WWE WrestleMania 41 Night 2 Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

After an explosive opening night at WrestleMania 41, WWE returned to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for Night 2 with a card headlined by John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Did Cena strike gold in his final appearance on The Grandest Stage of Them All or did Rhodes prove why he is QB1 of WWE by defeating the greatest of a bygone era?

Find out with this recap of the historic event, including live grades and analysis from each of Sunday night's contests.

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena

Triple Threat Match for Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair

Fatal 4-Way Match for Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor

Women's Tag Team Championship: Lyra Valkyria and TBA vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c)

Sin City Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Randy Orton vs. TBA

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair underestimated Iyo Sky entering WrestleMania and during the opening match of Sunday's show, and the result was a successful title defense for the women's world champion.

Late in the match, Belair uncorked a vicious whip with her braid to Ripley and followed with the Kiss of Death. Sky took advantage of the two of them focusing on each other and launched herself off the top with an Over the Moonsault for the win.

This was an extraordinary contest, the second truly great Triple Threat match on this two-night card.

From the inventive spots to the dramatic near-falls, the running narrative of Ripley vs. Belair to Sky's vindication, this was pure gold and easily one of the best women's matches on this stage.

Result

Sky defeated Belair and Ripley to retain

Grade

A+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Absolutely deafening pop for Ripley offset the loud chorus of boos for Belair.

* Sky set out to prove early on she was not going to be an afterthought in the match.

* Ripley delivered a Razor's Edge to Sky, tossing her into Belair.

* There were many justified "this is awesome" chants.

* Sky used an arm drag to counter a superb Riptide from the top rope. She missed the moonsault and Belair delivered a Kiss of Death, but Ripley broke it up at two.

Drew McIntyre avenged a year of defeats and shortcomings to Damian Priest by defeating him in a physical, violent Sin City Street Fight.

Both men brutalized each other, utilizing steel chairs, ring steps and more. The Scot tweeted, shoved Priest off the ropes and through two tables, and finished him with a Claymore into a steel chair set up in the corner.

This was another action-packed match at the top of Sunday's show. It appropriately conveyed the hatred between the competitors without taking things too far into the realm of violence.

It worked, the crowd appreciated it, and we had a second great match, which is something Saturday never quite strung together.

Result

McIntyre defeated Priest

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Kerry King of Slayer played Damian Priest to the ring in one of the coolest entrances in WrestleMania history.

* McIntyre continued his trend of live-tweeting during 'Mania, taking his phone from his brother and commenting on the contest.

* The second Razor's Edge of the night saw Priest drive McIntyre from the ropes and through the announce table.

* Priest attempted Old School a la The Undertaker, but McIntyre shoved him from the top rope and through two tables set up at ringside.

Dominik Mysterio won his first Intercontinental Championship, defeating Judgment Day teammate Finn Bálor, Penta and Bron Breakker in a Fatal 4-Way match.

For the third straight contest, fans were treated to an action-packed match devoid of rest spots.

Breakker showed out, tossing his opponents around the ring with reckless abandon, while Penta shined and the dissension between Bálor and Mysterio fueled the match's narrative.

Ultimately, it was the Judgment Day teammates who defined the closing moments. After an enormous Spear from Breakker to Carlito through an announce table and Bálor's Coup de Grace to the champion, Mysterio seized an opening and produced a frog splash.

Seconds later, he pinned Bálor and won the title, drawing a surprisingly large pop from the fans.

The match exceeded expectations and was a ton of fun; a demolition derby of sorts that rightly kept the spotlight on Breakker while crowning a new champion in a manner that will propel one of the longest running storylines in WWE forward.

Another success on a night that needed several of them after the so-so start to the weekend's festivities Saturday night.

Result

Mysterio defeated Bálor, Penta, and Breakker to win the title

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Bálor and Mysterio did not enter in unified Judgment Day colors. Instead, the former sported yellow with a matching entrance video, while the latter opted for blue, perhaps planting the seeds for the inevitable split.

* Breakker manhandled fools in this match. It was a total showcase for the IC champion.

* Mysterio attempted a 619 but Bálor caught him and stomped a hole in him.

* Carlito interfered multiple times, including pulling Breakker to the floor.

* Breakker ran off of one announce table and drove Carlito through the other in yet another breath-taking moment on this broadcast.

TNA world champion Joe Hendry answered Randy Orton's open challenge Sunday night.

But he probably wishes he hadn't.

Despite an enormous ovation and some fun antics early on, the match went as expected. A few minutes long, it was ended with an RKO and an Orton win.

There was nothing to this one outside of a special appearance by a beloved competitor and the predicted Orton victory that should set him up for a Backlash main event in his hometown of St. Louis.

While TNA officials may look at it as an opportunity for their world champion to be featured on WrestleMania and Hendry likely dreamed of the day it would occur, it was somewhat surprising that the company would greenlight its top star to be beaten in mere minutes on worldwide television.

Then again, it would never have been possible in years past.

Result

Orton defeated Hendry

Grade

C, mostly for the surprise

Top Momenta and Takeaways

* The pop for the Hendry reveal was otherworldly.

* As if beating him in a few minutes wasn't bad enough, Orton dropped the TNA champ with a second RKO.

AJ Styles refused to revert to his evil ways, and it cost him in his match with Logan Paul.

Late in Sunday's contest, Paul's manager, Jeff Levin, attempted to sneak him a pair of brass knuckles. But Karrion Kross emerged from nowhere to stop him and implored Styles to embrace the dark side and utilize them.

The veteran refused and rocked Kross before attempting a Phenomenal Forearm. Paul dodged it, rocked him with the right hand and delivered the Paulverizer for the pinfall victory.

The match was fine but did not do anything to reverse any conversations about Styles' rather pedestrian WrestleMania reel. Paul was strong here, but the chemistry between him and his Hall of Fame opponent was not quite what it was in his more acclaimed matches against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

The outcome likely continues the blossoming rivalry between Styles and Kross, which should be beneficial for both men.

Result

Paul defeated Styles

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Despite a mediocre-to-bad backstory, this one presented as a big deal as the bell rang.

* Michael Cole shouted out Fit Finlay on commentary as Styles pulled a page from his book, catching Paul up in the ring apron and pounding away at him.

* Paul, a master troll, utilized Hulk Hogan taunts to rile up the crowd.

* The YouTuber delivered the best Lionsault we may ever see. Like him or not, that was impressive and spot-on.

* Both men traded Styles Clashes.

The Man came around once again as Becky Lynch returned to partner with Lyra Valkyria on Sunday night.

The future Hall of Famer avenged her loss to Liv Morgan from last year by defeating her and Raquel Rodriguez to capture the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.

The match was a solid tag team affair that saw Valkyria take most of the beating from the heels and Lynch make the hot tag and unload on the champions, leading to the Manhandle Slam to Morgan that secured the win.

Lynch is a beloved star and was rightfully cheered on her comeback, but there is a real argument to be made that nothing about this match did anything for anyone except her.

Valkyria hardly shined, the recipient of the heat spot, while the champions were tackling buddies for Lynch in the closing moments. The Man had her triumphant return and basked in the adulation of the crowd, but this felt as though it served one instead of all four.

It was also awful for Bayley, who was yanked from the card in a lame injury angle and missed out on an appearance at WrestleMania.

Might it eventually be revealed that Lynch was the culprit behind Bayley's attack? If so, that seems way too similar to another story that just wrapped up between Jade Cargill and Naomi.

Result

Lynch and Valkyria defeated Morgan and Rodriguez to win the title

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Wade Barrett supported Morgan and Rodriguez for denying any wrongdoing in the attack that sidelined Bayley, reminding his teammates and the fans that they were wrongly accused in Jade Cargill's attack.

* That Lynch pop was enormous.

* Morgan said "deuces" and tagged out rather than square off with The Man, which makes sense given how the heel defeated Lynch in her last match to retain the Women's World Championship at King and Queen of the Ring last May.

John Cena became a WWE world champion for the 17th time, defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 and eclipsing the record he jointly held with Ric Flair.

The historic win came moments after The American Nightmare laid waste to rapper Travis Scott with Cross Rhodes.

Cena, taking advantage of downed referee Chad Patton, looked set to hit his rival with the championship belt, but Rhodes took it from him. However, The American Nightmare could not find his inner villain to strike the veteran with it.

Instead, Cena hit Rhodes with a low blow before using the title belt to strike his rival and claim a record-breaking 17th world championship in WWE.

Cole hammered home the story of Rhodes not being willing to do what was necessary to be champion and thus losing the gold. It was a perfectly fine concept but one we also saw two matches earlier with Styles' refusal to accept Kross' help in defeating Paul.

What was a fine enough main event descended into a convoluted mess with the arrival of Travis Scott and the shenanigans that followed.

There was no Rock, which fans invested in Cena's story had been waiting for considering it was The Final Boss to whom the longtime hero sold his soul to initiate the heel turn.

The lack of The Rock and the clunky finish hurt this one and put a damper on what should have been an even bigger moment for Cena and his historic title victory.

Result

Cena defeated Rhodes

Grade

C

Top Moments and Takeaways

* Cena entered the arena without on-screen graphics, just a darkened arena with black screens and his name in big white print, a sharp contrast to the colorful entrances that had defined his previous appearances on the grand stage.

* The crowd was predictably split, with two generations of fans rooting for their QB1.

* Rhodes kicked out of one Attitude Adjustment and then another, this time delivered off the ropes.

* Cena with a third Attitude Adjustment, directly into the STFU. Rhodes fought to the ropes, but Cena pulled him back to the center of the ring.

* Cue the referee bump. Cross Rhodes, and no one to count the fall.

* Cena exposed the turnbuckle and delivered a fourth AA, but there was still no three-count.

* Scott took about two days to get down the ramp and to the ring but eventually ate a Cross Rhodes from the champion, so it was worth it.

* Considering Cena kicked Rhodes low previously, how did The American Nightmare not see it coming this time?

WrestleMania Sunday was better than its Saturday equivalent.

The Triple Threat that kicked things off may have been the best match of the weekend; Priest and McIntyre tore it down; and the four-way IC title match was immensely fun.

Things took a downward turn from there, though, ending with a clunker of a main event and some booking questions that left plenty to be desired.

Triple H and Co. will have to work overtime starting with Raw on Monday night to regain some of the faith that was lost in the lead-in and execution of this year's show.

Grade: B-