The undercard finally finds its pulse
For months, the trajectory leading into WrestleMania 41 felt sluggish. We were waiting for the fog to clear on the mid-card, and as recent industry analysis suggests, the pieces are only just locking into place. The tension between C.M. Punk and Roman Reigns has finally migrated from promos to physical confrontation, giving the top of the card the necessary heat.
The creative direction remains uneven, though. The recent Stephanie McMahon and Cody Rhodes segment left a significant portion of the fanbase scratching their heads. It was a bizarre narrative pivot that felt disconnected from the high-stakes momentum required for an event of this scale.
NXT is the engine room
While the main roster navigates its bloated storytelling, the developmental brand is running hot. Last night’s show in New York City proved that the talent pipeline is functioning despite some erratic booking decisions. Los Americanos securing the number one contender spot for the tag titles by winning their recent tournament was the right call for the division, injecting a much-needed jolt of energy into the tag ranks.
Lola Vice and Kendall Grey are positioned to steal the show, provided the execution matches the intensity of their recent interactions. The physical stakes for a number one contendership match often produce higher quality wrestling than the formulaic segments that pad Raw or SmackDown. If they get the standard 15 minutes on the card, this could be the match that observers look back on as the breakout performance of the weekend.
The danger of complacency
There is a recurring issue with over-complicating the path to the main event. We have seen Wade Keller and the PWTorch team highlight how the mid-card has struggled to find purpose while waiting for the main event narratives to solidify. Attempting to force emotional resonance into segments that lack narrative foundation is a waste of television time.
Booking is a game of leverage, and right now, the writers are leaning too heavily on authority-figure drama rather than in-ring stakes. I predict that unless the creative team pivots toward the wrestling itself during these final 19 days, parts of the WrestleMania crowd will be restless long before the main event ring bell rings. Keep your eyes on Saturday night, because the undercard needs to deliver immediately to keep the momentum from bottoming out before Sunday.
