We all are still in the craze of Wrestlemania 40. The two-night spectacle will surely be remembered and talked about in times to come. Let’s take a brief look at what happened in the Lincoln Financial Field on April 6 and 7, 2024.
Wrestlemania Saturday – Night One
We got a new ‘WWE-Then, Now, Forever’ intro which signifies the new era in WWE. ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ by Coco Jones and we see Triple H who welcomed the fans to the new era of the WWE.
The prime bottle in the ring wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be because it was black and I think it just blended in. What didn’t though is all the sponsors all around the ring. Understandably, you gotta do these for sponsorships. But tone it down just a little bit. It distracts from the in-ring action.
Rhea Ripley vs Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship
Becky had a great entrance with her book and Rhea came in with a live music entrance which is also great, you can see her marking out. There’s a lot of pressure on Rhea to deliver after the ‘Match of the Year’ last year against Charlotte Flair. Maybe this match was not that good, but I think it was a great way to start the show. However, the finish was great. Riptide in the turnbuckle and a regular one for the win as Rhea retains the championship as expected.
Six-pack Tag Team Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
The ladder match was a tough one as you got to grab two championships and there were a lot of people in the ring. But I think this absolutely delivered.
We got all of the crazy spots we needed and Austin Theory and Grayson Waller actually won the Smackdown Tag Team Champion which was unpredictable. It seems like they didn’t get that WrestleMania moment with the theme songs because obviously, the match continues.
The New Catch Republic, Judgment Day, and DIY had these crazy ass spots. Thankfully though we still get that WrestleMania moment when R-Truth grabbed the Raw Tag Team Championships and this was the first time R-Truth won a match at WrestleMania. The Championships being split was a good decision and they pulled it off brilliantly. Now please change the design of those belts,
Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs Santos Escober and Dominic Mysterio
Everybody just made their entrances together and this match was a lot of fun. I like the fact that we got all of these crazy spots and everybody at ringside started fighting. We got two Philadelphia Eagles players in masks helping Rey and Andrade win.
Jey Uso vs Jimmy Uso
This match was doomed from the beginning when Lil Wayne ruined Jey’s perfect entrance. I was so excited about this match. I was like they’re about to cook. We’re going to see a goddamn movie. But it was a super kick party and we basically watched a Young Bucks match. They tried something where Jimmy almost begged Jey not to continue with the match and he turned on his brother and then the match just kind of ended. This match needed more minutes. It had the story written on the plate but they didn’t capitalize on it.
Six Women Tag Team Match
The entrances were short but still did the job. This match was exactly what you thought it would be – quick. Not bad, not great, just a showcase of these women – Naomi, Bianca, and most importantly Jade Cargill and she was even one with the pin.
Gunther vs Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship
Great camera work as Sami made his way out. On the way, he met with Chad Gable and Kevin Owens. This match was awesome. The commentators were making references to Rocky IV. It was hard-hitting. You got the strikes. You got all the right moves. You got the story in the match. All the near fall. Sami’s wife watching.
When it seemed like Sami was out, he felt the energy. Gunther was shocked. A goddamn Brain Buster followed by 2 Helluva Kicks and Sami Zayn beats Gunter ending his 666 days reign. What a moment!
Undoubtedly the best match of the night. It told a story. Sami finally got his moment after carrying the bloodline story last year and Gunther will move onto the main event scene.
Roman Reigns and The Rock vs Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
Everyone made their grand entrances. Rock came out with the People’s Championship. This was a very interesting match. The second-longest main event in history. We got the chaos. Rock threatening the referee not to do anything. They were fighting outside the ring.
I thought they would be safe as 3 of these men also had to wrestle the next night. But they went all out, even The Rock coming back after so many years. Storytelling in the match was great. It was overbooked but it’s the main event of WrestleMania and that’s exactly what I want. Spear to Cody, Rock Bottom, People’s Elbow, and The Rock pinned Cody. So, the bloodline wins and the bloodline rules on night two. I’m happy they didn’t pin Rollins because it hurts Rollins’ credibility. It planted seeds for Cody vs Rock and also planted seeds for The Rock vs Roman because we got that spear.
Wrestlemania Sunday – Night Two
‘America the Beautiful’ by the country music duo ‘The War and The Treaty’ and the show kicks off with the return of Stephanie McMahon who puts over Triple H and welcomes
everybody to night two. Happy to see her back.
Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre for World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk was on commentary. Drew with a great Scottish entrance, no Broken Dreams, unfortunately. Seth Rollins is just on a whole different level with his attires and entrances. This match went from 0-100 real quick with all the finishers coming out from the very 1st minute. Seth was struggling due to his injuries and last night’s match, but he gave his all. The match was an absolute Banger. One of the best WrestleMania openers. Drew McIntyre won the World Heavyweight Championship in front of people and you can see Seth Rollins crying and saying to Drew that he deserves it. It just goes to show you how much he cared about the World Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, Drew crossed the line with CM Punk and Punk assaulted him. Then Judgment Day’s music hits and it’s one of my favorite moments of the night – CM Punk
having that evil smile on his face. Damian Priest cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase and becomes the World Heavyweight Champion in one of the most memorable moments in recent memory. The moment was executed perfectly.
Philadelphia Street Fight
We got Snoop Dog who is hilarious on commentary. Bubba Ray Dudley was a special guest referee. It’s one of these matches where obviously, it’s not a great match it was just a lot of fun and that’s the point of it. Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits won the match. I feel like it would be the wrong move if this was a serious match but it wasn’t.
LA Knight vs AJ Styles
LA Knight makes his entrance with huge pop and AJ gets a new theme song. I was not very into this rivalry as there wasn’t a solid story. But they tried to build it for the past couple of weeks. And man the match delivered. I was genuinely surprised. We got a great BFT sell and LA Knight got his first victory at WrestleMania.
Logan Paul vs Kevin Owens vs Randy Orton for the U.S. Championship
Logan Paul with a prime entrance I thought this was KSI again. Owens shared the moment with Sami Zayn just like past night. The match was exactly what you expected it to be. Kevin
Owens and Randy Orton teaming up and beating the shit out of Logan Paul. But of course Randy being Randy, he tried to hit that RKO on Owens, and then we got Randy vs Kevin Owens and that’s exactly where the match picked up.
Really fun match. The prime bottle mascot was revealed to be the famous streamer IShowSpeed and he got RKOed. We got a great quick finish where Logan Paul throws Randy out of the ring and an amazing Frog Splash. Logan Paul retains the Championship as expected. another great Logan Paul match.
Iyo Sky vs Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship
Bayley got a new theme song and a cool entrance. The match wasn’t better than the Rhea vs Beacky’s match but it did its job. Happy that Bailey finally got her moment.
Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Cody Rhodes with a WrestleMania entrance along with Brandy. Roman Reigns came out with a live performance entrance looking like the GOAT that he is. This had a very big match feel. Watching this live felt like you’re a part of history.
Even before all the interferences, it was a lot of fun. The crowd was eating it up. Classic Roman Reigns talking shit during the match. Both Roman and Cody stealing each other’s moves. It was Bloodline Rules so you know something is about to happen. So Cody was about to win, we got Jimmy Uso interfering. Jey with the Spear of the ramp and the match continued. Cody was about to win again with the 3rd Cross Rhodes and of course, it’s Solo. But Cody still kicked out of the spear.
John Cena’s music hits and he takes care of Solo. Rock’s music hits, and he and Cena are in the same ring at the same time. Rock bottom to John Cena. The Shields music hits and 1% of me was like ‘Oh my God! Seth and Dean are coming out.’ And of course, Seth is using the Shields theme song to mess with Roman’s head. Seth Rollins entered and got his ass kicked right away. Undertaker gong hits. He takes care of the Rock. Roman got the Steel Chair in his hand but decided to hit Rollins instead of Cody, which ultimately was the reason for his defeat.
Cody with three Cross Rhodes and he finally finishes the story ending the 1,316 days championship reign.
The Three Counts was beautiful knowing the history of Cody and his dad and Samantha crying while announcing the winner just pure emotions. The fact that they just allowed the moment to breathe allowed us to watch the celebration for like 10 minutes, seeing the WWE roster celebrating with Cody, and Michael Cole crying.
If you’re a wrestling fan you understand this is exactly what you wanted out of this moment and in my opinion it was better than we thought it would be. This was not just a wrestling match, this was a conclusion that seemed like a conclusion of the previous era.
At the core of everything, WrestleMania should feel like a party and it did indeed feel like a party. If at the end of it, you had fun that’s all that matters. You should have the laughs. The crazy moments should be present. The excitement should be in the air. You should be taken on an emotional journey. And that’s exactly what we got.