Opinions

Predictions for WWE WrestleMania 41 Sunday: I think John Cena wins his record-breaking 17th world championship

Psykohurricane

Yesterday, I gave my predictions for everything happening on Saturday, but I thought it would be better to split my predictions into two columns. So here are my predictions for Night 2 of WrestleMania.

1. WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley

While this match felt a bit thrown together at first, these four have actually been involved in a mini-feud for about a month now. Raquel challenged Lyra for the Intercontinental Title, only for Bayley to help Lyra retain. Since then, all four women have been tangled in some capacity, so it makes sense that Bayley and Lyra are now challenging for the tag titles.

I wasn’t a fan of how we got here—especially with Bayley and Lyra winning a gauntlet match just four days after wrestling each other—but I’m still looking forward to it. These are four strong performers who will give it their all to deliver a great match.

I could even see Bayley turning heel on Lyra after they lose and returning to the cocky Bayley we loved during the pandemic era.

Winners and still champions: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

2. AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

This match is going to be a barn burner. Both guys are extremely athletic and aren’t afraid to put their bodies on the line to entertain the fans. While I’d love to see AJ pick up the win, I think Logan will somehow pull it off. He’ll probably move on to something big this summer, while AJ might go on a short losing streak before one last big run ahead of retirement.

Winner: Logan Paul

3. Fatal Four-Way for the Intercontinental Championship
Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio

This feels like one of those matches that only exists to get more big names on the card, as there’s really no major story here. That said, these four are going to deliver a great match and check off all the usual chaos you’d expect in a fatal four-way.

I see this going one of two ways—either Bron retains, or Penta wins. Finn and Dominik will likely cost each other the win, leading to a Judgment Day power struggle at the next PLE. If I had to pick, I’d go with Penta winning, allowing Bron to move on and pursue a world title run.

Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: Penta

4. Randy Orton vs. ???

As of now, Randy doesn’t have a match due to Kevin Owens’ injury. But I’d be shocked if he doesn’t end up wrestling. I think we’ll get an announcement on SmackDown, with Nick Aldis revealing that Randy will face a mystery opponent at Mania—similar to how they set up Cody vs. Seth at Mania 38.

So, who could it be? My best guesses are Rusev or Aleister Black, as WWE will want to make a returning star’s debut feel huge. Personally, I’d go with Black—he has more long-term upside than Rusev. Regardless of who it is, I think they’ll get the win.

Winner: Randy Orton’s mystery opponent

5. Triple Threat for the Women’s World Championship
Rhea Ripley vs. IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair

This really should’ve been Ripley vs. Belair one-on-one. That seemed like the plan until they realized IYO didn’t have a Mania match and inserted her here. She honestly feels like the third wheel in this scenario.

That said, these three will put on an absolute banger and probably deliver the best women’s match of the weekend. I’m still not sold on the logic behind the match, but the quality should make up for it.

As for the winner, it’s a toss-up—you can make a strong case for any of the three. But I’ll go with Rhea reclaiming the title and finally getting her win over IYO.

Winner and new Women’s World Champion: Rhea Ripley

6. WWE Championship Match
John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

A lot has been said about the build to this match. Most fans enjoyed it and were entertained by what both guys brought to the table. A minority thought Cena’s reasoning didn’t make sense—but love it or hate it, people are watching, and that’s what matters.

Given Cena’s limited schedule, they’ve done the best they could to make this compelling. Cody will no doubt bump like crazy to make Cena look great, and Cena will go all out to get heat.

In the end, I think Cena wins his record-breaking 17th world championship and leans further into this heel turn over the summer, elevating whoever he feuds with along the way. Cody’s had a great run, but it’s time for him to start chasing again.

Winner and new WWE Champion: John Cena

So those are my predictions for WrestleMania Night 2. I could maybe see Chelsea Green getting a comedy spot on one of the nights just to get her on the card, but beyond that, I doubt we’ll see much else added.

To wrap it up—regarding the Raw after Mania, I’m not expecting anything huge. WWE seems to have moved away from the “anything can happen” vibe it used to have. So on that note, let’s enjoy the weekend, pace ourselves, and try not to overdose on all the wrestling that’s available!