Moments that defined WrestleMania 41

WrestleMania 41 is in the books. Here's a recap of this year's edition of "the grandest stage of them all."

A flat record-breaking moment

Move over, Ric Flair. There's a new WWE world title record holder, and you can't see him.

In his final WrestleMania of an illustrious career, John Cena ended Cody Rhodes' yearlong reign and captured his 17th WWE World Championship to usurp Nature Boy's all-time mark.

Despite delivering in some ways, the match has fans at least slightly disappointed and united in asking the same question: "Where was The Rock?"

Cena's villainous journey started in February at Elimination Chamber, with The Rock at the center of it all, turning on Rhodes. The Rock hasn't appeared on WWE TV since then, and his absence was sorely felt.

Instead of getting an expected - though still exciting - cameo from The People's Champion, it was Travis Scott who somewhat inexplicably came to Cena's aid. Wrestling fans are right to be dismayed that The Rock wasn't there to help see through Cena's belt-securing performance as a heel and contribute to the end of Rhodes' reign.

Could fans' collective disappointment be a result of WWE spoiling them in a legendary WrestleMania moment last year in Philadelphia? Possibly. But make no mistake: Cena will continue his retirement tour on top of WWE.

'Benedict Heyman'

After this past weekend, there is little to no doubt that Paul Heyman is the greatest wrestling manager of all time. Whenever you want to put a bigger spotlight on a superstar, you turn to Heyman.

The triple-threat tilt between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and first-time WrestleMania main eventer CM Punk was the standout match Saturday night. It had everything you'd want in a WrestleMania main event: drama, suspense, and heartbreak. For 32 minutes and 55 seconds, those three superstars left everything they had in the squared circle. However, Heyman stole the night in the final moments of the match.

The double betrayal of Punk and Reigns left everybody speechless. In Punk's eyes, his longtime best friend wanted to remain loyal to his Tribal Chief and couldn't stand having to choose between the two.

As for Reigns? Heyman's turn essentially signaled the end of the Bloodline era. For nearly five years, the partnership of Reigns and Heyman took over the world of WWE and helped bring the longtime wrestling company back to mainstream popularity. The Bloodline became one of WWE's most important factions in history, and Reigns rose to elite superstardom.

Now, the attention turns to Rollins and his new partner. Whatever The Visionary's next step is, it'll be revolutionary alongside Heyman.

We believe

Randy Orton was without a WrestleMania opponent after Kevin Owens' neck surgery. That left fans wondering who would step up to face the veteran.

Next thing you know, somebody said his name, and he appeared.

TNA World Champion Joe Hendry made his surprise WrestleMania debut to a raucous Vegas crowd. It was also a historic moment for TNA Wrestling as one of its championship belts was showcased at a WrestleMania. This isn't Vince McMahon's WWE anymore.

Unfortunately for Hendry, Orton got the last smile as he flew in with his signature RKO to pick up his ninth WrestleMania victory. After the match, Orton gave Hendry another moment with the crowd before giving him a second RKO.

It might have been a short match, but Hendry and TNA got their moment in the spotlight. That's a big-picture moment they'll take any day.

Curtain call

It's still Tiffy Time: Charlotte Flair's campaign for a 15th women's world title fell short as Tiffany Stratton retained her WWE Women's Championship. Despite how personal and heated the story with Flair got, WWE's confidence in Stratton was shown Saturday night. Even with a busted tooth, Stratton stood out in her WrestleMania debut.

It's just him, Uce: Jey Uso is on top of the world after winning the World Heavyweight Championship, dethroning Gunther. The sight of Gunther quickly tapping out surprised fans at the start of WrestleMania Saturday. For now, the WWE universe "yeets" with Jey as his first world title reign begins.

Sky's the limit: WrestleMania Sunday opened with a fantastic triple threat for the Women's World Championship between Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair. Sky entered Vegas as champion and leaves as champion. After weeks of Ripley and Belair brushing her off, Sky told them she's here to stay.

The Man is back: Becky Lynch was revealed as Lyra Valkyria's surprise tag-team partner to take on Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the Women's Tag Team Championship. It's been 11 months since Lynch competed in a WWE ring, and she didn't miss a step. In the end, Lynch secured gold for herself and Valkyria.

Mysterio crowned: The man you loved to hate became universally adored as Dominik Mysterio survived the Fatal 4-Way and captured the Intercontinental Championship. Once Mysterio realized it was cheers, not jeers, as he's used to, he ran back to the ring to soak in his winning WrestleMania moment.