WrestleMania 40 was an emotional night for many and Samantha Irvin couldn’t help but get choked up in the closing moments of the show’s second night.
At WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Rhodes finished the story by capturing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns. Rhodes’ desire to become a WWE World Champion (an accolade his father never achieved) has been the vocal point of his career since returning to WWE in 2022.
Fans watching WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday may have noticed that Irvin struggled to make the official announcement that Rhodes had become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. In footage shared online, the Raw announcer can be seen being overcome with emotion seeing her friend finally win ‘the big one.’
This wasn’t Irvin’s only case of feeling emotional at WWE WrestleMania 40. During the Saturday broadcast, Irvin sounded like she was struggling after Sami Zayn dethroned GUNTHER to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Samantha Irvin in WWE
Irvin’s passionate announcing has earned her praise from several notable names. Former WWE announcer Lillian Garcia has praised the passion of Irvin and has said she is doing an “amazing job” in the role. Legendary sports announcer Michael Buffer of “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” fame described Irvin as “awesome” and said in May 2023 that believes she should be front and center when making announcements.
Yes! She’s been awesome this past weekend on SMACKDOWN, BACKLASH & RAW! She should be featured in ring center for the main events!
Kayla Braxton said during an edition of the Insight podcast that Irvin is going to be “historical for this company.” In the interview, she added that Irvin has a very hard job but that she’s knocked it out of the park.
Speaking on the post-WrestleMania 40: Sunday press conference, Levesque addressed the success of the show and of WrestleMania week.
“You hear a lot of hyperbole coming into these things. ‘Greatest WrestleMania of all time, biggest WrestleMania of all time’… A lot of times that stuff and said, and you move on. But I do feel like this was the biggest WrestleMania of all time. I really do. And when you break it down… This was legitimately on every metric the biggest WrestleMania of all time.”
The 14-time WWE World Champion added that whether you look at the gate, social media, or various other metrics from WrestleMania or WWE World, all the numbers back up his claim.
The Paul Levesque Era
This year’s WrestleMania was truly a historic show, as it marked the first time ever that Vince McMahon did not oversee the show. In place of the disgraced ex-Chairman, Levesque served as the creative head of the show and welcomed fans to WrestleMania at the start of the Saturday event. At WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Stephanie McMahon spoke of ushering in the ‘Paul Levesque Era’ and welcomed fans to the show. WWE also recently filed a trademark for the ‘Renaissance Era.’
The Superstars of WWE were dressed to kill at WrestleMania 40 with some unique attires at the two-night supershow in Philadelphia, PA.
At WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, Becky Lynch opened the show with an attire themed around the cover of her new memoir ‘The Man, Not Your Average, Average Girl.’
After being mistaken for D-Generation X by R-Truth, DIY showed their love for the legendary duo of Triple H & Shawn Michaels.
Given that this show was in Philadelphia, The New Day paid tribute to Rocky Balboa in the six-pack tag-team ladder match. Kofi Kingston wore an attire based on the Italian Stallion, while Xavier Woods’ Apollo Creed-inspired attire also served as a nod to his TNA days as Consequences Creed.
Rey Mysterio wore the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles and included Eagles on his attire. The WWE Hall of Famer teamed with Andrade to defeat Santos Escobar and ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio.
On WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Logan Paul wore the colors of the show. The Maverick walked into the show as United States Champion and his attire bore the stars and stripes of the flag of the United States of America..
Paul successfully defended his title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter once again wore a shirt based that referred to how many WrestleManias he’s competed at, which declared that the show was KO-Mania 8. Given that the show was in Philadelphia, it was fitting that Owens wore ECW-themed trunks for the match.
Owens didn’t just represent ECW with his ring attire. The Prizefighter’s entrance also served as a nod to the extreme promotion that went under in 2001.
Bayley walked into her Women’s Championship match with IYO SKY with an Egyptian-themed attire and entrance. As Corey Graves explained on commentary, Rosicrucian Park in Bayley’s native San Jose hosts an Egyptian museum.
The wrestling world has come out in force to congratulate Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes following his victory at WrestleMania 40.
In the main event of WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Rhodes ended the 1,316-day reign of Roman Reigns in an emotional ending to the show. After the match, Rhodes celebrated with his fellow Superstars and spoke about being grateful to those who have supported him.
Wrestling World Reacts
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque shared a photo with Rhodes and spoke about Cody’s story being history in the making.
Rhodes’ wife Brandi borrowed a few lyrics from ‘The Greatest Show’ to express her support for her husband after his victory.
It's everything you ever want…it's everything you ever need, and it's here right in front of you. This is where you want to be ?? pic.twitter.com/sLdFPnKQo6
Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair praised the efforts of Rhodes as well as the work of Roman Reigns. The Nature Boy said the match was one of the most athletic and believable main events he’s seen in a long time and that he respects both the former and new champion.
Congrats @CodyRhodes & @WWERomanReigns For Providing One Of The Most Athletic And Believable Main Events That I’ve Seen In A Long Time. I Hate The Interference, But It All Played Out In Your Favor And It Made The Show More Enjoyable To Watch. I Respect You Both. Thankful To Know… pic.twitter.com/wkYrYQWPfm
John Cena, who aided Rhodes during the match, also congratulated the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Cena was also grateful that he had the chance to be part of WrestleMania and pointed out that the WWE story never ends.
Grateful to spend time with the #WWE Universe & be a part of #WrestleMania! Congratulations to @CodyRhodes on a history making achievement!
And the best part of it all… the @WWE story NEVER ENDS!!!!
AEW’s Amanda Huber, the wife of Jon ‘Brodie Lee’ Huber, echoed Cody’s sentiments that he gave during the press conference about why the ‘story’ means so much to fans.
Damian Priest may be the new World Heavyweight Champion but the Archer of Infamy did not reach the pinnacle of WWE on his own.
Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during WrestleMania 40: Sunday on Drew McIntyre, who had dethroned Rollins as World Heavyweight Champion moments earlier. Speaking on the post-WrestleMania 40: Sunday press conference, Priest spoke about being a representative of Puerto Rico and shared his first thoughts as the new champion.
“I think everybody by now knows how proud I am and how adamant I am about cultural representation. I didn’t do this alone. I think I had, not just an entire island behind me, I had a whole culture. And it’s one of the most proud things that I’ve accomplished is being able to represent and getting people to represent their cultures no matter where they’re from. So being now a representative of WWE with this championship, I couldn’t be prouder for my people. Gracias.”
What’s to Come?
During the press conference, Priest was asked about his place in WWE coming out of WrestleMania 40, which also saw Cody Rhodes crowned the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
“Where we’re going, where we’re headed, I have no idea. This new era of the company, I mean everybody can feel it. Everybody can sense it. We’re on a rollercoaster.”
Cody Rhodes ended the 1,316-day reign of Roman Reigns as WWE Universal Champion in the main event of WrestleMania 40: Sunday. The match was contested under Bloodline Rules and saw plenty of interference on behalf of both the champion and the challenger.
For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.
Cody Rhodes has at last finished his story by dethroning Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
In the main event of the show, Rhodes ended the 1,300+ day reign of the Head of the Table in a hard-fought, emotional victory inside Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. The match was contested under Bloodline Rules, a stipulation that was decided in the tag-team match from the previous night.
Cody Wins the Big One
Rhodes entered first and shared the WrestleMania stage with his wife Brandi. An introductory video for the match included Rhodes’ AEW allies The Young Bucks as well as Chris Jericho.
Rhodes wasted no time in trying to introduce weapons, but Reigns put a table away to the anger of the fans. Reigns would later introduce a kendo stick and lay into the American Nightmare. Reigns would play mind games with his challenger and even hit the Cross Rhodes on the American Nightmare.
Not to be outdone, Rhodes would hit Reigns with the Tribal Chief’s Spear. When Cody went for a trio of Cross Rhodes, Jimmy Uso aided his cousin, but was taken out by Jey who speared his brother off of the WrestleMania 40 ramp.
After the match, Rhodes celebrated with the Superstars. Rhodes also cut a promo to the fans and brought out Bruce Prichard and Triple H before celebrating some more as WrestleMania 40 went off the air.
Bayley’s revenge on Damage CTRL saw the Role Model capture the WWE Women’s Championship at WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
In the penultimate match of the night, Bayley and SKY held nothing back. Bayley would kick out after SKY hit the moonsault, but SKY would counter out of the Role Model’s Rose Plant finisher. After Bayley hit an elbow from the top rope, Bayley’s second attempt at the Rose Plant would be successful and see her get the win and the WWE Women’s Championship.
You can check out some highlights from the match below.
This match marked Bayley’s first singles match at WrestleMania, eight years after making her WrestleMania debut in 2016. The match also marked the first singles match at WrestleMania for IYO SKY.
The Road to Bayley Vs. IYO SKY
SKY had held the WWE Women’s Championship since SummerSlam 2023. The Genius of the Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Bianca Belair, who had won the title from Asuka in a triple threat that also included Charlotte Flair.
Bayley’s Road to WrestleMania 40 saw the Role Model become the seventh winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Not only did Bayley win the match, but she also broke the record for the longest duration in a single Women’s Royal Rumble match.
LA Knight’s WrestleMania debut proved to be a successful one as the Megastar bested AJ Styles as part of WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
Styles entered the match to new theme music from WWE entrance music regular Def Rebel. This marks Styles’ second theme in WWE after using the same song since his 2016. That theme song was actually created for fellow TNA alum James Storm but he ultimately didn’t sign with the company after debuting in WWE NXT in 2015.
Knight also had quite the entrance as he arrived to Lincoln Financial Field in a Slim Jim-inspired sportscar. During his entrance, Knight also spoke with the winners of the Slim Jim Sweepstakes.
The match was a back-and-forth affair from the get-go, with Styles not waiting for the bell to ring before he attacked LA Knight. In the end, it was a Blunt Force Trauma by Knight that scored the megastar his first win at his first WrestleMania.
You can check out some highlights from the match below.
While competing at WrestleMania 40 was a huge proverbial spotlight on LA Knight, it was a literal spotlight that caused an issue. During the match, fans chanted for a spotlight to be turned off as it was making it difficult to watch the match.
Drew McIntyre has finally won a World Championship in front of fans by becoming World Heavyweight Champion in the opening match at WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
McIntyre made his entrance at WrestleMania 40: Sunday following a performance by the Ulster Scottish Pipe Band. Not to be outdone, Rollins made a colorful entrance with the Philadelphia MummersThe pair weren’t the only notable names involved in the match, as CM Punk was on commentary for the bout.
The match was finisher-heavy with McIntyre using the Claymore Kick as well as the Future Shock DDT. Rollins fired back by using the Stomp and even hit the move on the announce table. In the end, it was the Claymore that scored McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, McIntyre presented the championship to his wife. You can check out some highlights from the match below.
This win marked McIntyre’s third World Championship victory and his first in front of a live crowd. Drew’s first title win came at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 which due to the Covid-19 pandemic, took place without a live crowd. McIntyre captured the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at the event.
McIntyre would regain the title from Randy Orton later that same year. While this title win took place in the Thunderdome, meaning there were crowd reactions, it still took place without live fans. McIntyre would hold the title until Elimination Chamber 2021, where The Miz would cash in Money in the Bank to dethrone the Scottish Warrior.
Money in the Bank Cash In
Unfortunately for McIntyre, his reign with the gold was short-lived. After the match, Drew would goad CM Punk, who attacked McIntyre at ringside. Damian Priest would then cash in Money in the Bank to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Big E & Cathy Kelley opened up the show before a brief segment with Raw Tag Team Champion R-Truth.
Watch the full show here, followed by all the winners:
Best Entrance Award
Wade Barrett was our first guest host and was on hand to present the award for the Best Entrance. The nominees are:
Cody Rhodes
Roman Reigns
Bianca Belair
Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Rhea Ripley
Becky Lynch
The Rock
“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 39
Winner: Cody Rhodes
In a pre-recorded acceptance speech, Cody was pleased that the Slammys are back. Rhodes also gave a shout-out to Downstait, the band that provides his theme ‘Kingdom’, and the fans for making the ‘WHOA’ so popular.
Match of the Year
Big E introduced Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias to present the award for the Match of the Year. The nominees are:
Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at Backlash 2023
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber 2023
Gunther (c) vs. Chad Gable for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Raw (September 4, 2023)
Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair in a Triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2023
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39
Winner:Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39
In a video package, Ripley said her match was the clear winner. Rhea added that the Slammy will look really nice among her many other accolades. Gabriel and Big E then brought out Charlotte Flair who accepted the Slammy in person with a “Woo!”
Breakout Superstar of the Year
Charlotte Flair also said she’d be presenting the award for breakout star of the year. The nominees are:
Jey Uso
Tiffany Stratton
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson)
Dragon Lee
LA Knight
Winner: LA Knight
In a recorded video, Knight said that he appreciates the award but would rather focus on what’s ahead. Knight said that after creating a foundation in 2023, he’s ready to build an empire.
Big E & Cathy then discussed R-Truth’s cue cards. Unfortunately for the Raw Tag Champion, he mixed up his cue cards with a grocery list provided to him by The Miz.
NXT Superstar of the Year
Booker T was out next to present the NXT Superstar of the year. The WWE NXT commentator spoke about how much the gold brand means to him. The nominees are:
Ilja Dragunov
Carmelo Hayes
Lyra Valkyria
Tiffany Stratton
Bron Breakker
Winner: Tiffany Stratton
Stratton appeared in person to accept her award and said that there was nobody better than the ‘center of the universe’ to accept the award.
Rivalry of the Year
Stratton then introduced Sal from Impractical Jokers who presented the award for Rivalry of the Year. The nominees are:
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio
Bianca Belair vs. Damage CTRL (Asuka, Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, and Kairi Sane)
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
R-Truth vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and Rhea Ripley)
Winner: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
Rhodes accepted his second Slammy of the show and spoke about WrestleMania 39 being the lowest point of his career. Rhodes said he wasn’t sure he’d get enough shot at Reigns even in the weeks running up to WrestleMania 40. Rhodes vowed that he’ll dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
Previously Awarded
Cathy Kelley and Big E then introduced some awards determined before the show. They are:
Fan Chant of the Year: LA Knight (Yeah)
Mic Drop of the Year: Paul Heyman tells Cody Rhodes that Roman Reigns was the son Dusty Rhodes always wanted
Rizzie Award (Best Dressed): Seth Rollins
Villain of the Year: ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio
Trash Talker of the Year: The Rock
Faction of the Year
Dominik Mysterio was out to present the next award but gave up trying to talk when the fans continued to boo him. Expecting this would happen. Big E & Cathy had Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis come out to introduce the nominees:
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and Rhea Ripley)
Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa, Chad Gable, Maxxine Dupri, and Otis)
Imperium (Giovanni Vinci, Gunther, and Ludwig Kaiser)
The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and The Rock)
In a backstage video, Damian Priest said that the faction has dominated all of WWE across the world and has held gold. Priest added that even bigger things are coming for the group. In person, Dominik tried to accept the award but in the face of boos, was pulled away by Pearce and Aldis
Social Star of the Year
R-Truth introduced ‘Kayla Saxton’ and ‘Byron Braxton’ who were sat in the crowd to present the next award. The nominees are:
Grayson Waller
Logan Paul
Drew McIntyre
Chelsea Green
Liv Morgan
Chelsea Green came out early to accept the award and thanked the fans. There was just one problem with her speech…
Winner: Drew McIntyre
McIntyre said Chelsea should calm down or he’ll have security escort her from the building. Addressing a CM Punk chant, McIntyre said Punk couldn’t be up on the stage as he’s too delicate and would get injured.
McIntyre then said that his match with GUNTHER & Sheamus at WrestleMania 39 deserved at least a nomination for Match of the Year. Drew dedicated his Slammy win to CM Punk, but the statue was stolen by Green.
Female & Male Superstar of the Year
The New Day reunited in full to present two awards. The nominees for Female Superstar of the Year are:
Rhea Ripley
Bianca Belair
Bayley
IYO SKY
Becky Lynch
Winner: Rhea Ripley
In her latest acceptance speech, Ripley spoke about fans complaining about what she doesn’t do, but vote for her anyway. Ripley told the fans mad at her to go have a cry.
The nominees for Male Superstar of the Year are:
Cody Rhodes
Roman Reigns
Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Gunther
Logan Paul
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rhodes was grateful to the fans for voting for him. Cody admitted that while a Slammy may seem silly, it means a lot to him and others in WWE.
OMG Moment of the Year
Megan Morant & Sam Roberts of The Bump were up next to introduce the OMG Moment of the Year Award. The nominees are:
Rey Mysterio punches “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio on SmackDown (March 23, 2023)
CM Punk returns to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023
Iyo Sky cashing in her Money in the Bank contract at SummerSlam 2023
The Rock slaps Cody Rhodes during the WrestleMania XL press conference
Damage CTRL (Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Kairi Sane) turns on Bayley on SmackDown (February 2, 2024)
Cody Rhodes sl
aps The Rock on SmackDown (March 8, 2024)
Winner: CM Punk Returns to WWE
Punk accepted his award in person and said it seems corny but he really is back where he belongs. CM Punk spoke about meeting fans from across the U.S. this past weekend. Punk added he appreciates the fans voting for him and said he’ll have boots and tights on next year at WrestleMania 41.
Return of the Year
Cathy Kelley and Big E kept Punk from leaving, believing that he had a good chance of winning the Return of the Year. The nominees are:
CM Punk at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023
The Rock (Day 1 2024)
Nia Jax on Raw (September 11, 2023)
Randy Orton at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023
Naomi at Royal Rumble 2024
Winner: CM Punk at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023
Punk accepted his second Slammy and joked that it was long-time no see. Punk wished he could just repeat his first speech and said that he wouldn’t have any big moments without the fans. Punk added that he wishes he could share the award with Randy Orton as they returned the same night. Punk dedicated the award to the fans to close out the show.
World Wrestling Entertainment is set to crown a new King & Queen. WWE King & Queen Of The Ring will take place Saturday, May 25 from Saudi Arabia, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
A King & Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event was initially scheduled for May 2023. That show was ultimately changed to Night Of Champions to reflect Roman Reigns reaching 1,000 days as WWE Universal Champion.
Night of Champion 2023 also saw the re-introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship that was won at the event by Seth Rollins. The Architect defeated AJ Styles in the finals of a 12-man tournament at the event.
King & Queen of the Ring
The upcoming Premium Live Event will be WWE’s first King of the Ring event since 2002 and the first ever to feature a Queen of the Ring in its name. The most recent King of the Ring is Xavier Woods who won the tournament in 2021 by last defeating Finn Balor in the finals.
2021 also saw Zelina Vega defeat Piper Niven (Doudrop at the time) to win the Queen’s Crown Tournament. WWE opted not to refer to Vega as ‘Queen of the Ring’ following her victory. At this time, no names have been confirmed for either tournament that will host its finals at the May Premium Live Event.
Fans tuning in to the April 10, edition of AEW Dynamite will get to learn more about what really transpired backstage at AEW All in 2023 in London, England.
During the April 7, episode of AEW Collision, it was announced that the Bucks will share footage from All In and will discuss what transpired backstage in Wembley Stadium last August. It was not revealed on Collision what this footage and discussion will be about.
Unsurprisingly, the tease of backstage footage from All In has led fans to speculate that they will see CM Punk’s infamous backstage fight with Jack Perry. Fightful Select later reported that AEW indeed plans on showing footage of Punk’s incident with Perry and that this footage will be genuine. Talent and staff who have asked about the footage have been told it relates to Punk’s altercation with Perry.
Legalities do not appear to be an issue, despite Punk now being with WWE. Sources believe that the video was enough cause for the company to part with Punk without much of an issue from a legal perspective.
AEW Dynamite – April 10, 2024
This mystery footage is just part of what’ll be quite the show on the upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite. Also on the show, Dustin Rhodes will face AEW World Champion Samoa Joe in a Championship Eliminator Match. Should Rhodes win, he’ll receive a future title match against Joe.
TNT Champion Adam Copeland will put his gold on the line against Penta El Zero Miedo. The WWE Hall of Famer captured the gold from former friend Christian Cage during the March 20, episode of Dynamite in their native Toronto.
Chris Jericho, HOOK & Katsuyori Shibata will take on Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty & Anthony Ogogo) on the upcoming Dynamite. Ogogo joined the group on AEW Collision.
It’ll be an easy night at the office for Drew McIntyre when he faces Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40: Sunday, especially considering the events of the Saturday show.
One person who was watching the main event closely was Drew McIntyre who on Twitter boasted that the match went exactly as he predicted. McIntyre, wearing a CM Punk hoodie, said that Rollins is walking into an “execution” and said that he’s ready to take the World Heavyweight Championship from the attention “junkie.” McIntyre was similarly confident in the tweet for his video, declaring that the upcoming title match would be the “easiest payday” of his career.
McIntyre can hardly be blamed for feeling confident heading into WrestleMania 40: Sunday. During the tag-team main event, Rollins was seen favoring his knee which seems to have been injured during the match. Rollins’ back was also a target during the match with The Rock locking in the Sharpshooter on the World Heavyweight Champion.
Brock Lesnar may not have competed at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, but that doesn’t mean his days with the promotion are a thing of the past.
Despite being one of WWE’s top Superstars, Lesnar did not appear at the Saturday event and is not expected in any capacity at the upcoming WrestleMania 40: Sunday show either. Speaking at the post-WrestleMania 40: Saturday press conference, Triple H was asked about Lesnar’s current WWE status.
“At one point, there was a conversation with Brock about Royal Rumble, quite a long time ago. Right now, Brock is at home being Brock. We’ll see where that leads to from here. His status is the same as it has been before. Brock is not gone from WWE. He’s just home being Brock.”
Brock Lesnar’s WWE Hiatus
Lesnar has been implicated, but not named in Janel Grant’s damning lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon. In the suit, Grant alleges that she was trafficked to a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, believed to be Lesnar. The former WWE Universal Champion has not publicly commented on the matter.
Roman Reigns will break the record for the most WrestleMania main events at WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, but the Tribal Chief is already thinking about what’s next.
“I’m already thinking about 10. I’m thinking about the next one. I’m going to smash tomorrow night and then we’re going to move on. That’s how it is. That’s what greatness is. You know what I’m saying? We’re worried about the next goal.”
Roman Reigns in the Main Event
Reigns made his WrestleMania main event debut in 2015 at WrestleMania 31 where he would lose in his WWE Championship match with Brock Lesnar, albeit thanks to Seth Rollins cashing in Money in the Bank. Reigns currently boasts a 6-2 win/loss record in the main event of WrestleMania spot.
WrestleMania 41
Reigns intends on headlining WrestleMania 41 but little has been confirmed about the upcoming event. Breaking from tradition, WWE has yet to publicly confirm the date or location of the event, though it is expected to be hosted in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If so, the show will almost certainly take place at the U.S. Bank Stadium. Local legislators recently teased a huge event coming to the city in 2025 that will provide an economic impact second only to the Super Bowl.
For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.
Kelce and members of his team reached out to Danny Cage and The Monster Factor for training and to document his journey to WrestleMania 40, Fightful Select reports. Kelce and Lane did not take their role at the show lightly as they trained for hours both in and out of the ring.
Kelce and Lane aren’t the only names from the NFL to make an impression at WWE’s biggest event of the year. At last year’s event, Pat McAfee, a former punter, won his impromptu match with The Miz thanks to interference from George Kittle. The San Francisco 49er was also in attendance at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday.
The biggest NFL involvement at WrestleMania came in 1995. At WrestleMania 11, Lawrence ‘LT’ Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the show’s main event. The match had been set up in January of that year with an altercation between Taylor and Bigelow at the Royal Rumble.
Speaking at the post-WrestleMania 40: Saturday press conference, Ripley reflected on her victory over one of the most decorated women in WWE history.
“It feels bloody fantastic to say the least. Look, I went out there with one of the best in this federation, Becky Lynch. And to be able to step toe-to-toe with her and bring the fight to her, it meant the absolute world to me. And to be able to have it at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania XL, the largest WrestleMania there is, it’s very, very special. And not only that, but to have Motionless in White be there too, everything sort of came together for Mami and I proved once again that Mami is always on top.”
Over 70,000 fans filled Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field for WrestleMania 40: Saturday, it was confirmed during the broadcast.
Before the main event tag-team match between The Bloodline against Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins, WWE had a huge segment with Adam Pearce & Nick Aldis. The Raw and SmackDown General Managers thanked the fans for bringing the fire all night long and revealed that 72,543 had filled the stadium for WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday.
This 72,543 attendance number is a huge win for WWE. This number is the highest attendance for a WrestleMania: Saturday event since the concept was introduced in 2020. This is the highest attendance of any WrestleMania event since WrestleMania 34 in 2018 which saw 78,133 fill the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in New Orleans.
It’s worth mentioning that these numbers haven’t always been entirely honest in the past. WWE, among other promotions, have often inflated their figures. For example WWE WrestleMania 3, which for decades has been claimed brought in 93,173 fans, is believed to have actually had 78,000 fans inside the Pontiac Silverdome.
WWE has in the past stated that the attendance figures given during broadcasts are “for entertainment purposes” and may not entirely reflect the actual number. The most recent ticket number shared by WrestleTix before WrestleMania 40: Saturday stated that 68,412 tickets had been distributed for Night One of this year’s two-night mega-show.
The trio of Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca Belair proved to be a force to be reckoned with by emerging victorious at WWE WrestleMania 40.
In the fifth match of WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, the trio dispatched of Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane.) The finish of the match saw Asuka accidentally mist Kairi Sane before the Empress of Tomorrow was dispatched of by Bianca Belair. Cargill would then level Dakota Kai to get the win for her team.
You can check out some highlights from the match below.
Going into this six-woman tag-team match, there was a lot of interest in how Jade Cargill would fare at her first WrestleMania. It wasn’t long into the match that “We Want Jade” chants rumbled throughout the massive crowd inside Lincoln Financial Field. Cargill certainly looked like she belonged in the ring at WrestleMania 40 and fans can expect the Storm to be at many WrestleManias and other Premium Live Events to come.
Cargill signed with WWE in September 2023 and was immediately treated as a massive high-profile acquisition for the company. Before arriving in WWE, Cargill made her name in All Elite Wrestling, where she was the first AEW TBS Champion. Her 508-day reign with the gold remains the longest title reign of any champion in AEW history.
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships are no longer thanks to the six-pack tag-team ladder match at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday.
The match was the second of the night at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday and was presented by Wheatley American Vodka. The match began with both the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships being hoisted separately, leaving fans speculating that the titles would be split up.
This theory was all but confirmed when R-Truth suggested that he and The Miz go for the SmackDown Tag Titles and leave DIY to go for the Raw Tag Tea, Championships. Neither team would be able to grab the gold though. Instead, it was Grayson Waller who captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and Samantha Irvin confirmed that A-Town Down Under officially were the champs of the blue brand.
This win marks the first Tag Title Championships for A-Town Down Under. It also marks Waller’s first championship victory in WWE and Theory’s first taste of gold since holding the WWE United States Championship in 2022.
New Raw Tag Team Champions
With the SmackDown Tag Team Titles captured, all attention turned towards the Raw Tag Team Championships. In the end, Awesome Truth captured the gold, ending the reign of the Judgment Day. This win marked the first tag title win for Awesome Truth as a team, though both men have held tag gold with other partners in the past. This was also Truth’s first win at a WrestleMania.
Two new statues of the late Bray Wyatt have been unveiled at the WWE World convention taking place in Philadelphia, PA ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40.
Bray Wyatt tragically passed away in August of 2023 after being pulled from programming earlier that year. The three-time WWE World Champion was 36 years old and tributes have poured in for Wyatt ever since.
At WWE World, WWE unveiled two statues of the late wrestler. One depicts Wyatt from his 2022 return to WWE, holding a lantern and a mask. The second depicts Wyatt during his time as ‘The Fiend’ which was a hit with audiences from 2019 until his WWE release in 2021. It also features a Fiend-inspired lantern.
Bray Wyatt statue at WWE World.
The Fiend statue at WWE World.
The Return of Uncle Howdy
At WWE World, a panel was hosted highlighting the life and career of Wyatt. The panel included some of the people who knew Bray best, including Big E, Natalya, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, The Undertaker, his widow JoJo Offerman, and Wyatt’s brother Bo Dallas, among others.
The panel proved to be an emotional event for the guests and the fans and there was a tease at the very end of the festivities. On a screen, a video was shown, teasing the return of Uncle Howdy.
Dallas played Uncle Howdy on WWE TV shortly after Wyatt’s return to the promotion in 2022. It’s unclear when or how WWE will reintroduce the Howdy character to TV. During the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Bo and his sister Mika paid tribute to Wyatt during their induction speech for the US Express.
Unfortunately for Lynch, she won’t be feeling her best when she performs inside Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. During a Q&A session with the media, Lynch shared that she is under the weather and will be battling a cold when she steps in the ring with the ‘Mami’ of the Judgment Day.
Lynch isn’t the only WWE Superstar who isn’t facing the best of luck going into WrestleMania 40. The tour bus of Cody Rhodes recently caught fire but everyone involved is thankfully safe and okay. Rhodes will compete on both nights of WWE WrestleMania 40.
A Special WrestleMania Entrance
During the Q&A, Lynch also disclosed some information about her entrance for WrestleMania 40. The Man said that her new book ‘The Man: Not Your Average, Average Girl‘ will be factored into her entrance somehow. This will be a huge marketing opportunity for Lynch.
Dear loyal sheep, I did everything in my power to get my dream Wrestlemania entrance. But due to scheduling, it isn’t in the stars this year. Someday! So until then….Enjoy the official #Bayley vs #IYOSKY Mania hype video ft ‘Simmer’ by Hayley Williams. Thank you @paramore@WWEpic.twitter.com/P4WZSu9H9I
Rey Mysterio is ready and willing to teach Dominik Mysterio a lesson that he believes the Judgment Day member should have learned last year at WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 39, Rey defeated Dominik in Los Angeles, California, following months of goading by ‘Dirty Dom.’ At WrestleMania 40, the two will face off again in a tag-team match that’ll see Rey team with Andrade to face Dominik and Santos Escobar. Speaking exclusively to SE Scoops, Rey shared his thoughts on being called a ‘deadbeat’ by his son and gave a warning to his opponents.
“Man, I’m kind of tired and over it. I thought I’d taught him a lesson last year at WrestleMania. Obviously, he didn’t learn his lesson, or he probably did and just somehow got convinced by Santos [Escobar] ‘Hey let’s go beat up on your dad or at least try to beat up on your dad once again.’ They have no idea what’s coming to them.”
WrestleMania 40 will mark the 12th’Mania match for Rey Mysterio, who made his debut at the event back in 2003 on the pre-show against then-Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy. Rey often has comic-book-themed costumes at WrestleMania and has worn attires inspired by The Flash, The Joker, Captain America, and Mysterio, among others.
Rey has had some huge victories at WrestleMania, including winning the World Heavyweight Championship in 2006 and the WWE Intercontinental Championship three years later. Despite this, the WWE Hall of Famer currently boasts a less-than-impressive 4-7 win/loss record at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Billie Starkz has entered the history books as the first Ring of Honor Women’s World Television Champion but used some underhanded tactics to get the win.
At ROH Supercard of Honor 2024, Starkz met Queen Aminata in the finals of a 16-woman tournament that began in February. During the match, Starkz went for a Senton Bomb but Aminata countered by putting her knees up.
Starkz immediately crumpled in the ring and called for the referee and medical personnel to help her. Aminata was kept away while the commentary team spoke about the injury which they hoped was not a career-ender.
Aminata held the ropes open for Starkz in a sign of sportsmanship. Starkz grabbed Aminata and hit a suplex before locking in a sleeper, revealing that the neck injury had been a ruse. The referee stopped the match and awarded Starkz the win and the title.
FULL ANGLE:
Billie Starkz pretends to break her neck, the entire arena is in shock and dead silent, the doctor comes and stabilizes her neck
This is certainly an underhanded tactic by Starkz as the crowd were left in a stunned silence when they believed they had seen the end of her wrestling career. Starkz’s first match in the tournament saw her defeat Robyn Renegade by submission before defeating Diamante in the quarterfinals. A win over Mercedes Martinez (a former ROH Women’s World Champion) saw her advance to the finals.
Aminata also had a tough road to Supercard of Honor. After defeating J-Rod in her first-round match, she bested the veteran Taya Valkyrie in the quarterfinals. She advanced to the finals with a win last month over Red Velvet.
The Rock may not have the people on his side anymore, but he was presented with a custom ‘People’s Championship’ at the WWE Hall of Fame 2024 ceremony.
The Final Boss was at the ceremony to posthumously induct his grandmother Lia Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of this year’s class. Before this induction though, The Rock was invited to the ring by Lonnie Ali, the widow of the legendary Muhammad Ali. Lonnie spoke about The Rock asking for permission to use the term ‘People’s Champion,’ a moniker that had often been associated with the boxing icon. Lonnie then presented The Rock with the People’s Championship which features the Brahma Bull logo.
Muhammad Ali's wife, Lonnie, tells a story about @TheRock asking her husband for permission to use the monicker "The People's Champ" then awards him The People's Championship. ?#WWEHOFpic.twitter.com/7NtQWwAayW
While Ali and The Rock have been known as the People’s Champion, they’re not the only individuals to have been bestowed with that moniker. In World Championship Wrestling, ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page was referred to as the People’s Champion before the name was given to The Rock. During an Inside the Ropes event, Page recalled discussing the name with the Brahma Bull.
“I hear, ‘Hey Diamond’… he says, ‘You know, there’s only one people’s champion’… I just look at him, took that pregnant pause and said, ‘you know, Rock, you’re right… And you, well, you’re looking at him‘.”
There have also been ‘People’s Champions’ outside the world of wrestling. In addition to Ali, boxers Michael Spiknks and Manny Pacquiao have used the moniker. Cricketer Usman Khawaja, Snooker player Alex Higgins, and Basketball player Will Barton have also used the term.
