Reigns, Punk, Rollins WrestleMania 41 Match Needs Huge Stakes, More WWE Raw Takes

Roman Reigns is back, and on the March 10 edition of Raw on Netflix in Madison Square Garden, he laid out Seth Rollins and CM Punk.

Cody Rhodes also addressed John Cena once more, warning The GOAT that he is the new "captain" in WWE ahead of their faceoff next week.

Logan Paul tried to embarrass comedian Andrew Schulz, who was trying to enjoy the action as a fan, until AJ Styles ran off The Maverick.

A mysterious new luchador attacked Dragon Lee during his match with Rey Mysterio, costing LWO a tornado tag match against The New Day.

Was it the returning Chad Gable? He denied the accusation while someone was arrested wearing the same mask he seemed to be wearing earlier.

Raquel Rodriguez defeated Bayley with Liv Morgan's help to earn a future one-on-one tilt at women's intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria.

It was a wild night in New York that continued the big build for WrestleMania 41.

CM Punk and Seth Rollins hoped to finally settle their rivalry inside a steel cage on Monday, but Roman Reigns instead stood tall over both at the end of the night.

This is one of Raw's biggest angles, setting the stage for a rare Triple Threat at WrestleMania.

The Show of Shows typically focuses on singles action, allowing a rivalry to be settled under the brightest lights.

A Triple Threat does not sell the personal edge between competitors quite so well since the win is unlikely to be definitive.

However, this match can have a definitive impact with added stakes. All three men would be great challengers for the Undisputed WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship after WrestleMania 41.

Make this a No. 1 contender Triple Threat, and every near-fall will matter. The result will have a lasting impact on the rest of the year.

This contest may not need a reward to stand out, but at The Show of Shows, it's important to make every match as special as possible. Why not add some impactful stakes?

No one has seen or heard from John Cena since Elimination Chamber where he beat down Cody Rhodes in a heinous attack at the behest of The Rock.

The GOAT's lack of appearances in 2025 are likely out of WWE's hands, but this has allowed anticipation to build for the ultimate showdown next week.

Rhodes has stated clearly that nothing Cena says can explain his actions, but fans will be looking for some kind of reason for his dramatic betrayal.

This promo exchange should close out next Monday's Raw, building the final anticipation for what the veteran will say and how The American Nightmare will respond.

This is the biggest angle in WWE today and has a chance to genuinely eclipse last year's memorable build to WrestleMania 40.

The shine is finally off Logan Paul, and no one is suffering for it more than AJ Styles on the road to WrestleMania 41.

The YouTuber first appeared in WWE in the build to WrestleMania 37, playing a role in the feud between Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens.

A year later, he wrestled his first match with WWE alongside The Miz against Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in a surprisingly impressive debut.

The Maverick enjoyed one of the true signature rookie years in WWE history. He delivered against big names including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and The A-Lister.

His performances were strong but heavily choreographed, which was not a problem until WWE relied on Paul to fend for himself.

While the social media star can still deliver good matches, he is not surprising anyone anymore and his personality is grating on even those willing to give him the benefit of the doubt early in his WWE career.

Styles is walking into his ninth WrestleMania in a different role than his past matches, but it's still obviously a lesser position for The Show of Shows.

In his past 'Mania contests, he has delivered his best efforts against Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, Undertaker, The New Day, Edge and LA Knight.

Outside of his memorable Boneyard clash with The Deadman, none of his matches from 'Mania were featured contests of the event, and this looks to be no different.

While WWE is building exciting title matches to highlight 'Mania card, Styles vs. Paul will be likely be a good encounter that is overshadowed by many more emotional contests.

This would have been a great moment to give Styles a match that highlighted his career impact in WWE. Instead, he is stuck putting over Paul, who has never been less interesting to fans.

Few men can match the kind of show-stealing talent Chad Gable brings to the ring, yet he has barely appeared at WrestleMania since he signed with WWE in 2013.

In his decade of WWE experience, he has appeared just twice at The Show of Shows.

He was unsuccessful in 2017 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and then lost in a Triple Threat tag team match at WrestleMania 38 alongside Otis.

Even at his hottest point in his career as many clambered to see Gable fight Gunther at WrestleMania 40, he was only a mentor for Sami Zayn.

This year, the Olympian has the inside track to make the 'Mania card with a fresh gimmick, learning lucha libre to combat the many luchadors in WWE.

Whether he is fighting LWO, Penta or some other combination of babyface stars, he should make the show, which will be a welcome change.

It would be a real shame if Gable again delivered some of his most entertaining work but then missed out on WrestleMania.

There is no greater insult to a wrestler than to receive complete apathy from the crowd. Even receiving boos as a babyface is still a reaction.

Raquel Rodriguez is receiving pure apathy from WWE audiences regularly when working on her own.

But this isn't the case when she comes out with Liv Morgan, who receives strong reactions with or without her heavy.

Big Mami Cool has the talent to be a stable presence in the women's division, occasionally taking a step into the title scene.

However, that talent is not backed up by crowd investment. Until she can get an audible reaction from fans when she performs without Morgan, she will struggle to find any opportunities.

The best option would be to find a fresh angle for Rodriguez, who has often been the generic big woman on the roster, whether heel or face.

Let her show her personality more with The Judgment Day and try to find certain catchphrases or signature lines she can play off with Morgan until she gets over alone.

If that doesn't work, WWE may need to find a new heavy to take Rodriguez's place as a major heel on Raw.