Predicting Our Dream WrestleMania 41 Card
Riding high off the incredible events of WrestleMania 40, we decided to book our dream card for Mania 41.
Words by Jamie Iovine
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In the aftermath of WrestleMania 40, the landscape of the WWE has been changed forever. At the start of what many have dubbed the “Triple H” era, we have a new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, Roman Reigns has been dethroned and the American Nightmare, the Grandson of a Plumber, Cody Rhodes, has been able to finally finish his story.
Along with Cody’s monumental win, we have a slew of new champions also joining the winner’s circle. Sami Zayn was able to topple the Goliath to his David in the form of the longest-running Intercontinental Champion of all time, Gunther. Meanwhile, Awesome Truth reunited and on night one gave the fans their first feel-good moment by winning the Raw Tag Team titles—but not before the dastardly duo of Austin Theory and Grayson Waller were able to snag the Smackdown Tag Titles for themselves. After a long two nights, Seth Rollins wasn’t able to topple the Scottish Psychopath and Drew McIntyre beat Rollins clean.
Despite this, we all knew that Señor Money In the Bank was waiting in the wings for his opportunity, and with a little help from CM Punk, Damian Priest was able to clinch his WrestleMania moment and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. On Night 2, in a moment many fans felt was long overdue, Bayley finally had her moment in the sun by defeating former Damage CNTRL member Iyo Sky to become the new Women’s Champion. Now that the dust has settled, despite it being far too early to tell how the tapestry that is WrestleMania 41 will be weaved, Complex put on our thinking caps and decided to book what we would like to see at next year’s Showcase of the Immortals.
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns
This is the one that the fans have been clamoring for since Roman Reigns anointed himself as the Head of the Table. Since Roman essentially declared himself the leader of the legendary Anoa'i family, everyone wondered how his big cousin, The Rock, would take such a claim. The Rock and Roman were a united front at WrestleMania 40 and while they may have won the battle, it was Cody Rhodes who won the war. The common thread that binds the two cousins is that neither likes to lose, and in the end, lose they did. One will surely blame the other for the Bloodline’s loss of the Undisputed Championship and next year we will get the answer to who really is the head of the table.
WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther
Coming off a historic run as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, the future is very bright for Gunther. Gunther’s loss to Sami Zayn clears the path for his eventual pursuit of the Undisputed Championship. Cody Rhodes will probably have the championship for quite some time as we usher in the new era and what better challenger could you have than Gunther, the person who nearly cost him his Royal Rumble win not once, but twice. A rested Gunther facing the champion one-on-one will be a difficult task to overcome for Cody.
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Seth Rollins
Despite the fact that Damian Priest is the new World Heavyweight Champion, he will surely encounter a healed CM Punk—or if not him, then a rested Seth Rollins who will more than likely take a much-needed sabbatical to rest up his many injuries. While Priest will surely have a strong run, this isn’t a title run that will last an entire year, and it seems more than likely that either Punk or Rollins will be the one to take that title from him. If it’s Punk, he will probably have to first take care of unfinished business with Drew McIntyre. After the dust has settled from that, we will finally get the match we were supposed to get at 40. On the other hand, like mentioned before, it could very well be Rollins that beats Priest and goes into Mania once again as the World Heavyweight Champion. Either way, the tensions between Punk and Rollins are at a boiling point at this stage and only the Grandest Stage of Them All will be appropriate to finish this particular saga.
Intercontinental Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Trick Williams
Despite winning the tag titles with Grayson Waller this year, it's accurate to say that Austin Theory’s stock has somewhat dipped recently. As someone who was poised to be a top guy in the company when he first made his way onto the main roster, Theory hasn’t been who he once was since losing the United States Championship. Even a win over the legendary John Cena didn’t do much to garner more momentum for this young talent. Even so, someone as talented and naturally gifted as Theory will no doubt be factored into a singles title picture once again and the title known to many as the “workhorse” title would be very befitting of someone of his ilk. Speaking of workhorses, the newcomer Trick Williams will almost assuredly be factored into WrestleMania plans if his momentum continues and putting these two together for the Intercontinental title could easily steal the show, much like Steamboat and Savage did many years ago.
Career Match: Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio
After suffering two straight losses to his father, Dominik Mysterio needs to win a big one against his Hall of Famer dad. 2023 was an excellent year for Dominik, having won his first singles title in the company as well as being part of one of the top stables in the company, the Judgment Day. Now that Dirty Dom is hitting his stride, the constant defeats at the hand of his dear old dad need to be avenged before he can finally ascend to his full form as one of the top heat magnets in the entire WWE. Beating the legendary Rey Mysterio once won’t be enough; Dominik needs to fulfill his destiny and retire his father. Rey putting his career on the line and going out working with his son is a beautiful story only the WWE can tell.
United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Bron Breakker
It’s a short list of people who came onto the scene and caught the attention of the WWE Universe the way LA Knight has. As soon as he left the male modeling gimmick behind, the fans got what they really wanted all along and that was the real LA Knight, with his incredible microphone work, extremely fun catchphrases, and very intense ring work to boot. Many WWE fans think that it is long overdue that Knight has a run with a prominent title. There would be a gigantic reaction if he was the one who finally ends Logan Paul’s run as US champion. If Knight is able to keep that belt all the way to WrestleMania 41, he has the chance to really raise the stock of a new superstar, and that superstar should be Bron Breakker. Breakker giving a dominant performance, much like his childhood favorite Goldberg, would put his name on the map and give him his first of more than likely many title runs in his future. Knight had a great match against AJ Styles this year, but next year belongs to the Steiner offspring.
Bianca Belair vs. Jade Cargill
It’s pretty unanimous that everyone believes this match is a license to print money. When it was first announced that Jade was leaving AEW to join WWE, this was the match that everyone immediately jumped to, and for good reason. Bianca Belair has been extremely dominant in her time in the company so far and not many people can match her for her strength, stamina, and speed. That one person could potentially be Jade Cargill. Even though she has had a shaky start to her WWE career, Jade has always shown even in her AEW career that she’s teachable and willing to learn. Cargill had a great showing in her tag match with Belair and Naomi, and given more time—let’s say by next year—she will truly be someone that will be more than a match for Bianca. This match isn’t an if, it’s a when.
Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
Rhea Ripley has been absolutely unstoppable and is destined to go down as one of the best female talents in professional wrestling history. That being said, nothing lasts forever and someone will need to step up and take Mami down. That hasn’t been such an easy task, as she has beaten the best the division has to offer, but someone who could potentially step up is newcomer Tiffany Stratton. Stratton has taken to this business at an incredibly fast pace and will no doubt only get better as time goes on. She’s the perfect antithesis to Ripley. Black vs. Pink, Goth vs. Valley Girl— this story essentially writes itself. While this is no doubt the Era of Mami, it will very soon be Tiffy Time.
Tag Team Championship (Raw or Smackdown): Pretty Deadly (c) vs. The Creed Brothers
The Tag Team Championship matches need to showcase some new blood that has entered the division. Since the Draft will happen this year, it’s hard to predict where these teams show up, but two teams that were sorely missed this year at WrestleMania were Pretty Deadly and The Creed Brothers. If either team is able to snag the tag titles before Mania, they should most definitely be put together. Pretty Deadly are incredibly entertaining and already have the potential to be crowd favorites going into next year, while The Creed Brothers could solidify themselves as the unstoppable brute force of a team that they are. Will Pretty Deadly be able to stop the two Powerhouses that are the Creed Bros? Well, we shall have to see next year, won’t we?
Logan Paul vs. Ilja Dragunov
While Logan Paul has taken to wrestling like a fish to water, it can also be said that most of his matches haven’t been true tests of his mettle and skill. He has faced legends and established favorites but nobody has really taken Paul to his limit mentally and physically. Since he will almost assuredly be added to the main roster after WrestleMania, there is nobody better to test The Maverick than Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov is an absolute machine in the ring and does not back down from anyone. His ring style is absolutely brutal and will give no quarter to the social media megastar. If Paul really wants to cement his legacy as a down-and-dirty fighter, then he needs to face one.
Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu
This has not been confirmed as of this writing but it seems that another member of the Bloodline is making his way to the WWE, and that is Jacob Fatu. Anyone who’s been tracking Fatu’s career in the independents or MLW knows how dangerously devastating Fatu is. When he arrives, he will no doubt be factored into the Bloodline storyline, and if so, what happens to Solo Sikoa? Solo has long been built as the secret weapon and enforcer of the Bloodline but Fatu could potentially threaten his position in the faction. This match would be a regular Kong vs. Godzilla-type match and whoever comes out on top will be first in line as the new Head of the Table.
Tag Team Championship (Raw Or Smackdown): Judgment Day (JD McDonagh and Finn Balor) (c) vs. The Authors of Pain
Despite losing the tag titles, Judgment Day still has both the World and Women’s championships. The WWE still seems to have big plans for Judgment Day so it wouldn’t be that surprising to see them bring back the titles they lost back into the fold. Since Dominik will be busy with his father and Damian Priest will be solidly in the singles title picture, JD McDonough and Finn Balor are the logical choices to go after the titles. If they regain the championships, putting them up against another extremely intimidating faction would only be appropriate. Enter: the Authors of Pain. After being unjustly released a few years ago it was a welcome sight to see them re-signed with the company. While the focus has been on Karrion Kross right now, the AOP need to reestablish their dominance in the company and going after the tag titles is the next logical step.
Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Coming off an incredible 2023 and a great storybook moment at this year’s WrestleMania, Bayley is cemented in the galaxy of superstardom in the WWE. Bayley no doubt will go down as one of the best to do it in the squared circle and is poised for a great run as the Women’s champion. Beating Bayley right now is a great way to get the wind back in your sails if your win-loss record is stumbling a bit. Ever since she defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte for both Women’s championships, Becky Lynch hasn’t reigned on top of the division as strongly as she did before the pandemic. Bayley and Becky both came up at the same time in the WWE and know each other very well. It’s a known fact that the better opponents know each other, the better chance the match will be an instant classic. These two haven’t locked horns nearly enough and they will no doubt put on a clinic at WrestleMani 41 if they square off.
John Cena vs. MJF
This match puts the fantasy in fantasy booking. Despite the fact that he is currently not signed to the WWE, it is no secret that Maxwell Jacob Friedman sees himself entering the WWE Universe one day. Time will tell whether or not the former AEW World Champion will resign with the company or not but if he doesn’t and follows Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Jade Cargill to the WWE, his first WrestleMania match needs to be a big one—and you can’t get any bigger than John Cena. Cena is essentially what Max wants to be; MJF doesn’t just want to be a wrestler, he wants to transcend the business. Cena is the ideal figure of what you would want your career in wrestling to be: respected by your peers and known worldwide in all facets of entertainment. Could MJF enter the WWE and try to become the new golden boy of the company? Well it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?
