Top Story at WWE Wrestlemania 40: After the events of Night 1, there was a match between Rhodes and Reigns for the WWE Universal Title on Sunday, under the Bloodline Rules. The big news from this match is that Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns and becomes the new WWE Champion, ending Reigns’ 1316-day reign. We witnessed a lot of superstars enter the ring to back Cody and Roman, including John Cena & Deadman- Undertaker.
WWE Wrestlemania 2024 Night 1 was a pretty wonderful show, all things considered. There wasn’t a bad match all night and there were some pretty monumental moments. Sami Zayn ended Walter’s Intercontinental Championship reign, the Tag Team Championships were finally split again, and The Rock returned to the ring for the first time in years–and looked great in action.
WWE WrestleMania 2024 Venue
The location of WWE WrestleMania XL 2024 is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Financial Field.
WWE WrestleMania 40 Night 1 Results
1. Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch:
Result: Ripley def. Backy Lynch to retain the women’s world title
Prior to the game, the announcers disclosed that Lynch had a fever and strep throat. Ripley had the early advantage in power. The champion used three powerbombs and a spectacular deadlift suplex to pick up her opponent. Lynch had brief periods of success, but he was hardly able to slow down the dark, nearly unbeatable champion.
Lynch used a tornado DDT to spike Ripley and then threw her into a barricade using the Becksploder. It hardly decelerated the winner. Lynch’s first near fall came after a countered Riptide attempt that ended in a Manhandle Slam.
A wonderful series of chain wrestling ended with Ripley hitting a riptide that failed to put the challenger away. A visually stunning spot saw Ripley lift Lynch onto her shoulders for the electric chair. Both women went over the top ropes but Ripley landed on her feet and completed the move on the floor. A follow-up frog splash — a nod to her storyline boyfriend, Dominik Mysterio—scored her another near fall.
2. Undisputed Tag Team Championship: Judgment Day (c) vs. #DIY vs. The New Day vs. Awesome Truth vs. A-Town Down Under vs. New Catch Republic (Six-Pack Ladder Match):
Result: A-Town Down Under won the SmackDown tag team titles. Awesome Truth wins the Raw tag team titles
This was an expectedly chaotic match heavy on spots and light on storytelling. The first major spot was an impressive feat of strength. Tyler Bate sandwiched Balor between his shoulders and a ladder, spinning in circles and taking out Kofi Kingston with the human-metal sandwich. New Catch Republic subsequently climbed a ladder outside, launching synchronized moonsaults that took out their 10 opponents.
3. Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio:
Result: Rey Mysterio and Andrade def. Escobar and Dominik Mysterio via pinfall
A celebration of modern lucha libre took place during WrestleMania 40. There was Rey’s aerial maneuvers, Andrade’s explosive attacks, Escobar’s forceful grappling, and Dominik’s cunning. The four Mexican-American titans converged, with multiple narratives linking them. There was the mentor vs. pupil dynamic between Rey and Escobar, as well as the brutal father-son antagonism between Rey and Dominik. The relationship between Andrade and Escobar is particularly intriguing since, after Andrade left WWE in 2021, the latter took up Andrade’s spiritual position.
4. Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Result: Jey Uso def. Jimmy Uso via pinfall
The antagonism between brothers was purposeful but mild. Before the contest ever began, Jey gave Jimmy a suicide dive, setting off eight months of hostility between the twin brothers. A deliberate pace soon took the place of that one. Jey was struck by a series of powerful kicks from Jimmy, his resentful elder brother, interspersed with a lot of mocking. Yeet! and No Yeet! yells from the audience alternated with the twins trading hard blows.
5. Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai)
Result: Cargill, Belair and Naomi def. Damage CTRL via pinfall.
Damage CTRL was a well-trained crew, but they could not withstand the storm as it was coming. Sane threw himself to the ground early in the match and gave Naomi a crazy elbow. The three held Naomi at bay with a well-coordinated onslaught. Belair won the hot tag in the end, but Kai and the winning women’s tag team were only marginally bothered. The momentum changed just after Cargill entered the ring.
The formidable woman easily defeated all three of her opponents. From then on, Damage CTRL broke apart totally. When Asuka unintentionally spewed poison mist in Sane’s face, Belair whipped her with a ponytail that resembled a gunshot, and Cargill used her Jaded finishing technique to subdue Kai.
6. Intercontinental Championship: GUNTHER (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Results: Zayn def. Gunther to win the intercontinental title.
At WWE Wrestlemania 40 1st night, we witnessed a great match between Samy Zyan and Gunther. Even the greatest generals may make strategic errors. Gunther set a record as the intercontinental champion with the longest reign, but his pride ultimately proved to be his downfall at WrestleMania. WWE skillfully managed Zayn to convey that he was a more formidable and respectable underdog than he had been in the past.
The Rocky elements of the match were deftly blended into a live WWE behind-the-scenes film segment. Zayn’s wife and son welcomed him backstage. Following some encouraging remarks, Zayn’s coach Chad Gable reminded him of a favor and made a suggestion about a potential title matchup between the two.
The camera was following Zayn from behind as he moved into the gorilla pose. He was greeted by his good buddy Kevin Owens, with whom he shared the tag team titles in the main event of WrestleMania Night 1 the previous year. They hugged each other before Zayn came in to hear a chorus of fans singing his theme song.
7. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Roman Reigns:
Winners: The Rock and Roman Defected Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
Rollins and Reigns were the first two to enter the ring as the four men glared down at each other in the center after drawn-out appearances and introductions. After a quick back-and-forth with Reigns, Rollins tagged Rhodes in. Rhodes and Reigns tested each other for a short while before Rollins blind tagged The Rock, enabling Reigns to tag him in for the first time throughout the match.
After Rock had tossed him, Rollins swiftly put together a little chain wrestling in response and gave him a backhand. To ease any worries about holds, Rock grabbed Rollins by the elbows before turning to face Rhodes and asking him to tag in. Rhodes gave in.
WWE WrestleMania 40 Results: Night 2- Sunday, April 7
1. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Championship)
Winner: Damien Priest via pinfall
At WWE Wrestlemania 40 Night 2, Drew defeated Seth with four Claymores in the end. It was not a very lengthy contest, but it was not necessary either. Seth appears resilient despite losing, and Drew—who is currently the World Heavyweight Champion—looks like a monster. All aspects of the mission were completed.
A wonderful conclusion was shown by the expression on Seth’s face as he limped to the back. However, as it happens, that was not the last thing. When Punk finally got tired of Drew’s constant taunting, he hit him with the arm brace, which resulted in Damien Priest showing up to cash in Money in the Bank. We got another new World Heavyweight Champion after one South of Heaven. What an exciting few minutes following an amazing match.
2. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. Final Testament
Winners: Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits
With Bubba Ray Dudley serving as the referee and Snoop Dogg providing commentary, this match was sure to be entertaining from the start. It was evident that someone was searching through a table. To be honest, that is the nicest thing that can come out of this match. Although it has been a midcard feud in theory, it has been somewhat haphazard from the beginning. The main reason we are here is that, happily, the people involved did not waste any time getting to the guns.
Thankfully, there’s like 13,000 tables under the ring, so they just grabbed another one, put Kross through it properly, and got the win. It wasn’t by any means a barn burner, but it was a good followup to all of the excitement of the opener. This was short, sweet, and filled with calamities. These six men understood the assignment.
3. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Winner: LA Night via pinfall
AJ has other ideas, intending to dump Night onto the concrete and over his back. Once again, the two exchanged dominance in the ring, with Night even stopping Styles from doing a Styles Clash by kicking him in the face. Night concluded this one—again—much faster than I had anticipated with a BFT. I liked what I could see of the game. However, the moment the match concluded, WWE shone a second spotlight on the audience, which immediately sparked jeers.
4. Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)
Winner: Logan Paul via pinfall
There was a lot going on and a lengthy gap since the last game. Along with the announcement of the Hall of Fame inductees, WWE also disclosed that Smackdown will air later this year from Saudi Arabia, ahead of Crown Jewel. That did not sit well with the audience, who booed that commercial just as loudly as they had the spotlight blinding everyone during the Styles/Night battle. Oh, and before turning them both out at last, they managed to switch on a second spotlight, making it even more difficult to see.
Once they were back in the ring, Owens nearly won after hitting Orton with a stunner and Paul with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. He did not win the pin, but he did receive a “This is fantastic” chant in exchange. Orton then used a Pop-Up Powerbomb in reverse to RKO Owens. Paul used the situation, throwing Orton out of the ring and scoring a victory with the Frog Splash. This match was amazing, really. Except for Priest’s cash-in, bell-to-bell, this was the match of the evening thus far. They all gave it their all and had plenty time to convey their narrative. Bravo!
5. Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)
Winner: Bayley via pinfall
It is the kind of thing that demonstrates how successful Bayley’s babyface transformation has been. Iyo’s front flip out of the Rose Plant was my favorite move of the contest. It had a fantastic appearance. After managing another Rose Plant and connecting this time, Bayley won the bout and electrified the audience a few minutes later. Yes, honey, the King is returned. This match was like meat and potatoes. These two ex-friends beating the shit out of each other for a championship was precisely what it needed to be.
It included some fun moments and that memorable image of Iyo flipping out of Bayley’s finisher. t also gave the audience a chance to mellow out a bit after the chaos of the triple threat–and before the main event.
6. Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Bloodline Rules match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)
Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall
WWE Wrestlemania 40 witnesses one of the greatest WWE Matches. As it was a Bloodlines rules match, Many superstars made their entrance to back Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.
When Cody Rhodes was superkicked by Jimmy Uso at WWE Wrestlemania 40, mayhem broke out, and Jey Uso stepped in to save his friend Cody Rhodes. After escaping Jey’s spear, Cody stabbed Roman Reigns, sending him flying through the ringside barricade. Cody tried the Crossrhodes Trinity once more in the ring, but Solo Sikoa stopped him. Cody got the better of him and kicked out. John Cena invaded the ring and attacked Solo in retaliation for his earlier defeat. Solo was then sent through the Spanish announcement table by Cena.
The Rock came out, squared up to Cena, and gave him a quick Rock Bottom. Seth Rollins showed up, but before he could do anything, Roman Reigns Superman punched him. The Undertaker suddenly materialized and gave The Rock a chokehold. Following Undertaker’s departure, only Roman and Cody remained. Cody then used the last Crossrhodes Trinity to overthrow Roman Reigns.
Longest Reigning WWE Championship Wrestlers
With the WWE Wrestlemania 40, it was the end of the reign of Roman Reigns with 1316 days with the WWE Universal Championship.
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