WrestleMania 41

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WrestleMania 41
WrestleMania 41 poster.jpg
Ticket sales poster featuring various WWE wrestlers
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
SmackDown
DateApril 19–20, 2025
City Paradise, Nevada
Venue Allegiant Stadium
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42

WrestleMania 41, also promoted as WrestleMania Vegas, is an upcoming 2025 professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It will be the 41st annual WrestleMania and will take place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. This will be the second WrestleMania to take place in the Las Vegas area, after WrestleMania IX in 1993, which was held at Caesars Palace. The event will air via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and will feature wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions.

Contents

This will be the first WrestleMania to livestream on Netflix in most international markets, following the WWE Network's merger under the platform in January 2025 in those areas. This will also be the first WrestleMania to be held during Easter weekend. The event will also feature John Cena's final WrestleMania match in his 23-year career due to his retirement from professional wrestling at the end of 2025.

Production

Background

The event will be held at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. Allegiant Stadium (cropped).jpg
The event will be held at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada.

WrestleMania is WWE's flagship pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, having first been held in 1985. It was the company's first PPV produced and was also WWE's first major event available via livestreaming when the company launched the WWE Network in February 2014. It is the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April, featuring wrestlers from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. [1] Along with Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, it is one of the company's five biggest events of the year, referred to as the "Big Five". [2] [3] [4] WrestleMania was ranked the sixth-most valuable sports brand in the world by Forbes , [5] and has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment. [6] Much like the Super Bowl, cities bid for the right to host WrestleMania. [7]

On May 4, 2024, during NBC's pre-race coverage for the 150th Kentucky Derby, it was announced that Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada would host WrestleMania 41 on April 19 and 20, 2025, marking the first WrestleMania to be held during Easter weekend. This will subsequently be the second WWE event to be held at the venue after SummerSlam in 2021. [8] This will also be the second WrestleMania held in the Las Vegas area, after WrestleMania IX in 1993, which was held at Caesars Palace, with the event in turn marketed as "WrestleMania Vegas". [9] Two-day combo tickets went on sale on October 25, 2024, [10] while single day tickets went on sale from January 24, 2025. [11]

Minneapolis, Minnesota was also a finalist to host the event at U.S. Bank Stadium. Its proponents said they had been informed that the decision to place the event in the Las Vegas area was driven by a "change in direction by new ownership", following the 2023 merger of WWE and Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as TKO Group Holdings, controlled by UFC's previous sole owner Endeavor. [12] U.S. Bank Stadium would in turn get SummerSlam for 2026. [13]

Broadcast outlets

In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view worldwide, WrestleMania 41 will be available to livestream on Peacock in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, and the WWE Network in any remaining countries that have not yet transferred to Netflix due to pre-existing contracts. This marks the first WrestleMania to livestream on Netflix following the WWE Network's merger under the service in January 2025 in those areas. The select few territories that still have the standalone WWE Network will eventually merge under Netflix once the pre-existing contracts expire. [14]

Other WrestleMania week events

As part of the WrestleMania festivities, WWE will hold a number of events throughout the week. The night before WrestleMania 41 on April 18, WWE will kick off WrestleMania Weekend with a special "WrestleMania Edition" of Friday Night SmackDown . Immediately after SmackDown, the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will commence. During the afternoon of WrestleMania Saturday, WWE's NXT brand will hold its annual WrestleMania Weekend event, Stand & Deliver. WrestleMania Weekend will conclude with the Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania on April 21. All of these events will be held live at the nearby T-Mobile Arena. [15]

In partnership with Fanatics Events, WWE will also host the second annual WWE World at WrestleMania, a five-day fan convention, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event will begin on Thursday, April 17 and run through Monday, April 21. It will include interview panel sessions with WWE wrestlers, live podcast recordings, meet-and-greets with wrestlers, and a large merchandise store with various memorabilia honoring WrestleMania's 41-year history. [16]

Storylines

The event will include matches that result from scripted storylines. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, [17] [18] while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown. [19]

On July 6, 2024, at Money in the Bank, John Cena officially announced that he would retire from professional wrestling at the end of 2025, having wrestled for WWE since 2002 (though part-time since 2018). Cena also stated that he would compete at WrestleMania 41, which would be his last WrestleMania. [20] After coming up short in the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match, [21] Cena announced that he would compete in the men's Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber: Toronto for one last chance to challenge for a world championship at WrestleMania 41 with hopes of becoming a record 17-time world champion as recognized by WWE. [22] The winner of the Elimination Chamber match will face Cody Rhodes for SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship. [23]

At Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVIII, Gunther defeated Jey Uso to retain Raw's World Heavyweight Championship. [24] Uso then won the men's Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble the following week, earning a world championship match of his choice at WrestleMania 41. [21] During the post-show, Uso said he wanted another shot at Gunther, but refrained from making an official decision. [25] Uso then confronted Gunther on the following Raw, with Gunther stating that Uso should choose SmackDown's world champion because he had already defeated Uso and instead deserved to defend the title against someone like John Cena. [26] After making an appearance on that week's SmackDown, Uso opened the February 10 episode of Raw where he was attacked by Gunther. Uso subsequently decided that he would challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41. [23]

At the Royal Rumble, SmackDown's Charlotte Flair won the women's Royal Rumble match, earning a world championship match of her choice at WrestleMania 41. [21] Flair subsequently appeared on the following episodes of Raw, NXT , and SmackDown to confront each brand's respective champions before finally choosing to challenge Tiffany Stratton for SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania. [27]

On the February 3 episode of Raw, qualifying matches began for the women's Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber: Toronto, with the winner earning a match at WrestleMania 41 against either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky [a] for Raw's Women's World Championship. [28] [27]

Matches

Night TBA
No.Matches*Stipulations
1 John Cena vs. TBA TBD match [20] [b]
2 Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship [30]
3 Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship [31]
4 Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Men's Elimination Chamber winner Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship [32]
5 TBD [c] (c) vs. Women's Elimination Chamber winner Singles match for the Women's World Championship [33]
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
*Card subject to change

Notes

  1. ↑ Ripley has a title defense against Sky on the March 3 episode of Raw.
  2. ↑ If Cena wins the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber: Toronto, this match will be against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. [29]
  3. ↑ The champion will be either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky depending on the result of Ripley's title defense against Sky on the March 3 episode of Raw .

References

  1. ↑ Benigno, Anthony; Clapp, John (April 3, 2013). "WrestleMania 29 press conference brings WWE to Radio City Music Hall". WWE . Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014. ... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
  2. ↑ Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160)
  3. ↑ "Las Vegas to host WWE's Money in the Bank in 2022". KSNV . August 22, 2021. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (July 27, 2022). "WWE Announces Dates And Location For WrestleMania 40". Fightful. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Ozanian, Mike (October 16, 2019). "The Forbes Fab 40: Puma Debuts On 2019 List Of The World's Most Valuable Sports Brands". Forbes . Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  6. ↑ Gelston, Dan (April 4, 2013). "WrestleMania is Super Bowl of sports entertainment". Associated Press . Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  7. ↑ Graser, Marc (March 28, 2010). "WrestleMania sets off bidding frenzy". Variety . Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  8. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 4, 2024). "WWE WrestleMania 41 To Take Place At Allegiant Stadium In Las Vegas On April 19 And 20, 2025". Fightful. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ "WrestleMania IX". Pro Wrestling History. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  10. ↑ Currier, Joseph (September 23, 2024). "WWE reveals WrestleMania 41 ticket on-sale date". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  11. ↑ "WWE reveals WrestleMania 41 ticket on-sale date". WWE . January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  12. ↑ Star Tribune Staff (May 4, 2024). "Minneapolis loses bid for WWE's 2025 WrestleMania to Las Vegas". Star Tribune . Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  13. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 23, 2024). "WWE SummerSlam 2026 Expands To Two Nights, To Be Held In Minnesota". Fightful. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (January 23, 2024). "WWE Raw To Air On Netflix Beginning January 2025". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (January 31, 2025). "WWE Announces WrestleMania Week Schedule Including NXT Stand & Deliver". Fightful. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  16. ↑ Seeman, Matthew (January 21, 2025). "Five-day WWE World fan experience coming to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41". KSNV . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  17. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE . Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  19. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  20. 1 2 "John Cena announces that he will retire in 2025". WWE . July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 Powell, Jason (February 1, 2025). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens in a ladder match for the WWE Title, DIY vs. MCMG in a best of three falls match for the WWE Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ Defelice, Robert; Lambert, Jeremy (February 1, 2025). "John Cena Announces He Will Compete In Elimination Chamber, 'Me Main Eventing WrestleMania Is Best For Business'". Fightful. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Powell, Jason (February 10, 2025). "WWE Raw results (2/10): Powell's live review of Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio and Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley in Elimination Chamber qualifiers, CM Punk and AJ Styles appear". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  24. ↑ Powell, Jason (January 25, 2025). "WWE Saturday Night's Main Event results (1/25): Powell's live review of Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship, Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax for the Women's World Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  25. ↑ Tessier, Colin; Lambert, Jeremy (February 1, 2025). "Jey Uso On Winning WWE Men's Royal Rumble Match: It's My Turn". Fightful. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ Powell, Jason (February 3, 2025). "WWE Raw results (2/3): Powell's live review of Royal Rumble winners Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair appear, CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn, and Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan in Elimination Chamber qualifying matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Powell, Jason (February 14, 2025). "WWE Smackdown results (2/14): Powell's live review of Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax for the WWE Women's Championship, Elimination Chamber qualifying matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  28. ↑ Heydorn, Zack (February 3, 2025). "WWE Announces Official Stakes For Men's Elimination Chamber Match On WWE Raw". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  29. ↑ Defelice, Robert; Lambert, Jeremy (February 1, 2025). "John Cena Announces He Will Compete In Elimination Chamber, 'Me Main Eventing WrestleMania Is Best For Business'". Fightful. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  30. ↑ WWE.com Staff (February 14, 2025). "Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair". WWE . Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  31. ↑ WWE.com Staff (February 10, 2025). "World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. Jey Uso". WWE . Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  32. ↑ WWE.com Staff (February 3, 2025). "Men's Elimination Chamber Match". WWE . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  33. ↑ WWE.com Staff (February 3, 2025). "Women's Elimination Chamber Match". WWE . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
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