Main Event or Afterthought? Wrestling’s True Payoff Lies in the Story

By Thomas Brunt

John Cena secured his record-breaking 17th World Title in the main event of night two, of WrestleMania 41, on  Sunday, defeating Cody Rhodes in a match that was anything but a classic—more of a clunker than a showcase. The result was never in question, yet while some anticipated a technical masterpiece from these two, fans and critics alike are now left uncertain about how to interpret the bout. It’s easy to follow the Meltzer star train and tear this match apart, but consider this—while I didn’t love it in the traditional sense, or to a degree, the Rock's involvement in this feud or Travis Scott's interference, and that the end of this match felt abrupt and questionable, I also found it brilliant.

Here's the thing: The job of a heel is to generate heat, to make you resent him, and if Cena walked into WrestleMania and said, "I’m gonna take all your expectations, chew ’em up, spit ’em out, and walk away with my 17th title while you seethe", then that’s… kinda brilliant. Because what’s got more heat than a match that could've potentially been an instant classic—but wasn’t? Maybe frustration was the point. Maybe we’re looking at some next-level, 4D chess. So, I say: reserve judgment.

They knew exactly what they were doing. With the support of their fellow performers—who more than delivered in terms of "Star-rating power"—and the standout matches from earlier in the day on Night Two, and Night One's Triple Threat main event that helped redeem an otherwise unrecognizable WrestleMania, they had breathing room. Sunday’s excellence gave them the luxury of stepping in, doing enough, and walking away without needing to steal the show. Sometimes in wrestling, the real power isn’t in the five-star spectacle—it’s in the long game. You sacrifice the flash, the technical wizardry, maybe even the pacing, all for the sake of something bigger. Why? Because when the dust settles, it’s the story that keeps people invested. The drama. The payoff. The why behind the match. And if done right, people won’t remember what was missing—they’ll remember what mattered.

​It's not going to make the Top 'Mania match list, but Sunday's opener certainly is, and kudos to the women, by the way. It's OK if a match is forgettable, even if it's the main event of 'Mania so long as the payoff is worth it. WrestleMania comes and goes every year, but if this is really to be believed as John Cena's retirement tour, then his time may just really be up. People may eventually look back on it differently than they did WrestleMania Sunday night. John Cena said he wants to ruin wrestling, and after Sunday's main event, it appears he has laid the building bricks to commence that plan.​

SEE MORE: CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins: Architect Influencers of Modern Wrestling