LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The road to WrestleMania reached the beginning of its end in the sports and entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas, as WrestleMania Saturday took the stage at Allegiant Stadium.
After many rumors and much speculation, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced on May 4, 2024, that the granddaddy of them all —a week-long celebration of professional wrestling —WrestleMania, would find its home in southern Nevada. Saturday marked the first night of the festival-style event at Allegiant Stadium.
The night started with a vignette dedicated to Las Vegas narrated by Dana White, UFC president and CEO. That video highlighted Las Vegas’ past and present, as well as the three decades since WWE’s tentpole event appeared in the city.
“Where else than Las Vegas? Where else than Paradise?” White asked in the video. “Where else than [expletive] WrestleMania?”
The main event on Saturday was a showdown between three of wrestling’s top performers: Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk. The latter discussed the show of shows taking over Las Vegas in October, saying he believed the universe was putting something special in place with WrestleMania emanating from the same locale as one of his most iconic moments: the so-called “pipe bomb” promo.
“That’s poetry. That’s the universe putting WrestleMania in Las Vegas, where I cut the pipe bomb,” he said. “I promise you, it’s going to be fireworks because it’s CM Punk, and it’s WrestleMania, and it’s Las Vegas.”
Fireworks indeed, but before that, the night started with a massive battle between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and the challenger “Main Event” Jey Uso.
Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship
Uso made his entrance through the packed Allegiant Stadium crowd, accompanied by flag-wavers and dancers on the WrestleMania stage. After a physical exchange, Uso forced Gunther to tap out to a sleeper hold, winning the world heavyweight championship.
George Kittle, tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, appeared ringside before the Tag Team Championship bout, enjoying a beer. He would have words with The New Day ahead of their championship match.
The War Raiders vs. The New Day for the World Tag Team Championships
The challengers, who had become a villainous duo by shuffling away their former ally Big E after he suffered a broken C1 vertebra, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, defeated Erik and Ivar with some cheating, becoming the new World Tag Team Champions.
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
Former friends-turned-enemies faced off after a months-long mystery was solved. It was revealed that Naomi attacked Cargill months before, leaving her out of action for an extended period. Cargill won after an impressive match between the two women, securing her revenge.
LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu for the United States Championship
The “Samoan Werewolf,” Fatu, arrived wearing a mask of his namesake, while the man they call the megastar, Knight, was chauffeured to the stage in a Maserati ahead of their encounter. In the end, Fatu took the win after several moonsaults to claim singles gold in the WWE.
Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
After Rey Mysterio was injured during a match on SmackDown, WWE newcomer Rey Fenix took on the duties of facing the mysterious, masked performer who is definitely not Chad Gable, known as El Grande Americano. A high-flying encounter led to the faux luchador getting the pinfall victory.
“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels appeared on stage to announce the attendance for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, with 61,467 individuals taking to Allegiant Stadium for the event. Michaels told the crowd that they “ain’t done yet.”
Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women’s Championship
The rivalry between women’s Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton has heated up in recent weeks. Each superstar took personal shots at the other in the buildup to this showdown. Stratton received a Barbie-like entrance alongside a duo of virtual Tiffys, while Flair was brought to the ramp in a Rolls Royce. The largely pro-Stratton contingent in the Las Vegas crowd were thrilled when Stratton retained the championship with a pinfall victory.
Members of the newly inducted WWE Hall of Fame class of 2025 were then introduced onstage, including Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin, who were memorialized for their iconic WrestleMania 13 match. Additionally, the family of classic tag team the Natural Disasters, women’s performer Michelle McCool, and WWE legend Paul “Triple H” Levesque were acknowledged for their illustrious careers ahead of Saturday’s main event.
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
Seth “Freakin'” Rollins was given a fiery introduction complete with flamethrower before the dark gave way to bright white, while Reigns’ intro paid tribute to his professional wrestling lineage with images of the Anoaʻi family adorning the various screens littering the entry way. CM Punk was greeted with a live performance of his entrance theme, “Cult of Personality” from the band Living Colour.
Chants of “This is awesome” began before the match’s first physicality, which was a powerful uppercut from Reigns to Rollins. A violent brawl broke out around the ring area, with various weapons being used. The action eventually entered the ring, where the superstars traded high-impact maneuvers before Paul Heyman, wise man to Reigns and best friend to Punk, betrayed both of them, siding with Seth Rollins and introducing the steel chair that would help the Visionary win the main event of WrestleMania Saturday.
WrestleMania Sunday begins at 4 p.m. from Allegiant Stadium with the main event will see “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes defend his WWE Undisputed Championship against a villainous John Cena in the leader of the Cenation’s final WrestleMania appearance. WrestleMania Sunday airs on Peacock and some tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.
