WrestleMania Night 1 vs. Night 2 Match Card, a New WWE IC Champ, More Quick Takes

Since expanding to two nights in 2020, WWE WrestleMania's biggest competition has been with itself.

Night 2 has had the constant struggle of topping Night 1, and only with last year's installment was it able to. However, with the seemingly complete cards officially announced for both nights of WrestleMania 41, Night 2 may again outshine Night 1 based on everything on tap.

Among the matches slated for Night 2 of 'Mania is the Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way featuring Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, Penta and titleholder Bron Breakker. Any of them can walk away with the gold, but only one makes the most sense to do so.

The intercontinental title picture, along with everyone it, is ready for a significant shake-up. If WWE wants to ensure it's a weekend full of surprises, having that prize change hands to a specific Superstar would help accomplish that.

This WrestleMania week installment of Quick Takes will tackle who the new intercontinental champion should be, why The Young Bucks aren't the answer to All Elite Wrestling's main event woes, WWE continuing to fumble the women's midcard titles, and more.

A whopping 13 matches have been made official for WrestleMania 41, with seven set for Saturday and six for Sunday.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens had to be removed from the card due to the latter's untimely injury, but if The Viper does get a last-minute match, it would likely be added to Night 2.

Regardless of what Orton is involved in at the event, Night 2 is already shaping up to be slightly stronger.

Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship is guaranteed to be must-see for the star power alone, while the Women's World Championship Triple Threat should steal the show despite a bad build.

Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest's Sin City Street Fight will be fun, AJ Styles and Logan Paul will bring the best out of each other, and the Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match are potential sleepers.

Although Sunday will likely be the better of the two nights, it won't be by much. The Triple Threat main event of Night 1 and the WWE Women's Championship clash should both be excellent and Jey Uso finally capturing the World Heavyweight Championship will be a massive 'Mania moment in itself.

The rest of the card doesn't appear to be anything too special, but that doesn't mean it can't exceed expectations and deliver in spades.

The introduction of midcard championships for the Raw and SmackDown women's divisions late last year inspired confidence among fans that WWE would begin taking the proper steps toward giving female wrestlers more stories, exposure and opportunities.

Months removed from the crowning of the inaugural women's United States and intercontinental champions, WWE has done little to make either title mean as much as it should.

That was especially apparent during Friday's SmackDown when Chelsea Green and Zelina Vega had an extremely brief bout with a botched ending, per PWInsider, presumably setting up a future championship clash between the two. The lack of interest in said match correlates with the lack of effort WWE has put into the feud.

Lyra Valkyria's reign as women's intercontinental champ has improved with a string of solid title defenses against Dakota Kai, Ivy Nile, Raquel Rodriguez and Bayley as of late, but WWE's decision to shoehorn her and Bayley into a tag team title match with Rodriguez and Liv Morgan at WrestleMania 41 indicates that her championship also isn't a priority at the moment.

WWE rushed into debuting both belts when it would have been far more logical to wait until after 'Mania, but that doesn't excuse the abysmal booking of the women's midcard scene and the company's inability to justify the existence of either prize now that they've settled into the same spot as the often-overlooked tag team titles.

AEW refusing to pivot with its dire main event scene at Dynasty 2025 and instead sticking with Jon Moxley as AEW world champion was unfortunate enough. But the incorporation of The Young Bucks into the angle has made matters that much worse.

The three-time AEW world tag team champions resurfaced at the event following a five-month hiatus to aid Moxley to victory.

On that Wednesday's Dynamite, they explained their intentions for The Elite to link up with The Death Riders for complete control of the company, which does nothing to fix or improve the distressing situation surrounding the top title.

While an exceptionally talented tandem, the Bucks' latest attempt to remain relevant and be booked as a main event attraction will not work. The repackaging of The Elite last year ultimately fell flat, and their stint as babyfaces before that was equally boring.

Beyond the expected Anarchy in the Arena and Blood and Guts matches, the only endgame here is a match pitting them against the unlikely duo of "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. Once that rivalry runs its course, the Bucks will be back to treading water and wasting valuable television time.

They're a perfectly fine fixture in the tag team ranks yet an unnecessary addition to a main event storyline that is already failing spectacularly.

Kevin Owens' career-threatening neck injury has left his scheduled WrestleMania opponent Randy Orton in a lurch, though seeds seemed to be planted for a possible match with Solo Sikoa on Friday's SmackDown when Sikoa taunted The Viper in the night's opening segment.

Orton brawling with Sikoa into the crowd during the tag team main event further fueled speculation, but general manager Nick Aldis remains the best bet to face The Viper at 'Mania, especially following their heated confrontation at the start of SmackDown.

Sikoa deserves credit for his character development throughout 2024, and it is somewhat shocking that he wasn't already factored into anything substantial for WrestleMania prior to Orton vs. Owens being cut from the card.

However, his lengthy rivalry with Roman Reigns merely cemented his spot as a midcarder, and there's nothing about a match against him that would be an exciting use of Orton at WrestleMania.

It would give The Apex Predator an easy win ahead of Backlash in his hometown of St. Louis on May 10, but there are more intriguing options for him than Sikoa at this stage.

Beyond Aldis, there's still Sami Zayn (who can blame Orton for not helping him when Owens was viciously assaulting him at Elimination Chamber), Sheamus, Rey Fenix, Uncle Howdy, the returning Rusev or Aleister Black.

While it would have been better for the Intercontinental Championship to be involved in a singles story heading into WrestleMania 41, the drama surrounding the Fatal 4-Way has made for entertaining television in the weeks preceding the premium live event.

Bron Breakker has nothing left to accomplish with the title, having held it on and off since last August. He's ready to be elevated up the card and should lose it on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Finn Balor is far from a threat at this juncture of his career and has settled into his new role as a stepping stone for up-and-coming talent. Giving him another reign wouldn't amount to anything more than a short-lived, empty career resurgence.

Penta has adapted extremely well to the WWE environment thus far, but it isn't imperative that he capture his first title as quickly as WrestleMania.

Rather, Dominik Mysterio has the most to gain from becoming champ and can be who Penta chases to eventually capture it.

Dirty Dom lost his first three WrestleMania matches and is due a win at The Show of Shows. He's successfully gotten over as a heel and has no definitive direction if he comes up short yet again.

This is an ideal time for WWE to pull the trigger on Mysterio and let him run with the title for a while, not to mention the wedge it would drive between him and Judgment Day cohort Balor.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.