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.
It’s WWE WrestleMania 40 weekend and I am back with a look at everything that happened during night one and a look ahead to everything that might happen at night two.
Of course, the biggest headline is The Rock and Roman Reigns getting the win over Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event, setting up the Bloodline rules stipulation for the Rhodes vs. Reigns main event on night two.
I go through all the results from the entire show including the difference in the production, the weather being a factor, and more like Sami Zayn ending the record-long WWE Intercontinental title reign of Gunther.
I also talk about comments from the post-event press conference including The Rock getting ready for WrestleMania, Reigns kicking out a reporter in character, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque fielding a question about Brock Lesnar.
Then, it’s time for a full preview of night two, what matches I am looking forward to the most, and if Cody Rhodes gets to finish his story tonight.
Plus, let’s talk Giulia in NXT, Mark Briscoe capturing the ROH World title, and more.
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.
F4W Online subscribers can now read my full recap of night one of WWE WrestleMania 40, headlined by the return of The Rock in his first advertised match in 11 years.
From Jade Cargill’s WrestleMania debut to Sami Zayn’s huge win over Gunther to everything in between, it’s all here.
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.
In his first advertised match in 11 years, The Rock left the first night of WWE WrestleMania 40 victorious, picking up a win alongside Universal Champion Roman Reigns over Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event.
With the win, Sunday’s Reigns vs. Rhodes Universal title match will now be under Bloodline rules meaning anything goes.
The entire match went roughly 45 minutes in addition to 20 minutes for intros. Despite his extended time away from the ring, Rock didn’t shy away from getting in the action, entering after a few minutes to wrestle Rollins. At various points in the match, the crowd reaction was mixed for both teams due to the novelty of seeing Rock back in action.
The finish saw the 51-year-old Rock pin Rhodes in the middle of the ring after a Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow, further setting up what is assumed to be a singles match between them at some point down the line.
Rock last wrestled a full match in 2013 at that year’s WrestleMania, losing the WWE World title to John Cena. He did return for an impromptu six second win at 2016’s WrestleMania 32.
Part of the match story was Rock flaunting his TKO Board status, telling the referee to stop counting at one point or else he was fired as all four men were brawling around the ring and the stadium. Later, as Reigns had Rhodes in a guillotine choke, Rock held Rhodes’ legs while they were under the ropes as commentary played up that the referee was afraid to do anything that would upset him.
The middle portion saw Reigns and Rock focus on Rollins’ left knee after Reigns drove it into the edge of the mat. Rollins sold the knee for the duration which promises to be part of Sunday’s World title defense against Drew McIntyre.
The final third of the bout saw a slew of nearfalls with examples being Reigns hitting a Superman punch on Rhodes; Rhodes countering a spear with a top rope Cody Cutter followed by a Rollins frog splash; and a Rollins stomp/Rhodes Cross Rhodes combo that fans bought as the finish before Rock pulled the referee out. Reigns then landed a low blow to Rhodes and a spear before Rock threw the referee back in, only to get another nearfall.
Rock later hit his signature spinebuster but Rhodes hit a cutter to counter the People’s Elbow to a mixed reaction.
There were no signs of dissension with the heels, even after Reigns hit Rock with a spear after Rollins moved Rhodes out of the way. The two then hit stereo pedigrees for another close nearfall.
Action spilled to the outside where Rhodes countered a Rock Bottom attempt on the Spanish announce table by delivering his own Rock Bottom on the regular announce table followed by Reigns spearing Rollins through the short barricade in front of the ring announcer’s table.
Rhodes appeared to have the match won as he hit two Cross Rhodes but got whacked in the back by a Rock weight belt shot leading to a Reigns spear. Rock then asked for the tag which led to the aforementioned Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow, ending things at approximately 11:10 PM Eastern.
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.
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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.
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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
WrestleMania weekend preview, the matches, the plans for the matches, favorites in every match, where things can go next and how we got there
How plans changed throughout the period
Dwayne Johnson’s preparation to get into ring shape
How Johnson’s return came about
Stand & Deliver preview
Business notes on all the shows including the insane scalper market setting a new all-time pro wrestling record
The lawyers grapple in Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon.
What we’ve learned new and the strategy McMahon’s side is taking
AEW cuts and the current realities of AEW business
CM Punk’s interview on the Ariel Helwani show in detail and each subject covered
The most heated pro wrestling show in decades from last week at Arena Mexico featuring top AAA talent, and how the crowd makeup was different, and exactly what happened at WrestleMania 30 that led to this show taking place
The most detailed look at the the ratings from the past week, weekly rankings, competition, segment-by-segment, analysis, how it compares with one year ago
Notes from three Stardom PPV shows this past week
Preview of two major New Japan events
Lots of Mania week shows talked about
Main event for RevPro’s biggest show of the year
Bloodsport coverage
How Kingston vs. Briscoe came about
Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
Streaming numbers and international TV ratings
AEW PPV updates
McGregor sets record
Dana White talks about blowing off a sponsor
PFL signs boxing champion
Nick Khan talks Vince McMahon, Netflix deal and bringing in Dwayne Johnson
Details behind Vince McMahon’s most recent stock sale
Garrett and I will be doing a show today covering all the news from the week and talking about this weekend. Bryan and I will be up Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. We’ll try to watch as much as is possible on Saturday because that is going to be a loaded day of shows.
Our full preview of WrestleMania both nights is in the new issue.
There was a fire today in Cody Rhodes’ tour bus. Nobody was injured and he did all his media interviews. Everyone is safe. The bus ended up with a hole in the ceiling and the front lounge was burned to a crisp.
For this weekend, we will be doing polls on these shows:
ROH Supercard of Honor
New Japan Sakura Genesis
NXT Stand & Deliver
WrestleMania night one
WrestleMania night two
You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]m
The Cubs Fan reported on a situation with Shocker over the weekend. He was wrestling in Oaxaca, was arrested and taken by police on charges of destroying the hotel room and that he threatened to kill himself. His wife, Gisela Dominguez said that he gets paranoid when he’s on substances and believes everyone is out to get him. She said he’s expressed suicidal thoughts before but has never acted on them in her presence. She said she feels he needs to go to rehab and noted he’s also done that many times in the past.
Paul Levesque said that the WWE draft will take place in about a month.
The Athletic story on Cody Rhodes
The Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther match headlines a loaded Arena Mexico show tonight. There is also the first block of the tournament of champions which will be a four-week tournament. Tonight has national champions with Star Black, Esfinge, Guerrero Maya Jr., Magia Blanca, Futuro, Magnus, Rugido, Disturbio, Cholo and Apocalipsis. The traditional big trio match is Mistico & Volador Jr. & Atlantis Jr. vs. Rocky Romero & Templario & Averno.
Panther was posting workout videos on Instagram for weeks and he’s said to be in the best shape he can be at 63. It has been years since he’s done a long singles match. Danielson said that when he was younger, he was transfixed by watching Panther’s style when he was younger. Danielson said he’d love to work all the CMLL arenas but there is nothing booked and there are issues that would keep that difficult. He said he believes there is more American interest in CMLL than has been in a long time. He also said it would be a dream of his to have a tag team match with Panther as his partner. He said he doesn’t care if he’s cheered or booed, but if he was in the crowd, he’d be cheering Panther. The advance was very good, nothing close to last week but last week was a rare one.
Brandon Tate of “The Boys” tweeted this regarding his being released by AEW and the claim it was for missing dates. One of the twins at one point also retweeted that Dalton Castle was limited as a performer. But this was his response.
During Paul Levesque’s interview on the Pat McAfee show, there were a couple of loud chants by the fans for MJF.
Smackdown tonight in Philadelphia has the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa, Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller and the KO Show with Randy Orton.
After Smackdown is the Hall of Fame hosted by Jackie Redmond on Peacock:
Lia Maivia inducted by Dwayne Johnson
Thunderbolt Patterson inducted by Scott Spars
Muhammad Ali inducted by Lonnie Ali (wife)
Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda
Bull Nakano inducted by Madusa
Paul Heyman inducted by Roman Reigns
ROH Supercard of Honor at 8 p.m. Eastern on Honor Club
Mariah May vs. Momo Kohgo
Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. mystery opponents
Cole Karter & Griff Garrison vs. Serpentico & Angelico
Johnny TV vs. Dalton Castle
Mina Shirakawa & Maika & Mei Seira vs. Saya Kamiani & AZM & Tam Nakano
Mike Bennett & Matt Taven defend the ROH tag titles against The Infantry
Kyle Fletcher defends the TV title against Lee Johnson
Billie Starkz vs. Queen Aminata for the women’s TV title
Athena vs. Hikaru Shida for the ROH women’s title
Eddie Kingston vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH title
Rampage tonight on TNT has Malakai Black vs. Christopher Daniels, Roderick Strong vs. London Lightning, Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora and Komander vs. Action Andretti vs. Bryan Keith vs. Daniel Garcia in an elimination match.
Unlike in past years where a lot of the bigger shows even struggled, the key Japanese company shows and GCW and WrestleCon shows have been doing sellouts of 750 at the Penns Landing Caterers and close to 1,000 at the 2300 Arena.
UFC tomorrow from the Apex airs on ESPN+ only starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Nora Cornollie (138.5) vs. Melisa Mullins (138) – Both missed weight
Dlan Budka (185.5) vs. Cesar Almeida (185.5)
Dan Arguesta (136) vs. Jean Matsumoto (136)
Piera Rodriguez (116) vs. Cynthia Calvillo (119) – Calville missed by three pounds and the fight has been canceled
Pedro Falcao (136) vs. Victor Hugo (135.5)
Norma Dumont (136) vs. Germaine de Randamie (135)
Court McGhee (170.5) vs. Alex Morono (171)
Trevor Peek (155.5) vs. Charlie Campbell (155)
Valte Walker (264) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (236)
Ignacio Bahamondes (156) vs. Christos Giagos (156)
Morgan Charriere (145) vs. Chepe Mariscal (145.5)
Alexander Hernandez (150) vs. Damon Jackson (146) – Hernandez missed weight by four pounds but the fight is still on)
Brendan Allen (186) vs. Chris Curtis (186)
On Jeopardy last night there was a clue that said “In Landover, MD, he beat Big John Studd in a thrilling steel cage match. The contestant correctly answered “Who is Andre the Giant?” (thanks to Brian Henke)
GCW & JCW vs. The World last night:
Jordan Oliver b Aigie Blanc
Griffin McCoy b Session Moth Martina
Syuri d Masha Slamovich 30:00. They got a standing ovation when this was over
Gringo Loco & Arez & Latigo b Dragon Kid & Shun Skywalker & Yamato
Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura & Rina Yamashita b Alec Price & Cole Radrick & 1 Called Mandes
Mike Dailey & Tony Deppen & Terri Yaki & Marcus Mathers & Charlie Tiger & Calvin Tankman & Mr.Danger b Ho Ho Lun & LJ Cleary & Lou Nixon & Ricky Knight Jr & Ryuji Ito & Shota & Mizuki Watase
Mao & Yoshihihko (blow up doll) won over Ciclope & Miedo Extremo, Icarus & Robert Dreissker and Leon Slater & Man Like DeReiss
There is a new video being put out by ClassicWrestling.net of Harley Race, with matches with Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, Jerry Lawlerr, Dory Funk Jr., Dick the Bruiser, Rick Martel, Angelo Poffo, Terry Taylor, Rick McGraw and Mike Stallings.
Considering everything the company has gone through over the last year, the fact that WWE is heading into one of the most anticipated WrestleManias of all-time with this weekend’s 40th edition is nothing short of amazing.
Since WrestleMania 39, we’ve seen the merger with UFC and subsequent creation of TKO; the revelation that Vince McMahon was no longer in charge of creative; the announced deal with Netflix; the Janel Grant lawsuit; McMahon’s resignation; The Rock returning, the #WeWantCody movement, and now, WrestleMania.
It’s been a wild ride.
Despite all the twists and turns the company has gone through over the last year, WrestleMania 40 has the chance to go down as one of the most memorable events in WWE history.
Let’s get to previews and predictions for each and every announced match for Philadelphia:
WWE Women’s World Heavyweight Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Becky Lynch
Ripley is listed as a -450 favorite, but I consider her winning almost a certainty. She is getting more popular every day and it doesn’t feel like the right time to take the belt off her. Lynch can take a big loss at Mania and not be hurt, but I wonder what path it will lead her character down. I doubt she is going heel again, so I’m wondering if Lynch might have some time off planned.
Prediction: Ripley retains
Six-pack championship ladder match: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defend against DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa), The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth), New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate), and A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller & Austin Theory)
Of the six teams, The Awesome Truth has the best odds of winning at +100 followed by DIY (+250), A-Town Down Under and Judgment Day (both +400), New Day (+700), and New Catch Republic (+800). I’m inclined to agree with the oddsmakers that Awesome Truth are the top favorites. I feel like R-Truth being given a “WrestleMania moment” to celebrate with a title is a feel-good moment fans will enjoy seeing after a very entertaining last few months with Truth interacting with Judgment Day.
Speaking of Judgment Day, WWE might want to get the tag titles off Balor and Priest in time for Priest to cash in his MITB briefcase, which I believe will happen on night two. I wouldn’t rule out New Day winning either, however. Considering Big E would be on hand to help them celebrate, that could also be a feel-good WrestleMania moment.
There is some confusion as to the rules of the match. On Raw, Michael Cole said both sets of title belts will have to be pulled down separately, but WWE has yet to formalize that on their website. That means we could, or could not, see two new sets of champions.
Prediction: The Awesome Truth are new champions (if the titles are not split) and Awesome Truth and DIY (if they are split)
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Something is building with Dominik Mysterio and bad guy luchadores like Santos Escobar and Andrade, although I think Andrade is technically a babyface right now. WWE fans need to prepare for the inevitable breakup of Mami and Dom because that on-screen duo is not going to last much longer than this weekend. Ripley is moving into a full babyface role, which just isn’t going to work for Dom. He’s now moving into something with Escobar, LDF, and Andrade against the LWO — a storyline that should become more solidified at Mania.
Dominik and Escobar are listed as -150 favorites, but I think their winning is much more of a certainty.
Prediction: Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
I’m expecting this to be the first of many matches between the two brothers so either could win and it wouldn’t impact the story too much. Before looking at the odds, I had assumed Jimmy would be listed as the favorite but I was wrong as Jey as a -250 favorite. To me, it doesn’t seem like Jey needs the win whereas Jimmy’s singles run could use a little boost at the start of their rivalry. I don’t recommend betting on wrestling but if I did, Jimmy is an underdog I’d put some money on.
This will be a chance to show off what Cargill does well and hide what she does not. The only way the babyfaces don’t win is if someone, namely Cargill, turns heel midway through and attacks either Naomi or Belair. Otherwise, I’d expect this match to end with Cargill pinning Kai.
The team of Cargill, Belair, and Kai are listed as a whopping -2000 favorite. Damage CTRL would be approaching Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson, Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey, or Roman Reigns over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 territory if they won this. A heel turn could cause exactly that to happen but I think a clean babyface win is far more likely.
Prediction: Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair and Naomi
WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Sami Zayn
They have been doing a dramatic storyline in recent weeks involving Chad Gable helping Zayn take his game to the next level so that he can finally win the big one. I just don’t think it’s going to happen at WrestleMania. I also think there is a chance that Gable turns heel on Zayn and starts a feud between the two. That seems the most logical direction for them to go.
Gunther is listed as a -150 favorite, but I think he’s a lock to win at Mania.
Prediction: Gunther retains
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
The stipulation that a Rock and Reigns win means Bloodline rules on night two leads me to believe them winning is the most likely outcome of the night one main event. With it being Bloodline rules between Rhodes and Reigns, it opens the door for interference from Rock, other members of The Bloodline, as well as Rollins and Jey Uso. That seems fitting given the way the storyline has gone and opens the door for more post-WrestleMania storylines.
Rock and Reigns are listed as -1000 favorites and I have to agree with the oddsmakers.
Prediction: Rock and Reigns
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
McIntyre should win this match, but I don’t think he walks out of WrestleMania with the World Heavyweight Championship. CM Punk on commentary and Damian Priest’s MITB briefcase will loom large over what happens here.
McIntyre winning the World title, but then having his moment ripped away from him again just like when he was robbed of his WrestleMania 36 moment by the pandemic, seems the most likely result. He’ll get the win over Rollins but Priest will cash in immediately after to win the belt.
Punk will play some role in how this all plays out. Then, McIntyre can continue complaining of being unfairly robbed of his moment as we move closer to June’s Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland. He’s listed as a -450 favorite but I think he’s a bigger favorite than that even.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre wins the title…briefly
Philadelphia street fight: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam & Rezar)
This match feels like something of an afterthought and I don’t imagine we will get a conclusive finish to the rivalry as they probably won’t be given enough time. The blowoff will probably happen on television at some point. The oddsmakers have Lashley and The Street Profits as -200 favorites, but I think The Final Testament will be put over here as it feels as though they could use the win more.
Prediction: Karrion Kross and The Authors of Pain
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
I don’t know why, but this rivalry doesn’t seem to have clicked. It could just be that with all the hullabaloo around The Rock and the other big matches on the show, this just fell down the list of priorities. Knight is the rising star who I imagine is going to get a big push in the coming months, so he’ll likely come out on top.
Knight is listed as a -600 favorite which seems about right.
Prediction: LA Knight
WWE United States Champion Logan Paul defends against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match
This match also feels like such an afterthought which is strange considering the star power involved. Paul is listed as a -375 favorite and I agree with the oddsmakers. Either Owens or Orton will have the match won, but then be screwed out of the title by the other. They will then move into their own feud and Paul will continue bringing the US title onto episodes of Impaulsive.
Prediction: Logan Paul retains
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Bayley
This has been a great story that has flown under most people’s radars. Bayley’s entire arc with Damage CTRL has been very well done. On the February 2, 2024, episode of SmackDown, Bayley revealed that she had learned to speak Japanese and knew the other members of Damage CTRL were talking bad about her behind her back.
Bayley’s dream of creating a dominant stable that began at 2022’s SummerSlam was over. While they had betrayed her, she was ready for them. It was a fantastic segment that nobody talks about because less than an hour later, The Rock showed up and appeared to be taking Cody Rhodes’ spot in the WrestleMania main event.
At first, I thought Bayley winning was a forgone conclusion, but then the potential match order leaked. According to what is believed to be the order of matches, this one going on right before Rhodes vs. Reigns II leads me to believe the Bayley vs. Damage CTRL rivalry will not have a definitive ending at Mania. Perhaps Damage CTRL debuts a new member or they do something else dastardly to cost Bayley the title.
Bayley is listed as a -400 favorite, but my gut says Sky retains.
Prediction: IYO SKY retains
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Cody Rhodes
The match result is not in question here.
When the stipulation was added that this will be Rhodes’ last attempt to dethrone Reigns, that was WWE telling fans there will be a title change on Sunday. The real question is how they get there and what matches they set up for Rhodes, Reigns and The Rock next.
The Rock will be involved at some point, but it might just be to come out at the end for a staredown with Rhodes. Of course, this depends on Rock’s film schedule as well as the scheduling of WWE’s next big Saudi Arabia show or just how big of a deal they are going to make Backlash France in May.
It feels as though WWE has to do Rock vs. Rhodes before Rock vs. Reigns at this point, but there are a lot of variables at play.
One certain thing is that this WrestleMania 40 is going to end with a triumphant Cody Rhodes celebrating winning the title that his father never did and taking his rightful spot as WWE’s top guy. It’ll be downright touching.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes finishes the story and wins the title
