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For the most part, WWE has done a good job selling the bigger matches for WrestleMania 41. Fans are waiting to see if John Cena will break Ric Flair's record of 17 world championships.
The outcome of the Triple Threat between CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns is also the subject of great debate. How many new champions will emerge from Las Vegas after the two-day event?
Building anticipation and interest for the biggest show of the year is no easy task. While Triple H and officials have done much to build the premium live event, WWE has made the next five big mistakes heading into WrestleMania 41.
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#5. Too much talking in WrestleMania 41 feuds
One big problem WWE experienced with almost every feud was that there was too much talking between the combatants. This happened a lot between CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins.
While their promos were good, the majority of Rhodes and Cena's appearances were simply verbal exchanges. Both the Charlotte Flair-Tiffany Stratton and Jey Uso-Gunther feuds experienced the same issue.
The Royal Rumble winners had to sell their feud a month longer than other WrestleMania competitors. They often repeated the same things because they had to copy so many of the same segments.
Had bookers switched things up, it may have made things more effective. This isn't to say that bloodying Jimmy Uso wasn't impactful, but that it was the clear outlier amid several segments of back-and-forth promos saying the same lines.
#4. Royal Rumble winners not main-eventing WrestleMania
One of the biggest issues WWE faces every year involves the winners of the Royal Rumble matches. Every year, leading up to the event, commentators claim winners of the Rumble matches will main event WrestleMania.
This caveat only works when the winner fits into a main event spot that the bookers choose. Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, and Bayley won the match yet didn't close either night of the PLE.
This year, Charlotte Flair and Jey Uso won the respective Rumbles but did not receive the coveted main event spot on either night of WrestleMania 41.
WWE should simply change the wording and say winners get a title match of their choosing instead of a closing spot at the event.
#3. Lack of consistency in main-event segments
Along with too much talking was the fact that many of the main event segments and opening segments on RAW and SmackDown were a mixed bag of good and bad. Jey Uso and Gunther rarely got the main-event slot, yet are fighting over RAW's top prize.
Punk, Reigns, and Rollins had several promo exchanges. They may have eventually led to physicality, but the majority of those confrontations were unevenly booked. Certain stars received full entrances and mic time while others got two minutes total.
Some, like Punk's favor, landed great. Seth Rollins almost stomping Paul Heyman was also a great booking stroke. The segments, however, were uneven, with Reigns talking for about half the segment.
Rollins followed but only had half the time Reigns was given. Punk got two minutes in the segment where Rollins nearly stomped The Wiseman. He opened the show that night but received the short end more than once in the buildup to WrestleMania 41.
#2. We miss you, Alexa Bliss!
One of the biggest mistakes WWE made on The Road to WrestleMania 41 was ignoring Alexa Bliss. She returned at the Royal Rumble to a huge reception and then competed in the Elimination Chamber match.
Because her planned feud with Uncle Howdy and The Wyatt Sicks didn’t happen, officials haven’t used the talented former multi-time champ on SmackDown. This has been explained due to an injury to Uncle Howdy.
This still isn’t an acceptable excuse for why Bliss couldn’t have interacted with new faces like Tiffany Stratton or Chelsea Green. She also could’ve competed a few times with WWE maintaining the pre-taped teasers for her feud.
#1. Much ado about collecting a soul
The Rock made a huge deal about showing up at the beginning of the year to tease involvement at WrestleMania 41. He competed on Night One last year and heavily influenced the outcome of Night Two.
For that storyline, The Final Boss appeared several times ahead of The Show of Shows. However, considering WrestleMania 41, The Rock showed up twice and hasn’t been seen since.
He made a big deal about wanting Cody Rhodes' soul, which Rhodes rejected. John Cena then took the offer at the Elimination Chamber, which happened to be the last time fans saw The Final Boss.
Had he shown up once or twice more, his involvement would’ve been justified. Cena could have still turned on The American Nightmare without all the nonsensical rambling promos from the Rock.
