Grading the Booking of Every WWE WrestleMania 41 Feud Thus Far

Nothing matters more on the WWE calendar than WrestleMania, and this year's show has the chance to be as big as any other the company has delivered.

WrestleMania 41 has only four announced matches on the card as of Monday, 17 March.

Those world title contests have set the tone for the year, focusing on established veterans battling up-and-coming stars.

Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena was already the biggest angle WWE could deliver before the latter's shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber.

Charlotte Flair has laid out a challenge to Tiffany Stratton to see if she is worthy of the WWE Women's Championship she holds.

Jey Uso hopes to deliver in the main event of The Show of Shows by finally defeating Gunther and capturing the World Heavyweight Championship.

Bianca Belair has earned the right to challenge women's world champion Iyo Sky, but Rhea Ripley has forced her way into the build, signing the match contract on Monday's Raw to add herself to the contest.

These are the foundations of a two-night event in Las Vegas that is expected to be an all-time great, but how has each story been told to make the most of this road to WrestleMania?

The following are individual grades for the build for every announced 'Mania match ahead of The Show of Shows on April 19-20.

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

At WrestleMania 40, Damian Priest ruined Drew McIntyre's World Heavyweight Championship victory by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to take the title.

That is a strong story to revisit for this year's Show of Shows, but WWE already delivered it at Clash at the Castle last June. However, it feels like a new angle at this point.

Priest cost McIntyre in both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches, so The Scottish Warrior wants revenge. It is a simple story, but it needs a more emotional hook for WrestleMania 41.

Grade: C-

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

AJ Styles should always find a place on the 'Mania card, but he has never discovered the perfect opponent to deliver with inside the ring.

Logan Paul has never been colder as a WWE star. The crux of his rivalry with The Phenomenal One is that he has not earned his opportunities in the company as an influencer-turned-wrestler.

It's a story that has already been told with The Maverick, and neither competitor has done anything to make this feel worthy of The Show of Shows.

Grade: F

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk

Three of the biggest stars in wrestling all hate each other's guts, and they are going to settle their differences at The Show of Shows.

It is a simple premise that has been executed perfectly so far. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins is still a fresh angle, while Rollins vs. Roman Reigns is an evergreen story based on a history that began with The Shield's implosion in 2014.

Punk vs. Reigns is the new wrinkle here that has yet to be fully explored. Especially if world championship stakes are added to this contest, this Triple Threat will likely steal the show.

Grade: A

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Outside of 'Mania's true main event, no contest has more heat than Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens right now. These two have sold that they will gladly end each other's careers at The Show of Shows.

In particular, both have sold banned moves as their true finishers that they will only unleash head-to-head. Orton's punt kick against KO's package piledriver will be the dramatic hook in the ring.

Everything about this angle lands as an old-school babyface vs. heel dynamic. They could fight tomorrow and it would be more anticipated than just about anything already announced on the card.

Grade: A

No match announced for WrestleMania 41 already had more of a proven track record than Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair.

They are two of the best women's wrestlers in the world, and they have stolen the show together on Raw already in the past year.

However, the feud between these two women is mostly defined by a third competitor, Rhea Ripley.

The Genius of the Sky dethroned Mami after Belair got involved in their title match. Ripley has a legitimate gripe with champion and challenger taking her spot.

On Monday, Ripley forced her way into the title match by signing the contract for 'Mania. While Raw general manager Adam Pearce has not officially sanctioned her addition, it seems all but certain.

The stage is set for this to be one of the best stories all three have ever told.

The goal in this final month should be to ramp up the intensity; sell that these three women hate each other and will do anything to win.

These three are not just competing with the women's division but also the men, and they could deliver a special Triple Threat with the same attention to detail in their story that WWE has afforded Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk.

Grade: B

Tiffany Stratton's reign as WWE women's champion has yet to fully land, even if fans are fully behind her.

That could change as WWE pits her against Charlotte Flair, a 13-time women's world champion with plenty of show-stealing experience at 'Mania.

However, the return of The Queen has been an unmitigated disaster so far.

From a far-too-predictable Rumble victory to an awkward stretch of promos struggling to get heat, Flair is not investing fans in this story.

Weekly beatdowns of the champion are not building more sympathy for Stratton, and The Queen is not gaining more heat by doing the same thing over and over.

Flair and The Center of the Universe need to figure out a new element to their feud that will get fans tuning in. Let them talk face-to-face to sell why The Queen dislikes her rival.

At least the match at 'Mania is fresh and should be good in the ring, and WWE women have repeatedly performed better than their build at The Show of Shows.

Grade: D

Jey Uso's Royal Rumble victory was one of the true shocks on the road to WrestleMania 41. He wasn't even a top-five favorite to win the match.

However, his popularity has earned him a shot to go all the way to the top, and he could do it at The Show of Shows. His obstacle at this time is Gunther.

The world heavyweight champion detests Uso and has made it his mission to belittle him all the way to The Show of Shows.

It's a simple premise of a rivalry that would work better if WWE had not already run Gunther vs. Uso for gold multiple times in the past year.

The biggest problem at this stage is for the two men to eclipse their peers.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk, and Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens are overshadowing this story even without the stakes of a world title, let alone Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena.

WWE cannot keep telling a simple story and capture audience investment for 'Mania, especially if this is supposed to main-event Night 1.

Even if live crowds are fully behind Uso, the massive crowd at Allegiant Stadium on April 19-20 needs a stronger story to hook it into this as a WrestleMania headliner.

Grade: C-

Until Monday's Raw, Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena was sustained by hype for the aftermath of the latter's shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber.

Cena had remained a babyface in WWE for 21 years, always saying he would never sacrifice his moral code for the sake of a storyline.

The shock of this moment made a point: We are truly at the end of the road for Cena as a wrestler, and anything can happen in his retirement year.

Pitting him against WWE's clearest No. 1 babyface, Cody Rhodes, who also caused The Rock to turn heel last year further emphasizes the company's changing direction.

This is everything the road to WrestleMania is all about, and it only got better when Rhodes and Cena met face-to-face on Raw.

On Monday, Cena articulated why he finally "saw the light" only to be called out directly by an angry Rhodes, who threatened to retire The GOAT early.

It was one more step forward in this angle that should only get more complicated, especially assuming The Rock gets involved again before 'Mania.

The greatest moments in 'Mania history are the ones that change the course of the business. This feud is doing just that.

Even if it would have been nice to hear more from Cena in the immediate weeks after Elimination Chamber, this angle cannot fail at this point.

The emotion behind the story could even make up for the action if the two cannot deliver the same level of in-ring excellence as other contests at 'Mania.

Grade: A