented night one, followed by Reigns defending his title against Cody Rhodes on night two.
This year, Rhodes and Reigns are back in the main event as Rhodes will now defend his title against Cena, likely also on night two especially if there is a title change brewing, and Reigns will take on his bitter rival Seth Rollins, along with another he has no love lost for in Punk, during a WrestleMania 41 main event triple threat match.
Roman Reigns Continues Historic Run
CM Punk has wrestled during the Showcase of the Immortals seven times but not once has he been at the top of the card. Contrast that with Rollins, who has been involved in the main event twice and Reigns, who has closed the show a record nine times and counting. WrestleMania 41 will mark Reigns’ 10th main event. This year marks Reigns’ remarkable fifth consecutive WrestleMania main event and last year, he and Rhodes made history as the only two men to ever main event both nights of the Show of Shows.
And Reigns made that much clear to Punk when he paged his way through the contract to make sure main event status was in the fine print. Paul Heyman assured Punk it was and when he saw the words, he got emotional. Punk thanked the fans but Reigns said he should be thanking him. Both him and Rollins, because his star power and his status, that was the reason this match was getting the WrestleMania 41 main event billing. Given the aforementioned numbers, it’s kind of hard to disagree with Reigns’ logic there.
Punk vs Rollins vs Reigns is One for the Ages
Punk finally getting to main event WrestleMania is a fantastic moment but his gain comes at the loss of some others. While it seemed unlikely, the world heavyweight championship bout between Jey Uso and GUNTHER will not main event, nor will either of the women’s championship match.
In fairness to WWE, none of those matches carries the same heat, history, and emotion that the WrestleMania 41 main event triple threat will. This is brother against brother. This is rival against rival. This is one man looking to destroy his own creation, a creation that outgrew him and left no room for his return in their wake. This is the story between three men who have all at various points in their career, been the poster boys. Punk, Reigns, and Rollins have all defined WWE with record championship runs and periods as the face of the company. It was Reigns who broke Punk’s infamous 434 record, nearly tripling it even. And its Rollins who picked up where Punk left off, carrying the company on his back week-in and week-in while Punk sat home and Reigns turned into more of a part-time player. There is real animosity here, stuff that questions shoot or work. And perhaps most importantly, there is a shroud of mystery and intrigue as Heyman’s favor to Punk looms large.
There is drama and intrigue, mystery and storytelling. There is no question, it is the right call for this match to main event WrestleMania 41.
Read More: Punk vs. Reigns vs. Rollins; An Inevitable WrestleMania 41 Match
