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.
Logan Paul has no shortage of challengers for his United States Title, partly thanks to the fact that he carries himself as a hated heel. WrestleMania 40 saw The Maverick face a big challenge as both Kevin Owens and Randy Orton battled LP in a triple threat match.
Although Logan Paul may have had the odds stacked against him, he defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in a triple threat match to retain the WWE United States Title at WrestleMania 40.
During the October 20, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Mysterio agreed to Paul’s challenge for a title match at Crown Jewel. Then, on November 4 at the event, Paul clinched the United States Championship by employing brass knuckles against Mysterio, marking his inaugural WWE championship victory.
The Match Finish
The three Superstars battled for a while before Logan Paul got his brass knuckles out. Then he laid out both Owens and Orton. Suddenly, Randy hit an RKO outta nowhere, and he took the knuckles. He decided to sit those knuckles down though, as he went for a stomp instead, but the person in the big Prime bottle outside the ring pulled him out.
Then the person in the Prime bottle revealed himself to be iShowSpeed. He barked at Orton, and then Randy cleared off an announce table. Orton nailed an RKO on Speed after barking in his face.
They continued on until Kevin went for a pop-up powerbomb, but Orton reversed it into an RKO. Then Logan Paul threw Orton out of the ring and nailed a frog splash to clinch the win and retain the United States Title.
Special Entrances
Logan Paul made his way to the ring on a giant Prime truck. He had a cannon on the top of it, and it set off pyro around Lincoln Financial Field.
Logan Paul entrando con el mega camión de PRIME, brother, con una botella como "cañón". Que no se note la publicidad. PARA NADA. #WrestleManiapic.twitter.com/ZYXDAoWatY
Before Kevin Owens went out, Sami Zayn met him in the Gorilla Position. Zayn was holding his new IC Title, and in an interaction that mirrored last night’s event, Zayn told Owens that it is his turn now. Then Owens rode a golf cart to the ring, and Orton jumped on the back of it when he came out to join the 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.
Damian Priest won the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match in 2023, and he held the briefcase proudly as Señor Money in the Bank. Now, Damian Priest is WWE World Heavyweight Champion after cashing in his MITB contract.
McIntyre got in CM Punk’s face, who was sitting at ringside on commentary. Then, Punk tripped McIntyre and assaulted him with his arm brace. Suddenly, Damian Priest’s music hit, and the leader of the Judgment Day stable came out to cash in.
The match got started in a hurry, and Damian Priest nailed his South of Heaven finisher for a quick win. It didn’t last very long, but the match was shorter than Drew McIntyre’s title reign.
Damian Priest and the rest of the Judgment Day stable celebrated on the entrance ramp to conclude the opening segment of WrestleMania Sunday. It was certainly an unexpected way to kick off the showcase of the immortals’ second night.
Judgment Day just lost the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles during WrestleMania Saturday. The company split the titles up in the process, as Awesome Truth won the RAW Tag Team Titles and A-Town Down Under picked up the blue brand belts.
Drew McIntyre said he would quit WWE if he couldn’t beat Rollins at WrestleMania. Since he defeated the Visionary on the grandest stage of them all, he doesn’t have to quit, but he might not be around WWE much longer if he doesn’t ink a new deal.
It was reported at the end of March that McIntyre has given the impression to those close to him that he still has no new deal arranged with WWE. This fact comes in light of the fact that WWE has booked him in an incredibly strong role on the road to WrestleMania 40.
McIntyre keeps throwing shade at CM Punk, whose injury time is not expected to be up before Drew’s contract ends. WWE has also advertised McIntyre for some dates past his expiration date.
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.
WWE fans haven’t seen Stephanie McMahon on television in a while, but her hiatus from television ended during WrestleMania 40 weekend.
Stephanie McMahon opened up the show with a big pop from the Lincoln Financial Field on April 7. The Billion Dollar Princess picked up the microphone, and she didn’t miss a beat.
She welcomed WWE fans to WrestleMania Sunday before announcing that we are officially in the Paul Levesque era. That received a very warm reception from the fans as well.
Stephanie was on hand at the WWE Hall of Fame this year. She rocked an ECW beret the whole time, and Paul Heyman also gave her loads of respect for her contributions to the business in the process. Heyman also expressed a deep hope that his daughter will emulate a role model like Steph.
On January 10, 2023, Stephanie McMahon resigned as WWE co-chief executive officer and chairwoman after her father, Vince, was unanimously re-elected as the company’s executive chairman.
Stephanie McMahon had returned from a leave of absence in July to take over as co-CEO after Vince McMahon retired amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
McMahon’s departure from the company saw Nick Khan become full CEO of WWE, while Vince McMahon remained in the company for a little while longer, until he ultimately resigned after Janel Grant’s lawsuit went public.
WWE could have a ton of surprises for fans as the biggest show of the year approaches its second night. Now, it appears that Jacob Fatu is even closer to the company.
Jacob Fatu was seen in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania 40. We have eyewitness confirmation of this.
This morning while on-site at Mania weekend, SEScoops observed a gathering of fans surrounding someone who appeared to be an Uso, with a hoodie covering their head in an attempt to remain inconspicuous, outside Marriot Downtown this morning.
This person was Jacob Fatu, who proceeded to take photos with a group of fans. They snapped the photo while mimicking the Bloodline’s signature finger pointing gesture.
This sighting took place shortly before reports surfaced that he has been telling friends that he signed with WWE. He’s also not keeping an incredibly low profile.
Can confirm Jacob Fatu is in Philadelphia, saw him outside the Marriot Downtown this morning taking photos with fans.
Fatu may be an addition to WWE’s plan, especially if the Bloodline’s evolution continues. After all, Tama Tonga is rumored to be in WWE’s sights as well.
There’s a chance Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga may not be involved in the main event at WrestleMania XL. It may be a historic moment if they debut on Monday during the RAW after WrestleMania to bolster the Bloodline, reminiscent of when X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws joined DX after WrestleMania XIV.
I could be wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga don’t get involved in the #WrestleMania XL main event. I could see them debuting tomorrow night to reload the Bloodline similar to the Raw after WrestleMania XIV where X-Pac & New Age Outlaws joined DX.
The RAW after WrestleMania 40 is set to take place in the Wells Fargo Center on April 8, wrapping up the company’s takeover of the City of Brotherly Love.
Roman Reigns is reportedly taking a long break after WrestleMania 40 is over. Only time will tell what happens next, but this certainly amps up the intrigue as we get even closer to WrestleMania Sunday.
WWE usually brings big surprises and celebrities to WrestleMania. Saturday night’s show featured Jacon Kelce and Lane Johnson in Lincoln Financial Field. Sunday’s show will also feature some surprises.
Snoop Dogg is a WWE Hall of Famer, and he is also a superfan. He doesn’t like to miss WrestleMania, and this year will not be any different.
Fightful Select has reported that Snoop Dogg is slated to be a part of WrestleMania Sunday. The Doggfather will be on the commentary table for the six-man street fight match with Bobby Lashley & Street Profits vs. The Final Testament. It is also noted that he will be around for the attendance announcement later on in the show.
Snoop Dogg is listed for commentary on the street fight, and listed for the attendance announcement
Snoop Dogg’s History in Pro Wrestling
Snoop Dogg has a history in pro wrestling. He served as the official “Master of Ceremonies” for the Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjack Match at WrestleMania XXIV in 2008 and was the Guest Host for Raw on October 19, 2009.
In March 2016, the night before WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas, Snoop was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. His first cousin, Mercedes Mone, has also made no secret of their family connection.
In January 2021, Snoop made his debut in All Elite Wrestling at AEW’s New Year’s Smash. That serves as Snoop’s only AEW appearance to date.
He also provided ringside commentary at WrestleMania 39 but ended up in the ring during a segment with wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Shane McMahon then joined the fray, and in the ensuing scuffle, McMahon suffered a quad injury while attempting a move. Snoop stepped in to continue the match, ultimately winning with his version of The Rock’s “people’s elbow.”
WrestleMania Sunday Match Order
The report also included an order of matches and segments for WrestleMania Sunday. The card is always subject to change, and WrestleMania is known for surprises. Triple H promo
Triple H promo
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (CM Punk on commentary). Producers: Abyss & Jamie Noble, referee: Rod Zapata
Street Fight: Bobby Lashley & Street Profits vs. The Final Testament. Producers Petey Williams & Jason Jordan
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. Producer Adam Pearce. Referee Dan Egnler
Hall of Fame intros
Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul. Producers Shane Helms & Shawn Daivari, referee Ryan Tran
Bayley vs. IYO Sky. Producers TJ Wilson & Molly Holly. Referee Danilo Anfibio
Attendance announcement
Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. Producers: Michael Hayes & Bobby Roode, Referee Charles Robinson
WrestleMania Sunday is tonight, and fans may see the Bloodline grow very soon. Now, Jacob Fatu is telling people that he signed with WWE.
There are rumblings within the wrestling world suggesting another member of The Bloodline may soon make their way to WWE.
As reported by Fightful Select, Jacob Fatu has reportedly informed acquaintances of his recent signing with WWE. However, official sources within WWE have yet to confirm this story, and Fatu himself has remained silent amidst requests for comment.
Fatu’s absence from the ring has been noted since his last appearance at GCW’s event on March 24 in Rochester, NY. Many fans expected to see him there, but he was absent.
The 31-year-old boasts a wrestling lineage, being both cousin to WWE’s Usos and the son The Tonga Kid.
Trained under his uncle Rikishi, Jacob Fatu started his wrestling journey in 2012. His career gained traction when he joined MLW in 2019, subsequently capturing the promotion’s world title in July of that year by defeating Tom Lawlor.
Fatu concluded his tenure with MLW at their Philadelphia tapings on February 3. Now, it appears he is WWE bound. It will be interesting to see how he factors into things under Triple H’s plan.
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.
Drew McIntyre has been through a lot in front of pro wrestling fans. Now, he is preparing to walk into WrestleMania Sunday, and he has a lot at stake.
The Scottish Warrior will battle Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40. McIntyre has plans, either win the title or quit WWE entirely.
During WWE World, Drew McIntyre spoke to Bryon Saxton about his upcoming Mania match. He made a very firm declaration that if he cannot beat Seth Rollins, then he will quit WWE.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 15-years-old. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. It was my part-time job in high school and through university. I’m a wrestler, I’ve always been a professional wrestler. I was signed to WWE at 21-years-old, fired at 29, truly found myself, came back and became the man, the Superstar I am today.
I’ve never been better, I’m in my prime in the ring, I’m in my prime on the microphone, because I’m just myself. I just realized, ‘Drew, be yourself,’ and social media, don’t come at me on that thing, I’ll tear you to shreds on social media, I’ve never been better all around. But, if I can’t beat Seth Rollins on Sunday, I quite frankly don’t belong in this industry, I’ll quit WWE.”
It was reported at the end of March that McIntyre has given the impression to those close to him that he still has no new deal arranged with WWE. This fact comes in light of the fact that WWE has booked him in an incredibly strong role on the road to WrestleMania 40.
McIntyre keeps throwing shade at CM Punk, whose injury time is not expected to be up before Drew’s contract ends. WWE has also advertised McIntyre for some dates past his expiration date.
Drew McIntyre will try his best to walk out of Lincoln Financial Field as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, so his current contract status is a very interesting situation.
WWE has not inked a new deal with Becky Lynch, either. She said that this is not concerning to her, even though her contract is up in two months. Endeavor is obviously handling contracts in their own way.
Paul Heyman is now a WWE Hall of Famer, and fans won’t forget his induction speech any time soon. The same is true for those within the company who witnessed his speech.
Brock Lesnar has been all but erased from WWE history at this point. The company did not even show him in the highlight video package for Heyman before his time on the show. That did not stop Paul E from mentioning the 1 in 21-1 several times. WWE realized who they were inducting, and where the ceremony went down as well.
After a day has passed since Heyman’s speech, I have been told that many within WWE are considering what Paul E did as one of the greatest promos in WWE history.
Internal Reaction to Paul Heyman’s WWE Hall of Fame Speech
I reached out to ask about Heyman name-dropping Brock Lesnar so much after WWE has made obvious efforts to not mention him. I was told by a tenured member of the creative team that Paul Heyman had a bit of “free rein.”
Prior to Heyman’s speech, several members of the creative team were told that, “We’re inducting Heyman in Philly, and we know what the audience is going to want, and we’re going to let Heyman give it to them.”
Some within the company consider Heyman’s speech to be the greatest Hall of Fame speech, if not the greatest promo, in WWE history. It was viewed as “insane” by many, in a very good way.
I was additionally told that what struck many people backstage was that Heyman wasn’t cursing just for the sake of it; he used profanity strategically to emphasize his points, which made it all the more effective.
Heyman’s control of the audience was also praised as “a master class in psychology,” where “the ebb and flow of his promo resembled the structure of a public speech or rally unlike anything seen before in WWE.”
I will have more in an exclusive on @sescoops soon, but concerning Paul Heyman's #WWEHallOfFame speech:
Members of the team were told: "We're inducting Heyman in Philly, and we know what the audience is going to want, and we're going to let Heyman give it to them." pic.twitter.com/U4XLE325C6
Paul Heyman’s induction was first on the night, so more people would see it. Those props that Heyman used were also legit, as they added even more legitimacy and nostalgia to his speech.
In the end, nobody had anything bad to say about any portion of Heyman’s speech, even his mention of Brock Lesnar. If anything, Heyman is seen as more of a GOAT than ever at this point.
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.
Triple H believes that WWE is in the business of selling emotions and performers such as Shawn Michaels and Sami Zayn are successful because of their ability to draw emotion out of people.
HBK was called Mr. WrestleMania for the longest time because of his incredible performances at the Show of Shows against opponents such as Bret Hart, Ric Flair and more.
Sami Zayn has been following in the footsteps of the NXT head. In recent years, he has earned praise for his WrestleMania matches against the likes of Kevin Owens and Johnny Knoxville. This year he gave another incredible performance against Gunther who he defeated to win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40 night 1.
In the post-show press conference, Triple H was asked to compare the two performers. The Game first explained how Shawn Michaels was successful because of his ability to draw out emotion:
“A lot of people would look at Shawn back then [or] even now, they would see Shawn as this spectacular performer, right? Like the moves that he did. All these spectacular things that he did. Shawn was doing a lot of that at a period of time maybe before everybody else was which is why I think so many younger talent resonate towards him because he’s so good.
But the thing that made Shawn so good was his ability to pull emotion out of you. It wasn’t the moves, the moves were like the special effects. Shawn is unbelievable at getting emotional out. When you hit Shawn, and he goes down and he sells, you feel bad for him.
You want him to do better and he just can get that emotion out of you. When Shawn begins to then make a comeback begins to fire up and begins to put that anger out or whatever it is, that aggression out. You believe it and you buy into it. He’s a Pitbull when he’s on you.”
We Sell Emotion: Triple H
Triple H then explained that WWE is in the business of selling emotion. Sami Zayn, like Shawn Michaels has found success in WWE because he is able to make people feel for him:
“It’s emotion. We sell emotion. We build stories and sell emotion. It’s not the moves, it’s not the spots. It’s not the sequences or whatever, however people want to say – it’s emotion. Yes, those things all lead into it. But without it, it’s just a video game. It doesn’t mean anything.
What you saw in Sami and Gunther tonight was two people that are geniuses at pulling emotion out of you. That’s Sami’s calling card. Yes, he does spectacular things. But his ability as a performer as an actor, whatever you wanna call it, to pull that emotion out of people. It’s awesome. It’s why he is in the spot he is, it’s why he is as good as he is.”
You can check out the full media scrum below:
If you use the quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
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 has revealed that he is still taking oral chemotherapy for leukemia and it’s a battle that he is going to have to continue fighting for the rest of his life.
The Tribal Chief teamed up with his cousin The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. During the bout, Pat McAfee on the commentary noted that Roman Reigns is still battling leukemia.
This revelation concerned people due to Reigns’ history with the disease and he was asked about it during the post-show media scrum. The Undisputed Champion confirmed that he is still in remission. Though he also revealed that the oral chemotherapy is likely to continue for the rest of his life:
“Well, I’m still on oral chemotherapy. It’s a medication that I’m going to have to remain on my entire life most likely. So yeah, that’s just a part of my personal battle. It doesn’t affect…thank God, I’m still able to perform. I think anybody in my position would say, health is wealth. And as long as I can continue to perform, then you already know that that’s at bay, so we’re good. We’re still in remission. But it is something that is still a part of my life.”
Roman Reigns originally intended to make a career in Football and his promising early performance led to his signing with Minnesota Vikings in 2007. However, he was released by the team only a month later when he was diagnosed with leukemia during the team physical. He went into remission about two years after the initial diagnosis.
After retiring from Professional football in 2008, Reigns began his journey to the top of the professional wrestling world when he signed a development contract with WWE in 2010.
In October 2018 he revealed that the leukemia that had been in remission all these years had returned and he would have to step away from WWE programming for an indefinite amount of time. Reigns returned to TV in February 2019, revealing that his leukemia was once again in remission.
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.
The Rock has hinted that WrestleMania 40 may not be his last program with WWE.
Ever since the Great One joined the TKO board of directors, there have been speculations that we will be seeing him on WWE programming more regularly.
After an amazing performance in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday, The People’s Champion took part in the post-show media scrum. He was asked if we can expect more big matches from him, to which The Rock said that he can’t elaborate on it at the moment:
“There might be. Can’t elaborate that much on that but there might be. I love what I do and I love our business. I was born into our business as you guys know so we’ll see.”
The Rock was later asked what inspired his comeback to the WWE ring after more than a decade. The Hollywood star mentioned how talks of a match between him and Roman Reigns have been going on since before WrestleMania 39.
Speaking about finally pulling the plug on it, he said that the Endeavor sale was a catalyst for it. The Great One mentioned how he has known both Ari Emanuel and Nick Khan for a long time, and once again talked about building things beyond WrestleMania 40:
“My number one priority was ‘Can I come back and add real value this time around’ and not you know, coming back for hot shots one at a time maybe, making appearance one night. That’s fun. That’s fun for the fans, but I wanted something a little bit more, a lot more substantial. Not only a lot more substantial, but something that we can really build upon.
And so these past two, three months, I think we’ve been laying groundwork nicely, and not only building for WrestleMania this weekend, but also I think beyond that and building for the future and what that could look like.”
A win for The Rock and Roman Reigns tonight means the match between Cody Rhodes and The Tribal Chief tomorrow will be contested under Bloodline rules.
We know that the Hollywood star will have to step away from WWE programming for the time being after this PLE due to his movie commitments.
The intrigue for a Rock vs Roman Reigns match, however, is still there. After the latest comments from the former champion, it won’t be a surprise if we see the current story extending beyond this year’s edition of The Show of Shows.
You can watch the media scrum below:
If you use the quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
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.
It appears Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are still partners despite their disheartening loss at the hands of Roman Reigns and The Rock at WrestleMania: Saturday.
The WrestleMania main event was everything fans expected and more. The match which went over 40 minutes was one of the longest bouts in the history of the Show of Shows.
From the start, The Final Boss used every tactic he could to control the bout. This included threatening the referee in order to stop the tag team rules from being enforced.
Both Cody and Seth showed incredible courage despite the overwhelming odds and managed to get the upper hand a few times, only to be taken out again however.
It looked like Cody might actually win the match for his team when he went for a third back-to-back Cross-Rhodes on Reigns but The Rock introduced the weight belt at the last second and turned the match into their favor.
Seth Rollins had already been taken out by a spear through the barricades. So after the belt spot, Roman hit the spear. It allowed The Rock to hit Rock Bottom and finally The People’s Elbow for the win.
Both the cousins had an extended celebration after the match while Cody remained in the ring realizing the effect this loss would have on his match with Roman Reigns tomorrow.
Though it appears that the bond between Rhodes and Rollins remains the same despite the change. As seen in the post-show footage below, Cody helped a beat up Seth to the back after the show went off air:
— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) April 7, 2024
The WrestleMania Sunday main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns will now be contested under Bloodline rules. This means we can expect to see more of all four of these contestants tomorrow night.
As evident from the results of tonight’s show, The American Nightmare will have to do something unprecedented if he has to finish the story tomorrow night and a planned mystery spot may turn out to be the catalyst of it all.
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.”
WrestleMania 40 promoted the main event of night one as the biggest tag team match of all time. It certainly delivered on every level.
Cody Rhodes is set to battle Roman Reigns during night two of WrestleMania 40 for the Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Title. Seth Rollins will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre tomorrow night as well.
The main event of WrestleMania’s first night included a very special stipulation. If the Bloodline won the match, then it would be Bloodline Rules for Cody Rhodes’ match against Roman Reigns during the second night. If the babyfaces won, then the Bloodline would be banned.
In the end, The Rock pinned Cody Rhodes’ shoulders to the mat at WrestleMania 40 Saturday. This means it will be Bloodline Rules for the title match at the end of WrestleMania Sunday.
The Match Finish
This match got going slowly as fans took in the scene in front of them. The Rock tagged in eventually, where he squared off against Seth Rollins first. It didn’t take much time for Cody to take the tag, where he put some boots to The Great One for making him bleed.
The referee started counting to 10 as they brawled on the outside of the ring. Then The Rock threatened to fire referee Chad Patton if he ended the match via countout. “I don’t f*ck around,” he said. This allowed everyone in the match to brawl throughout the stadium for a while.
They returned to the ring eventually, where Reigns and Rollins battled it out. Roman was able to tag The Rock, but they didn’t let Cody tag in. The beatdown on Rollins continued after that.
Finally, The Rock latched on a sharpshooter, and Cody ran in the ring to slap him in the face. Seth finally landed a Stomp on Rock, but he didn’t pin him. He did finally make it to Cody Rhodes for the tag as Roman tagged in to give a teaser for the WrestleMania Sunday main event.
Roman Reigns’ nose was busted open during the brawl, and Cody avoided a spear. Then Roman kicked out after a splash when Rhodes tagged in Rollins. As they kept going, it all climaxed in Cody Rhodes putting The Rock through the announce table with a Rock Bottom as Roman speared Seth Rollins through the barricade.
Roman and Cody ended up in the ring, where they traded shots. Then, Cody nailed two Crossroads, and as he was going for a third, The Rock nailed him with his weight belt. Then Roman Reigns nailed a spear before tagging in The Rock.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins received their standard entrances for this match. If they get a special presentation, it will likely be for their title matches tomorrow night. That being said, the “WOAH” during Cody’s entrance was incredible.
The Rock’s entrance included an epic light show with his Final Boss theme. He also came out in the middle of a flaming Brahma Bull logo with the People’s Championship over his shoulder.
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.
WWE uses WrestleMania’s stage to tell the best stories they can every year. WrestleMania 40’s IC Title match was certainly worthy of the historic event.
Sami Zayn defeated GUNTHER at WrestleMania 40 to end his historic reign as Intercontinental Champion.
GUNTHER walked into WrestleMania 40 with 666 days as Intercontinental Champion and counting. He battled Sami Zayn, who was entering as the underdog, but that was nothing different for Zayn.
The Match Finish
No matter what GUNTHER threw at Sami Zayn, he kept kicking out. When Zayn landed a Helluva Kick, GUNTHER kicked out in return.
Sami Zayn’s wife sat at ringside for the match, cheering her husband on the whole time, especially after he kicked out following two powerbombs from GUNTHER. The Ring General continued to assault Zayn, and then he taunted his wife before laying down another powerbomb.
Finally, GUNTHER scaled the top rope, where he hit a big splash, but he didn’t even attempt a cover before he went back to the top rope to hit a second splash. He didn’t even try to pin him the second time.
Zayn started to stir, and he nailed GUNTHER with a Helluva Kick as he climbed to the top rope again. Then Zayn nailed an avalanche brainbuster before hitting another two Helluva Kicks and getting the clean pin to win the title.
Special Entrance
Before the match, they showed Sami Zayn backstage with his wife and son. He asked her to keep his son backstage, so he didn’t see what happened in the ring. Then Chad Gable told him that he’s going out there by himself.
Sami Zayn with his family before the IC Title match.
— Just Talk Wrestling (@JustTalkWrestle) April 7, 2024
As the camera followed Sami Zayn to the ring, Kevin Owens met him in the gorilla position. Owens slapped Zayn to hype him up before he made his way to the ring.
