Over WrestleMania 40 weekend, Stephanie McMahon returned to WWE for the first time since her January 2023 resignation.
Stephanie appeared at night two of WrestleMania on Sunday and was also shown at Friday’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Though she attended a couple of shows after her resignation, this was Stephanie’s first on-camera appearance since then.
At the post-WrestleMania press conference, Paul “Triple H” Levesque said it was great to have his wife “back home” in WWE. He hopes Stephanie knows that she belongs in WWE as much as anybody on the planet does.
“God damn, my wife looked good, right? She hadn’t lost a step,” Levesque said. “So great to have her back home. I get her home all the time, but to have her back here, to see the doubt leave her by being here for the last few days, to see her confidence come back, and to know that this is her home. All of you, all of us, all this business – it’s her home. And as much as anybody on the planet, she belongs here. And hopefully she knows that now. So, happy to have her back.”
WWE hasn’t announced if Stephanie has re-joined the company in any official capacity.
Stephanie’s resignation from WWE in January 2023 came after her father Vince McMahon forced himself back into power in the company. Stephanie had served as WWE’s chairwoman and co-CEO following Vince’s retirement in July 2022.
Vince resigned from WWE and its parent company TKO Group Holdings this January following the sexual abuse allegations made against him in former WWE employee Janel Grant’s lawsuit.
This year was the first time in history that Vince had no involvement in WrestleMania. Stephanie opened the night on Sunday, calling it the first WrestleMania of the “Paul Levesque Era.”
At the post-show press conference, Levesque rejected the “Paul Levesque Era” term.
“It’s not my era, it’s our era,” Levesque said. “When I say our, I mean everybody in WWE. The people that endured. The people that hung in there. The people that trusted. The people that, over the last year [or] whatever it’s been, gave their sweat and tears to get where we are.”
Rhodes revealed at the post-WrestleMania night two press conference that Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Nick Khan, and Bruce Prichard gifted him a gold Rolex following Sunday’s event. Cody said it’s the “same watch” that his late father Dusty Rhodes once pawned so Cody could attend acting school.
Cody said:
Something that I wanted to share – I came to the back, and Bruce Prichard and Triple H and Nick Khan handed me this, which is the same watch that my dad had that he pawned so that I could go to acting school. So the level of investment and responsibility that the company just put in my hands, I hope I can pay it back, pay it forward a hundred times over.
Levesque said at the press conference that it was Khan’s idea to get Cody the watch. Prichard went and tracked down the right watch.
“We just wanted to give him, I don’t know, something that in some way commemorated his dad being here when this happened, because he was,” Levesque said.
In a eulogy following Dusty’s death in 2015, Cody said his father told him that he could have the watch if he ever won the World title. Cody didn’t find out about the watch being sold until 2015.
Cody won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship by defeating Roman Reigns in Sunday’s main event. It put an end to Reigns’ 1,316-day run as champion.
While speaking to the crowd after defeating Reigns, Cody said he would not have gotten here without Levesque and Prichard.
John Cena and The Undertaker both made appearances during the Roman Reigns vs. Rhodes main event at WrestleMania 40 night two. With Cena, Undertaker, Seth Rollins, and Jey Uso helping him fend off interference by The Bloodline, Rhodes defeated Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Reigns vs. Rhodes was a Bloodline Rules match, a stipulation that was added when Reigns & The Rock defeated Rhodes & Rollins on night one. The stipulation meant that there were no disqualifications.
The story going into night two was that Rhodes had the deck stacked against him with The Bloodline able to interfere. Jimmy Uso was the first to get involved, but Jey took his twin brother out with a spear off the stage and through a pair of tables.
Cena took out Sikoa with an Attitude Adjustment through the announce table. That set the stage for a face-to-face between old rivals Cena and The Rock.
After laying Cena out with a Rock Bottom, The Rock was about to whip Rhodes with his weight belt. Rollins entered in his old Shield gear and was going to attack Rock with a steel chair, but Reigns blindsided Rollins with a Superman punch.
The Rock turned his attention back to Rhodes, but the lights went out. When they came back on, Undertaker was standing behind The Rock. He took Rock out of the equation with a chokeslam.
This all set the stage for Rhodes to end Reigns’ historic run as champion. After Reigns gave Rollins a chair shot, Rhodes hit a series of Cross Rhodes and pinned Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
WWE’s first-ever women’s Grand Slam Champion added another accolade on Sunday in Philadelphia at WrestleMania 40, defeating IYO SKY in the show’s semi-main event to win the Women’s Championship.
In a bout where SKY kicked out of a Bayley-to-Belly, and Bayley kicked out of SKY’s trademark moonsault, Bayley scored the win by pinfall after a flying elbow and a Rose Plant.
The title match ends a nearly two-year storyline following Bayley forming the Damage CTRL group with SKY and Dakota Kai at SummerSlam 2022, Asuka & Kairi Sane eventually joining the group, then ultimately Damage CTRL turning on Bayley after her Royal Rumble win this year.
NFL star George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers was ringside for Bayley’s win, as Bayley is a San Francisco Bay Area native and a Niners fan. Kittle’s appearance was highlighted on the WrestleMania broadcast.
While she had pushed for a live appearance by Paramore for WrestleMania, the band’s touring schedule would not allow for it according to Bayley’s social media. Instead the Hayley Williams-fronted group provided music for the pre-match video package for Bayley on Sunday.
Bayley’s best friend and former tag team partner Mercedes Mone posted the following message to Bayley on social media on Sunday:
Be so good they can’t ignore you because yoU we’re born to do this @itsBayleyWWE
Bayley becomes the fourth wrestler to hold the Women’s title since it was rebranded from the Raw Women’s Championship last year.
Damian Priest is the new World Heavyweight Champion after robbing Drew McIntyre of his WrestleMania moment.
The World Heavyweight title changed hands twice at WrestleMania 40 night two. In the opening match of the show, McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins to win the championship. But McIntyre’s reign ended almost immediately after it started. Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on McIntyre to leave WrestleMania as champion.
This is the first World Championship that the 41-year-old Priest has held in his entire career. Paul “Triple H” Levesque posted a tweet congratulating Priest on the moment:
In storyline, Rollins was at a disadvantage against McIntyre after competing in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday. It took four Claymores for McIntyre to put Rollins away in their match.
McIntyre then taunted CM Punk, who was on commentary for the World Heavyweight title bout. Punk responded by attacking McIntyre. The injured Punk took off his arm brace and used it as a weapon to beat McIntyre down with.
Priest took advantage of the situation and cashed in. He quickly defeated McIntyre after hitting a South of Heaven chokeslam. Priest then celebrated on the stage with his Judgment Day stablemates.
Before this, there had only been one Money in the Bank cash-in at WrestleMania. Rollins cashed in during Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Jade Cargill had an “incredible” experience in her WWE WrestleMania debut.
Night one of WrestleMania 40 saw Cargill team with Bianca Belair & Naomi to defeat Damage CTRL’s Asuka, Kairi Sane & Dakota Kai. After debuting in the Royal Rumble, this was just the second match that Cargill has had for WWE.
Cargill scored the victory in the six-woman tag match by pinning Kai.
In a tweet on Sunday, Cargill reflected on her first WrestleMania. She thanked the Philadelphia crowd and everyone who helped put on the show:
Heart full. Last night was incredible. Thank you to the production, everyone who helped put on a great show and the fans the fans are the real MVPs. Thank you for watching and waiting for us in such cold temperatures.
In the weeks leading into WrestleMania, Cargill was announced as the newest member of the SmackDown roster. She signed with WWE last September following her departure from AEW.
The SmackDown women’s division could have a new champion on Sunday. Bayley is challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40 night two.
Becky Lynch worked through WWE WrestleMania 40 after being sick all week.
In the opening match of WrestleMania night one, Lynch challenged Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. It ended with Ripley getting a clean victory. After Lynch had kicked out of Riptide earlier in the match, Ripley hit the move again to retain her title.
WWE noted on commentary that Lynch was suffering from strep throat this week. She had a fever of 102 degrees at one point.
“Becky Lynch has been sick all week,” Michael Cole said. “She’s suffering from strep throat.”
Corey Graves added: “Becky Lynch admitted to me earlier, her temperature reached as high as 102 degrees.”
Leading into WrestleMania, Lynch did an extensive media tour to promote the release of her new memoir “Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl.” The book reached the New York Times Best Sellers list following its March 26 release.
Lynch also had six book signing events from March 26-April 2. The book signing tour includes one more stop in Los Angeles on April 13.
Ripley’s title reign recently passed the one-year mark. She’s been champion since defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39.
The Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show is back with tons to talk about as we review NIGHT ONE OF WRESTLEMANIA 40! All the matches and angles, the main event that was almost it’s own full WrestleMania show, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Just days after WrestleMania 40, WWE will be debuting a documentary on how the show came together.
Right after night one of WrestleMania ended, a trailer aired announcing that a “WrestleMania 40: Behind the Curtain” documentary will premiere on YouTube this coming Wednesday (April 10). It’s focused on the lead-up to WrestleMania and the pivot that was made with the main event picture.
After Cody Rhodes gave up his WrestleMania title shot to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, there was a fan backlash that resulted in WWE deciding to change its plans. Rhodes regained his night two main event spot and will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship this Sunday.
The Rock changed his character as part of the pivot, becoming a heel for the first time in two decades.
Interviews with Rhodes, The Rock, Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque are featured in the documentary.
“We pivot in a way that blurs the lines between fiction and reality,” Levesque said in the trailer.
“Becoming this new version has been the most gratifying decision,” The Rock said about his heel turn.
The Rock & Reigns defeated Rhodes & Rollins in the WrestleMania 40 night one main event on Saturday. It was Rock’s first real match since 2013.
Rock & Reigns winning means that Reigns vs. Rhodes on night two will now be a Bloodline Rules (anything goes) match.
Earlier this week, ESPN published an article delving into the inside story of WWE’s WrestleMania main event pivot.
For 666 days, Gunther reigned as WWE Intercontinental Champion. But that historic title run has now come to an end.
Sami Zayn defeated Gunther at WrestleMania 40 night one to become the new Intercontinental Champion. The story of the match was Zayn refusing to give up despite the dominance of Gunther. He eventually caught Gunther with a Helluva Kick, hit a top rope brainbuster, and delivered two more Helluva Kicks to get the win.
The top rope brainbuster was Zayn’s finishing move on the indies.
Gunther was the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. He won the title from Ricochet on the June 10, 2022 episode of SmackDown.
The Gunther vs. Zayn match had a special presentation that highlighted Zayn as the underdog babyface. Before the match, Zayn spoke with his wife and son backstage. Zayn then got encouragement from both Chad Gable and Kevin Owens.
During their pre-match interaction, Gable reminded Zayn that he owes him a favor. Gable was Zayn’s trainer on WWE television leading into WrestleMania. Gable should be in contention for a title shot against Zayn.
Bronson Reed is another potential post-WrestleMania challenger for Zayn. After winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on Friday night, Reed said he would have his eyes on the Gunther vs. Zayn IC title match.
In the stadium that he called home for his entire career, recently retired NFL star Jason Kelce got to have a WrestleMania moment on Saturday night.
Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson both got involved in the action at WrestleMania 40 night one. They helped Rey Mysterio & Andrade defeat Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio.
When Dominik went to use a steel chair during the match, there was an angle where two men in Eagles lucha masks hopped the barricade and stopped him. Kelce laid Dominik out by throwing him into the ring post. Kelce then followed that up by sending Dominik back into the ring for the finish of the match.
Rey hit a 619 on both Dominik and Escobar, Andrade took out Dominik, and Rey pinned Escobar after a splash from the top rope.
Kelce and Johnson unmasked after the match as they celebrated in the ring with the LWO.
After a 13-year career, Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL last month. Kelce played center for the Eagles and is likely a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Kelce’s celebrity has grown in recent years due to the New Heights podcast that he hosts with his brother (and fellow NFL All-Pro) Travis Kelce. The popularity of both Kelces has especially exploded since Travis began his relationship with Taylor Swift.
Johnson is a pro wrestling fan who took part in a video where he worked out with Seth Rollins prior to WrestleMania.
Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Eagles, is the host of WrestleMania 40.
It was originally announced that Dragon Lee would be Rey’s WrestleMania partner, but Lee was attacked backstage in a segment on Friday’s SmackDown. Andrade aligned with the LWO and took Lee’s place in the match.
WWE once again has two sets of tag team champions.
The Raw and SmackDown Tag Team titles were split up in the six-pack ladder match at WrestleMania 40 night one. A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller & Austin Theory) won the SmackDown titles, while Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) won the Raw belts.
Since May 2022, the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team titles had been unified. But the two sets of belts were hung above the ring separately in Saturday’s ladder match. The rules were that the match would only end when both sets were retrieved.
Waller & Theory got the SmackDown titles first. The match then ended with a crowd-pleasing moment as Truth triumphed over The Judgment Day and grabbed the Raw titles for him and Miz.
Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor were the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions heading into WrestleMania.
The other three teams that competed in the ladder match were DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa), The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), and New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate).
WWE is embracing that the company is in a new era.
At the start of WrestleMania 40 night one on Saturday, Paul “Triple H” Levesque made an appearance in front of the Philadelphia crowd. WWE’s Chief Content Officer welcomed the audience to WrestleMania – and he also welcomed them to a new era.
“Man, I live for this,” Levesque said after making his entrance. “Welcome to a new time. Welcome to a new era. Welcome to WrestleMania.”
This is the first time in history that Vince McMahon has had no involvement with WrestleMania. McMahon resigned from WWE and its parent company TKO Group Holdings this January following the sexual abuse allegations made against him in Janel Grant’s lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed against McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis.
A new version of WWE’s “Then. Now. Forever. Together” signature open also made its debut at WrestleMania 40.
Date: April 6, 2024 Location: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA
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Show Recap —
KICK-OFF SHOW —
Michael Cole welcomed us to the kickoff show as they aired establishing shots of Philadelphia. The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, and Becky Lynch were all shown either getting ready this morning or arriving to the venue.
There was a WrestleMania hype video with Meek Mill. There are a ton of people outside the stadium behind the pre-show panel.
The panel was hosted by Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, CM Punk and Big E. Punk badly screwed up his “You can’t have WrestleMania in Philadelphia without Phil” line and he joked that he started drinking alcohol.
There was a video package for tonight’s main event. Jackie Redmond recapped everything the Bloodline had going on while standing outside their dressing room. Byron Saxton stood outside of Rhodes’ tour bus. Rhodes told Saxton earlier that tonight was the most important match of his career. Kyla Braxton spoke about everything that was on Rollins’ plate this weekend.
There was a video package for Ripley vs. Lynch and the panel discussed the match. McAfee, Big E and Punk all chose Ripley to win.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque was shown in the back (that’s how his name was shown on the graphic). Cole said of Levesque: “Many believe the man truly responsible for this resurgence of professional wrestling in the past year.” I chuckled.
Interview with Triple H
They aired part one of an interview Megan Morant did with HHH. She asked about this being the first WrestleMania under TKO. He said they allowed them to think out of the box and look at the show with fresh eyes. He called it liberating, different and fun.
HHH said Rock wanted to come back but they had to listen to the fans. The best stories were the ones where they were able to blend reality and fiction. They’ve been able to blur those lines and also follow the path that was most intriguing to the fans.
Morant asked about his relationship with The Rock. He called it poetic that they were in their respective positions going into this show. He called Rock the biggest star in the world but he was the same guy he knew years ago.
Morant asked if he missed performing. He enjoyed being able to collaborate with everyone in his current position and called it more rewarding in some ways than his in-ring career was. (Part two of the interview will air tomorrow.)
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Cole said he thought this period should be called the Triple H Era. Cole asked Punk his opinion. Punk spoke about how different things are now in the company. He recalled a private conversation he had with Big E. Punk wondered if he should have stayed but Big E told him he had to leave when he did.
Big E agreed it was a different company now and was amused to see AJ Styles of all people drop an F-bomb. He said it felt real. Punk called HHH a great coach who has assembled a great team. Cole agreed and said they love to work for him.
(It was a little odd hearing HHH speak about blending reality and fiction and Big E saying the show felt real.)
I suppose if I ran a show I would also schedule a full segment where people spoke about how great I am.
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There was a video for Jey vs. Jimmy Uso. Big E was proud of Jey and Punk compared the match to Bret vs. Owen Hart.
Peter Rosenberg was with Braun Strowman at a bar. They had sponsored vodka and Strowman poured mules for everyone.
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Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn. He admitted he was nervous but it wasn’t self-doubt. These were the kinds of nerves that came when you were ready to go to war. He planned on using those nerves and was ready for war. Redmond wished him luck.
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McAfee mentioned the fire on Rhodes’ bus and said the only things Rhodes grabbed from it were his dog and his wrestling boots. The panel jokingly wondered if someone should be accused of causing the fire. McAfee said he didn’t want to get sued and Punk quipped that he knew nothing about getting sued.
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Cathy Kelley interviewed Trish Stratus. Stratus called Lynch the best that she’s ever stepped into the ring with. She called Ripley unstoppable and didn’t know if Lynch could overcome her. Kelley asked if we’d see Stratus in the ring again and she said, “You never know.”
Braxton interviewed JBL. He put over WrestleMania before saying he has always known Rey Mysterio was a deadbeat. He put over Dominik.
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After a bunch of videos aired, Redmond and Wade Barrett replaced Cole and McAfee on the panel. Redmond wore a parka. It’s 52 degrees F (11°C) outside 45 minutes before the show starts.
Kelley interviewed Damian Priest and Finn Bálor. Priest was pissed. He said nobody could beat them so they kept stacking the odds against them. Bálor said they could keep stacking them up and they would keep knocking them down.
Big E admitted he was cheering for R-Truth in the ladder match despite New Day being in it. Big E said Truth almost lost his leg and we don’t talk about him enough.
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Big E put over Jazz and Jacqueline for paving the way for Naomi, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. Nick Aldis joined to speak about signing Cargill.
There was a WrestleMania I video package.
Kelley interviewed Natalya who was most looking forward to Jey vs. Jimmy.
Braxton interviewed Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio. Dom and Escobar didn’t care about Andrade. They wanted to eradicate Rey Mysterio.
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Redmond interviewed Rhodes and Rollins earlier this week. Rollins spoke about how much Dusty meant to him. Rhodes said Dusty would be touched by how much his fingerprints were all over WWE in 2024.
Rhodes called it embarrassing getting beat down by The Rock in Chicago but that was the last thing Rock should have done. Rollins said he’s always had Reigns’ number. Rhodes said if you were a betting person, you should bet everything on them.
WrestleMania is starting now. Enjoy the show.
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WRESTLEMANIA XL —
There’s a new signature video at the start of the show, voiced by Triple H. The WrestleMania intro included Meek Mill and his song “Big Boy.”
It’s still 52°F (11°C) as the show kicks off. Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch were shown warming up.
Coco Jones sang the American national anthem.
Tonight’s announcers are Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Pat McAfee.
Triple H entered. Cole, speaking of his boss, once again said this period should be known as the “Triple H Era.”
Triple H said, “Welcome to a new time, welcome to a new era, welcome to WrestleMania!”
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Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch to retain the Women’s World Championship (17:09)
Lynch’s entrance included excerpts from her book. (Excerpts were also printed on her gear.) Graves acknowledged that she got her wish by opening WrestleMania, years after main-eventing it. Cole said Lynch has been sick all week with strep throat. The band Motionless in White played Ripley to the ring. Lynch received some boos during her introduction.
Ripley hit an early Northern Lights Suplex. She went to the top but Lynch brought her down with an arm drag. They noted that Ripley already had an injured arm. Lynch spiked Ripley with a tornado DDT for two. Lynch followed with a leg drop onto the apron before giving Ripley an exploder into the barricade. Lynch hit another diving leg drop for two. Lynch tried a crossbody but Ripley easily caught her and hit a knee strike for two.
Lynch hit an armbreaker and tried an armbar but Ripley hoisted her up and hit three consecutive powerbombs for a nearfall. Lynch tried targetting the arm but Ripley booted her for two. Lynch avoided a charge and Ripley went shoulder-first into the ring post. Lynch applied a Disarmer between the ropes before the referee broke it up. Ripley countered Lynch and applied the Prism Trap (standing cloverleaf). Lynch countered into a cover for two.
Lynch countered a Rip-tide into a Man-handle Slam for two. Ripley ducked a kick by Lynch and hit Rip-tide for a nearfall.
Lynch hit a superplex and transitioned into a Disarmer. Ripley hoisted her up into an electric chair drop position. Lynch tried flinging her out of the ring but Ripley held on and hit an electric chair drop on the outside. Ripley followed with a frog splash for two.
Lynch tried a Man-handle slam off the middle rope but Ripley blocked it. Ripley gave Lynch a Rip-tide into the turnbuckle pad before hitting another Rip-tide in the ring for the pinfall win.
This was pretty good and it was a strong win for Ripley.
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There was a long video of Pretty Deadly running down all of the teams in tonight’s ladder match.
DIY entered with a DX themed entrance. Johnny Gargano wore a vest inspired by Shawn Michaels. Xavier Woods wore Consequences Creed gear (Kofi Kingston wore yellow and black). Judgment Day entered in masks.
Six-pack ladder match for the Tag Team Championships: Finn Bálor & Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz & R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate (17:23)
— Austin Theory & Grayson Waller won the SmackDown tag team championships — R-Truth & The Miz won the Raw tag team championships
The Raw belts and Smackdown belts were placed on separate apparatuses. Cole said the match would not end until both sets of belts were retrieved.
Bálor got a ladder but Bate hoisted him up, along with the ladder, and did an airplane spin. Bate and Dunne each hit moonsaults off a tall ladder onto their opponents below. Bate climbed a ladder but Priest gave Dunne a Razor’s Edge into Bate, who also fell on top of Dunne.
Truth got on the apron and everyone popped as he asked for the hot tag. Miz did make the tag and Truth did John Cena’s comeback sequence. Truth gave Bálor an AA onto a ladder and counted to three. Truth thought he won but Miz smarted him up. Miz and Truth held back Priest so that Gargano could hit a superkick. Ciampa followed with his version of a Pedigree.
Theory and Waller knocked everyone off ladders and Waller quickly ran up a ladder to grab the Smackdown tag titles. Samantha Irvin announced them as the winners of the Smackdown titles (about 7:45 into the match).
Dunne and Bate powerbombed Waller through a ladder bridge. Woods hit Ciampa with a springboard elbow onto another ladder bridge. Kingston wiped out mostly everyone with a trust fall dive. Gargano DDT’d Dunne through a table outside the ring. Ciampa killed Bate with an air raid crash off the top of a ladder.
Truth suddenly emerged to the delight of the crowd but he was cut off by JD McDonagh. McDonagh tried to help Bálor but Kingston hit Bálor with a chair. McDonagh was climbing the ladder so Kingston and Woods tipped it over and McDonagh crashed through a table outside the ring.
Priest cut off New Day and he gave Kingston a Razor’s Edge onto a chair. Miz stopped Priest from climbing the ladder but Priest shoved him off the ladder. (They were probably going for a chokeslam but the ladder was busted so they struggled to pull it off.)
Priest grabbed a new ladder and climbed it but Truth cut him off and dumped him from the ring with an AA. Truth climbed the ladder and retrieved the Raw title belts for the win.
The crowd popped big for Truth. He and Miz celebrated atop the ladder.
(This was mostly pretty good and about what you’d expect for a midcard multi-man WWE ladder match. However, the sudden gimmick to split up the titles was silly but they’re hot enough to get away with nonsensical ideas. The split titles are also now and two much worse teams.)
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Rey Mysterio & Andrade (w/LWO) defeated Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio (w/Legado Del Fantasma) (11:03)
Andrade held Rey on his shoulders and they hit a double diving crossbody on their opponents outside the ring. You can only control your bodyweight so much doing such a thing so Andrade crunched Dom.
(There was a funny moment on commentary where Cole said Rey beat Dom last year and Graves added, “and the year before that and the year before that…”)
Escobar took over on Rey and they worked him over until he hit a Code Red. Andrade tagged in and hit Dom with a running double knee strike and double step moonsault for two. Dom came back with a neckbreaker so both men tagged out and Rey dropped Escobar with a seated senton. Rey sent Dom out of the ring before hitting Escobar with a 619. Andrade wiped out Dom with a moonsault to the outside.
Angel and Berto distracted Rey which allowed Escobar to hit a hurricanrana off the top for two. Everyone not involved in the match took each out with moves until Joaquin Wilde hit an impressive springboard dive (mimicking the one he did on NXT).
Escobar went after Rey as Dom grabbed a steel chair. A couple of big white guys in Philadelphia Eagles-themed Rey Mysterio masks thwarted Dom and chucked him into the ring.
Rey hit both Dom and Escobar with a 619. Andrade took out Dom with his new finisher and Rey hit Escobar with a splash for the pinfall win.
The masked men revealed themselves as Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the Eagles (Kelce is recently retired) and the crowd popped.
(This wasn’t bad but it did feel like a mess at the end and the match was a backdrop for the Eagles players to appear.)
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Jey Uso defeated Jimmy Uso (11:06)
Lil Wayne brought Jey to the ring. I think they called Lil Wayne the greatest rapper of all time.
Jey interrupted Jimmy’s entrance with a dive and the match started once they hit the ring. Jimmy took control after a Samoan drop which didn’t look good.
Jimmy repeatedly hit superkicks and the crowd chanted “Jimmy sucks.” Jimmy mocked Jey’s pose and went for a splash but Jey dodged it and hit a superkick. They traded right hands which led to chants of “Yeet” and “No Yeet.” They exchanged superkicks and Jey got the better of the exchange. Jey hit multiple superkicks and a leaping superkick.
Jey went for one more but Jimmy held his hand up asking for forgiveness. Jey held up as Jimmy said he was sorry for everything. The crowd was relatively quiet to this point but they got up for this as they encouraged Jey not to listen. Jey helped Jimmy to his feet as the crowd booed. Jimmy superkicked him and hit an Uso splash for a nearfall.
Jey came back with a spear and an Uso splash for the pinfall win.
This was just a match.
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They said it now feels like 46°F (8°C). The announcers are cold.
Six-woman tag team match: Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill defeated Dakota Kai & Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane (8:03)
Belair, Naomi and Cargill entered together. Cargill wore white and silver gear and had short, silver hair.
Sane hit an Insane elbow drop outside the ring on Naomi early in the match. Later on, Belair hit all three women with a handspring moonsault. The crowd woke up when Belair went for a tag to Cargill but the heels cut her off. Belair managed to escape and made the hot tag to Cargill.
Cargill dropped Asuka and Kai. She caught Sane out of mid-air and hit a backbreaker. Everyone traded moves and Asuka misted Sane by mistake. Belair gave Asuka a KOD.
Cargill finished off Kai with Jaded for the pinfall win.
This was fine. The main objective was to put Cargill over and that’s what they did.
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Sami Zayn embraced his wife and son in the back. His son may get votes for best non-wrestler in the awards. Zayn asked his wife to keep their son in the back because he didn’t want him watching this.
Chad Gable met with Zayn. Zayn assumed Gable was coming with him to ringside but Gable said he would get this done on his own. They shook hands.
As Zayn went to Gorilla, he was met by Kevin Owens. Owens shoved him, gave him a hug, and told him to go do this.
This was all really good.
Sami Zayn defeated Gunther to win the Intercontinental Championship (15:30)
Zayn avoided chops and hit chops of his own, but as he came off the middle rope, Gunther caught him with a German suplex. Dueling chants began as Gunther hit Zayn with uppercuts. They exchanged chops until Zayn dropped Gunther with a clothesline. Gunther hit chops but Zayn came back with consecutive half-and-half suplexes. Gunther turned him inside out with a clothesline for two. Zayn smacked Gunther and hit a tornado DDT.
Zayn went for Helluva Kick but Gunther applied a sleeper. Zayn slipped out and clubbed Gunther. Gunther blocked a Blue Thunder Bomb and applied a sleeper. Zayn fought to his feet with Gunther on his back and tried to get a rope break but Gunther nailed a German suplex.
Zayn came back with an exploder. Gunther again avoided a Helluva Kick and hit a running dropkick. Gunther followed with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Zayn’s wife Khadijah was shown in the front row cheering him on. (Owens is presumably watching their son.)
Gunther looked down dismissively at Khadijah and Zayn used the distraction to hit a Helluva Kick for a nearfall. (This played off Zayn getting distracted by Gunther in his matches with Bronson Reed.)
Zayn went for another Helluva Kick but Gunther dropped him with a clothesline. Gunther hit consecutive powerbombs for a great nearfall.
Gunther taunted Khadijah who was having none of it. Gunther repeatedly stomped Zayn as the crowd booed. Gunther clobbered Zayn with a clothesline, another powerbomb and consecutive splashes.
Zayn began firing up as the crowd cheered. Gunther went back to the top but Zayn cut him off with a Helluva Kick. Zayn hit a super brainbuster and a Helluva Kick to the back of the head. Zayn hit another Helluva Kick for the pinfall win. The crowd popped huge for the win.
Zayn embraced his wife. This was terrific.
********
There was a video about how great WrestleMania is.
Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis announced an attendance of 72,543.
George Kittle (who was booed), Vanessa Hudgens, Wale, and Druski were shown at ringside. Jordan Burroughs was shown earlier.
The announcers ran down the card for night two.
It’s been at least ten minutes since the Zayn segment ended.
There was a video package for the main event.
********
Rhodes entered first. He hugged his mom Michelle and gave his belt to Brandi’s father Otis.
I can’t even describe Rollins’ outfit. The announcers weren’t sure what to make of it, either.
The Rock got a big-time entrance and he entered holding the People’s Championship given to him by Lonnie Ali.
Reigns entered last and it’s already been 30 minutes since the Zayn segment ended.
After the in-ring introductions (which the Zayn-Gunther match didn’t get), the match began 36 minutes after the Zayn segment ended.
The Rock & Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (44:31)
The teams stared each other down for a full 90 seconds before Rock and Rhodes went their respective corners. Rollins and Reigns started.
They had a brief exchange before Rhodes tagged in. There was a brief exchange before Reigns held up because he was confronted by both Rhodes and Rollins (after Rollins tagged in).
Reigns tagged in The Rock (who, of course, is in great shape). Rock faced off with Rollins.
There is a contingent (perhaps a small one) of fans who are in favour of The Rock. Rhodes and Rollins each received a smattering of boos during their intros. And Rollins was booed when he got the better of an exchange with Rock. It’s not super loud or anything, but it’s there.
Rock knocked down Rollins with a shoulder tackle and this match is already a minute longer than the six-woman tag match. Rock taunted Rhodes, who tagged in.
Rhodes got some shots in on the Rock before all four men faced off. The fight spilled to the outside. The referee issued a warning to the Rock who threatened to fire him and told him that he doesn’t f*ck around. Rollins and Rock fought through the crowd on one side of the stadium while Rhodes and Reigns fought on the stage.
Rollins chucked Rock back to ringside, right in front of Rock’s mom. Rock feigned an injury in the ring and as the ref checked on him, Reigns chop-blocked Rollins. (It’s been almost 18 minutes, so this is already the longest match of the evening.)
Rock drove Rollins’ leg into the ring post. Rock and Reigns worked over Rollins’ leg and Cole said there was nothing Rhodes could do about it. (I assume he’s referring to the rules of the match, which were just ignored for many minutes as they all wrestled outside the ring.)
They worked over Rollins forever and Rock punched him right in the balls in front of the referee. They said the ref apologized to Rhodes because he couldn’t do anything about it.
Rock put Rollins in the Sharpshooter so Rhodes just slapped him in the face. Rollins gave Rock a curb stomp.
Rhodes and Reigns tagged in. Rhodes hit strikes, a powerslam, a Disaster kick and Cody Cutter for two. Rhodes went for another Disaster kick but Reigns caught him with a Superman punch for two. Reigns went for a spear but Rhodes countered into a sunset flip cradle for two. Rhodes hit a Cody Cutter and Rollins, who tagged himself in, hit a frog splash for two.
Reigns countered a Rollins curb stomp attempt into a powerbomb but Rollins blocked a spear. Rhodes tagged in. He and Rollins each hit superkicks. Rollins hit a curb stomp and Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes but Rock pulled the ref out of the ring.
Rock chucked Rollins into the barricade as Reigns gave Rhodes a low blow. Reigns speared Rhodes but Rhodes kicked out at two.
Reigns put Rhodes in a guillotine. Rock held Rhodes down as Reigns cinched it in but Rollins hit Reigns with a stomp.
Rock tagged himself in and 34 minutes into the match, he grabbed his weight belt and taunted Cody’s mother (who yelled “bullsh*t!” at Rock).
Rhodes hit jabs and a Bionic elbow to Rock but Rock came back with a spinebuster. Rock went for People’s Elbow but Rhodes dropped him with a Cody Cutter. Rhodes set up for Cross Rhodes but Reigns saved Rock and hit a Superman punch. (This match is now twice as long as any other match tonight.)
Reigns went for a spear on Rhodes but Rollins pushed him out of the way and Reigns speared Rock.
Rhodes and Rollins each hit Pedigrees to Reigns and Rock respectively but they each kicked out at two.
Rollins wiped out Reigns with a dive but Rock raked Rhodes’ eyes. Rock set up Rhodes for a Rock Bottom on the announce table but Rollins saved him. Rhodes then gave Rock a Rock Bottom through the announce table. Reigns speared Rollins through the barricade.
Reigns hit Rhodes with a drive-by dropkick. They exchanged right hands until Rhodes hit consecutive Cross Rhodes. Rhodes went for one more but Rock hit him from behind with the weight belt. Reigns speared Rhodes.
Rock called for a tag so Reigns tagged him in. Rock hit Rhodes with a Rock Bottom. Rock did a throat-slit motion before hitting a People’s Elbow for the pinfall win.
The announcers emphasized that Rollins and Rhodes were both screwed for tomorrow.
This was very long and took a long time to get going but there was a lot of good stuff in here and Rock deserves credit for his effort. That said, this match was what you want to make of it: A long and plodding Roman Reigns match, a WWE-style main event, etc. Whatever it was, it was ultimately designed to set up tomorrow’s show and that’s what it did.
A change has been made to the card for WWE WrestleMania 40.
Dragon Lee was supposed to team with Rey Mysterio against Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 40 night one this Saturday. But there was an angle on Friday’s SmackDown where Lee was taken out in a backstage attack. The tag match will now be Rey & Andrade vs. Escobar & Dominik.
Andrade aligned with the LWO on SmackDown, saving Rey from an attack by Escobar and Dominik. The heels thought they had Andrade on their side until he put a stop to their beatdown of Rey.
WWE did not reveal the identity of Lee’s attacker. Though it was presumed that Legado del Fantasma were behind the attack, Carlito is another possible culprit. Carlito is a member of the LWO but has looked unhappy about not being Rey’s WrestleMania partner.
The updated lineups for WrestleMania 40 are listed below. Each night has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern. There will also be pre-shows airing from 5-7 p.m. both nights.
WWE WrestleMania 40 —
Night one (Saturday, April 6):
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Becky Lynch
Six-pack ladder match: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend against Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, The Miz & R-Truth, Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate, and Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane & Dakota Kai
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Sami Zayn
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Night two (Sunday, April 7):
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
Philadelphia street fight: Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford vs. Karrion Kross, Akam & Rezar
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Triple threat match: United States Champion Logan Paul defends against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Bayley
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Cody Rhodes
