WrestleMania closed with a historic moment as John Cena captured his 17th WWE World Championship, surpassing Ric Flair’s long-held record. The win over Cody Rhodes, aided by a surprise run-in from rapper Travis Scott, solidifies Cena as the most decorated wrestler in WWE history.
Although Cena has announced plans to retire by the end of 2025, wrestling retirements are rarely permanent — making this possibly, but not definitively, his final WrestleMania appearance.
The event was the first WrestleMania streamed live on Netflix under a $5 billion, 10-year deal. With around 300 million global subscribers, the platform’s first major test run reportedly went smoothly, following a promising debut earlier this year that drew close to five million views.
WWE also used the weekend to announce its acquisition of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, a leading Mexican promotion, marking a major expansion move.
Several other major moments punctuated the show. Jey Uso won the World Heavyweight Championship, Dominik Mysterio earned his maiden Intercontinental title, and Becky Lynch made an emotional return after a year away, capturing the Women’s Tag Team titles with Lyra Valkyria.
Women’s matches delivered standout performances. Tiffany Stratton beat Charlotte Flair in a hard-fought title defense, while Iyo Sky retained her championship against Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair in a match fans quickly hailed as an “instant classic.”
However, some fans took issue with the heavy advertising. Branded ring gear, sponsor logos on the canvas, and promotional costumes disrupted the action enough for some viewers to dub the show “Ad-a-Mania.”
Still, ads aside, the in-ring action stole the show — and on that front, WrestleMania delivered exactly what fans came for. As WWE’s soap opera rolls on, the Cena chapter may be nearing its close, but the company’s momentum on Netflix is just beginning.
