The ‘Bloodline Rules’ stipulation of Sunday’s WrestleMania 40 main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns allowed for several exciting surprise appearances. The jam-packed Lincoln Financial Field erupted when John Cena and the Undertaker made surprises appearances to assist the American Nightmare.
Many fans were expecting to hear the infamous ‘glass shatter’ and see Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the ring for one more confrontation with his greatest rival, The Rock. As it turns out, WWE did negotiate with Austin regarding this exact scenario. Unfortunately, the two sides could not come to a financial agreement, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
In the months leading up to wrestling’s biggest weekend of the year, Austin was addressed the possibility of another WrestleMania appearance. He kept some hopes alive by saying “never say never,” but now we know why it didn’t materialize.
Steve Austin shocked the wrestling world by coming out of retirement at WrestleMania 38 (2022) and competing in his first match in 19 years.
It started with Kevin Owens calling out Stone Cold and inviting him to appear on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38. Austin accepted, but when he showed up for a talk, Owens had other plans in mind. An impromptu No Holds Barred match broke out and Austin got to show it’s still a very bad idea to cross him.
Bloodline Rules
Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a match contested under ‘Bloodline rules.’ The specific rules were not laid out in person, but it was essentially a no-disqualification match.
The relaxed rules allowed for plenty of outside interference, with members of the Bloodline backing Reigns, and John Cena, The Undertaker and Seth Rollins evening the odds.
In the end, Rhodes ‘finished his story’ and ended the Tribal Chief’s historic championship reign at 1,316 days.
IShowSpeed may still be feeling worse for wear after WrestleMania 40, but the popular YouTuber will have no problem getting around with his new Cyber Truck.
On YouTube, Speed shared a video of himself being gifted the vehicle by the Maverick. Paul said the truck was a gift for Speed’s help at WrestleMania which saw him take an RKO from Randy Orton on the English-commentary announce table. Speed was overjoyed with the gift and took the truck for a test drive and accidentally ran over the bow.
IShowSpeed Gets an RKO at WrestleMania
Speed was dressed as the PRIME Energy mascot at WrestleMania 40 and aided Paul in his triple-threat match against Orton and Kevin Owens. The spot was similar to WrestleMania 39 which saw PRIME Energy co-founder KSI dress in the costume and try and help Paul out. Like IShowSpeed, that would backfire and he’d be sent through the announce table.
PRIME & WWE
WWE and Prime Hydration struck a record-setting global partnership deal in March 2024 to make PRIME the company’s Official Hydration Drink Partner. The agreement also extends to the UFC, WWE’s ‘partner’ company as part of TKO Group.
At WrestleMania 40, the synergy was on full display. Randy Ortton delivering an RKO to influencer IShowSpeed dressed in a PRIME Energy bottle costume went viral on social media.
Wrestling fan also couldn’t miss the PRIME Energy logo emblazoned on the WWE ring mat, a historic first that we’ll see plenty more of in the future. TKO executives have spoken about their plans to continue ramping up the sponsored branding the ringside area.
Prime Product Placement
Logan Paul
As for Logan Paul, his U.S. Championship reign remains intact with fans wondering what’s next for him. Paul was chosen to reveal that WWE SummerSlam 2024 will take place this August in his native Cleveland, Ohio.
Paul didn’t waste any time drumming up attention for the event by calling out one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, NBA kingpin LeBron James:
The word ‘cinema’ has been thrown around a lot to describe WWE’s storytelling over the past year, particularly the gripping Bloodline saga involving Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. As great as all that has been, the main event of Sunday’s WrestleMania XL spectacular delivered perhaps the greatest masterstroke of all.
Nearly a decade after the breakup of The Shield, Seth Rollins delivered on his promise to serve as Cody Rhodes’ ‘shield’ by sacrificing himself to bring down the Tribal Chief. Reigns was nearly unbeatable, but Rollins placed a winning bet on the belief that his former ‘brother’ would be unable to resist exacting revenge, one of the msot al seven deadly sins.
Apart from Cody Rhodes finishing his story, the tension between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was one of the talking points. There was no shortage of drama or layers of depth to dig into. The former Shield members have a long history together and WWE played out an angle beautifully that has been in the making for over ten years.
Seth Rollins is one of the key figures who helped in building what could be regarded as one of the greatest stories ever told in WWE. After all, he is ‘The Architect.’ He was among many superstars who came to the aid of Cody Rhodes, who dethroned Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Let’s take an in-depth look into the angle between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, thanks to Mith Gifs Wrestling.
Reopening old wounds
Roman Reigns’ decision to exact revenge upon Seth Rollins cost him everything
‘The Visionary’ is a master of playing mind games and he got into the head of ‘The Tribal Chief.’ Reigns had the chance to hit Cody Rhodes with a steel chair to win the match but he ended up deciding to hit Seth Rollins in the back, mirroring Rollins to dissolve The Shield back in the day.
Reigns certainly got flashbacks of the betrayal and couldn’t help but get his payback. However, at the cost of the title which he held for 1,316 days.
This right here was the definition of long term storytelling.
The fact that Roman Reigns could never get over the fact that Seth Rollins broke up The Shield and it cost him his title.
— Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) April 8, 2024
Seth Rollins, who was partly responsible for the creation of the ‘monster’ knew that Roman would be unable to contain himself long enough to exact revenge on his former Shield brethren. ‘The Architect’ did what was necessary to bring down the monster he helped create.
The Hero’s Shield
After what went down at WrestleMania 40, fans soon recalled what Rollins told Cody Rhodes back in February. During a fateful promo on WWE Raw, Rollins said:
“When it comes to fighting Roman Reigns, there is only one man on earth, who is uniquely suited to be your shield.”
Well, Rollins is a man of his word. He took the bullet for and protected Cody.
Mind Games
Last year, it was Sami Zayn who backstabbed ‘The Trible Chief’ in a similar fashion, which still haunts him to this day. Betrayal has been Roman Reigns’ worst fear and Rollins was well aware of that.
Rollins could get into Roman’s head like no one else and from time to time, he has messed with his former Shield teammate. This is something ‘The Tribal Chief’ couldn’t escape and thus Rollins managed to outwit his former friend despite getting attacked.
Well, this is not the first time Rollins reopened Reigns’ old wounds. At the Royal Rumble in 2022, Seth deliberately messed with Roman when he walked out to the Shield’s old music, wearing the Shield’s old gear ahead of the title match.
During their match, Seth mocked Roman and even offered the Shield fist bump which caused Roman to snap and got Rollins in a guillotine choke. It was comprehensible enough that Rollins controlled Roman’s emotions. With rage and trauma getting the better of him. Roman Reigns refused to relinquish the hold and that night Rollins won the contest via DQ.
Seth Rollins had dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 40. Meanwhile, with Roman Reigns returning empty-handed as well, there is a huge possibility that we could witness another feud between the two down the road.
Will they ignite a new rivalry to settle the dispute once and for all? With Triple H at the helm of this new era, wrestling fans can rest assured that it’s safe to invest in these longterm stories.
Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship win at WrestleMania 40 continues to make history as the new champion has joined a very exclusive club.
Rhodes ended the 1,316-day reign of Roman Reigns in an emotional main event to WrestleMania 40: Sunday on April 7. With this win, Rhodes becomes the fourth wrestler in history to have held the WWE World Championship and the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. He joins an elite club of talent that includes the inaugural WWE Champion Buddy Rogers, 16-time World Champion Ric Flair, and the Phenomenal AJ Styles.
This fact was pointed out on social media by Brian R. Solomon, an author of several wrestling books. In 2022, his book ‘Blood and Fire: The Unbelievable Real-Life Story of Wrestling’s Original Sheik’ won the Wrestling Observer’s ‘Best Book’ award for the year. His next book, Irresistible Force: The Life and Times of Gorilla Monsoon, is scheduled to be released in 2024.
Triple Crown History
Rhodes didn’t just join the exclusive club of WWE/NWA World Champions, but he also made history by becoming the first person in his own unique club. With his win, Rhodes became the first man to have held the WWE, NWA, and Ring of Honor World Championships. Rhodes won the NWA title from Nick Aldis at 2018’s All In show. His Ring of Honor World Championship win would come the year prior with a victory over Christopher Daniels at Best in the World 2017.
The American Nightmare is certainly riding high with his victory at WrestleMania 40: Sunday. The fans are clearly behind Rhodes who also achieved a new personal record over WrestleMania week.
Cody Rhodes finally finished his Story at WrestleMania 40 by defeating Roman Reigns to bring the WWE Championship home to his family. Cody’s win was celebrated around the world by his legion of fans who are proud to show their support for the American Nightmare.
WrestleMania 40 was monumentally successful in many ways and we’ve just learned a new one. Fightful Select reports that WWE sent an internal company memo touting that Cody Rhodes merchandise grossed over $1 million during WrestleMania weekend.
The amount of Cody Rhodes merchandise in the crowd at WWE events is a sure sign that they have the right Superstar on top.
WWE released a commemorative t-shirt immediately following Cody’s win with the phrase, “The Story Continues.”
Credit WWE Shop: Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 40 Champion The Story Continues T-Shirt
Cody Rhodes also out-performed The Rock in terms of Google searches on Monday, April 8, after he won the Undisputed Universal Title. Cody obviously has the WWE Universe’s attention right now, and for good reason.
WrestleMania 40 took place in Philadelphia on April 6 and 7 in Lincoln Financial Field. WWE SmackDown (4/5) and the RAW After WrestleMania (4/8) were both held in the Wells Fargo Center.
Cody Rhodes’ WWE Contract Situation
Rhodes previously stated that it was his goal to retire from in-ring competition before he turned 40. Cody Rhodes recently signed a new multi-year contract with WWE. The 38-year-old second-generation Superstar revealed this fact in a recent interview.
While speaking with Justin Walker, Cody confirmed that “40 is out of the question just because, not to give you scoop, it was widely reported, but I did sign a new contract with WWE. It extends beyond my 40th birthday.”
He does not have an immediate challenger for the Undisputed Universal Championship yet, but The Rock made it clear that he is coming back to WWE for a match against the American Nightmare.
WrestleMania XL is in the books and the show was a blockbuster success by every conceivable metric. WWE’s latest press release touts too many broken records to list here.
Business was booming last year, but 2023’s numbers seem tame compared to what Triple H and company delivered this past weekend. The live gate for WrestleMania XL was up a staggering 78% from last year’s record, while viewership surged 41%.
Looking at Google search volume, The Rock won the weekend. However, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns received more Google searches than the Final Boss in the day following their legendary clash, an incredible feat when you see the chart below.
Google Trends for WrestleMania XL
Google Trends is a very useful tool that allows you to view the Google search volume for any phrase during a period of time across various regions and formats. The data we’re using here is for Worldwide searches.
Dwayne Johnson is one of the most famous people in the world, so it’s no surprise that his usual search volume resembles a megastar like Beyonce than anybody in WWE. (The Rock had higher search volume over the past 90 days, but Beyonce had the 3 highest spikes during that period – More)
Despite this built-in advantage, Rhodes still prevailed. Over the past 12 months, The Rock averaged 13x greater search volume than the new champion, which makes this feat even more impressive. The Rock says he returned to elevate WWE and this metric of fan interest shows he did just that:
Cody Rhodes finishing the Story at WWE WrestleMania 40 earned him an extremely rare ‘Google Trends’ victory over Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock and Cody Rhodes shared a ring for the third consecutive night on Monday’s WWE Raw. The 45-minute segment featured some memorable moments, including a “this is awkward” chant, The Rock delivering a comeback to the crowd that longtime fans may have recognized and a mysterious cliffhanger fans are trying to figure out.
The Rock told Cody Rhodes and the WWE Universe that he needs to leave again, but he’ll be back. When he returns, he plans to face the face of this new era, whether he’s still champion by then or not. Cody Rhodes vs. The Rock sure sounds like a WrestleMania main event.
John Cena stated on Monday at WWE World that his Hollywood schedule will keep him busy through the end of the year, so he’s taking time off as well. From there, Cena plans to go on one final run before calling it a career.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait until 2025 to see them again, but Cena and Rock are making it known they’re not retired.
However you feel about The Rock’s on-screen character, his latest WWE run was a resounding success. This is supported by WrestleMania breaking so many records, as well as the interest surrounding Cody Rhodes as the Rock rides off into the sunset.
Taking to social media, the Head of the Table made clear that he has mourned for his title loss and has embarked on ‘Day 1’ of the next chapter of his career.
Reigns is expected to take a break from WWE programming and is not expected to appear at WWE’s next Premium Live Event, Backlash: France. Reigns is similarly not being advertised for the upcoming WWE Clash At the Castle: Glasgow event that will see the roster return to the UK. He is expected to appear at WWE SummerSlam this August in Cleveland, Ohio.
While Reigns won’t be appearing on TV for some time, there are said to be big things in the works for the Tribal Chief. On the post-WrestleMania 40: Sunday press conference, WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque said that a “whole new story” for Reigns is coming that will take him “to a whole ‘nother level.”
Reigns has also earned praise from Cody Rhodes despite their on-screen issues. On the Pat McAfee Show, Rhodes called Reigns an “exceptional champion” and hopes he “can be half the champion Roman Reigns was.”
Before we get going, there was a very ominous glitch during the RAW after WrestleMania. The live crowd also heard a strange clip from a song that they didn’t know, as the lights were cut out for a bit. Something is certainly brewing, and you can get all the info we have so far in our report.
– Damien Priest’s Cash-In: I asked around about Priest’s cash-in at WrestleMania 40. This was not a last-minute booking, because the company has been planning this for six months.
I can confirm that Priest’s cash-in was not a last minute booking. WWE planned Damian Priest’s MITB cash-in at Mania for six months.
– WWE Draft Confirmed: During the RAW after WrestleMania, it was confirmed that the next WWE Draft is going down this month. The WWE Draft will be taking place on April 26th for SmackDown and April 29th for RAW.
TNT Championship: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
AEW World Championship Eliminator Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes
Mariah May vs. Anna Jay
Chris Jericho, HOOK, & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo, Shane Taylor, & Lee Moriarty)
Matthew & Nicholas Jackson will reveal backstage footage from AEW All In at Wembley Stadium
Toni Storm to toast Thunder Rosa
Upcoming Major Pro Wrestling Pay-Per-View Events:
AEW is coming to St. Louis, MO with AEW: Dynasty LIVE on PPV on Sunday, April 21st at Chaifetz Arena
Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.
Fans were expecting to see The WWE Avengers assembling for Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 battle against The Bloodline and they were not disappointed.
Not only people such as Jey Uso and Seth Rollins came out to help even the odds but fans were greeted with the welcome surprise of John Cena and Undertaker making an appearance to help The American Nightmare finally finish the story.
The new Undisputed WWE Champion was asked about these cameos during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show after the PLE. He first noted how everyone who came down to the ring brought a unique characteristic with them:
“I think one of the most exciting parts about this moment where individuals start showing up is everybody brings something uniquely different.
I had not forgot in a negative way. It just had been some time since I had felt what it’s like when John Cena runs down to that ring. The level of just energy and effect and his commitment to hearing the people and giving the people what they want. That was something special to see.
The Undertaker, the only real thread with me and The Undertaker is simply that I’m up against one of his opponents. But when I saw the Undertaker, that to me, it just felt like here’s the old sheriff. Here’s the guard. Here’s the judge. Here was 40 years of WrestleMania and I was really impressed and blown away and touched at The Undertaker being part of that.”
The Best Era Ever: Cody Rhodes
Despite the inclusion of some of wrestling’s biggest legends, the final chapter of this theatrical played out between Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. The Architect fulfilled his promise to be Cody’s Shield. The obsession with his former partner’s betrayal is what ultimately caused The Tribal Chief his title.
Speaking about the ending of the match, Rhodes mentioned that he loves the past eras of wrestling but this proves that the current era is the best ever:
“You gotta wonder how does it feel when you have The Undertaker, when you have ‘The Final Boss’ The Rock. When you have these luminary figures and the last thing you’re seeing is myself, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
That is a testament to what I have been saying before even AEW. I love the Attitude Era with all my heart. I love the golden age of the 1980s, but we are in the best era ever.”
You can check out Cody Rhodes’ full interview below:
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Dakota Kai has shared her support for her Damage CTRL ally Kairi Sane following criticism by WWE Hall of Famer & AEW correspondent Mark Henry.
At WWE WrestleMania 40, Sane, Kai, and Asuka lost to Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill. During the entrance for the faces, Sane remained in the ring a few seconds longer than Asuka and Kai. You can check out hew delayed exit from the ring in the video clip below.
On Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry shared that he was livid watching WrestleMania 40 when he saw Sane taking slightly too long to exit the ring for his liking. The World’s Strongest Man even went as far as to say the Pirate Princess had shown a level of disrespect to the wrestling business.
“She should have got out the f*cking ring. I was so mad. You got to respect the business first. And she didn’t, but she would if I would have been in the ring.”
In a tweet, Dakota Kai didn’t address Henry’s comments directly but made it clear that she supports Sane who has a deep respect for the wrestling business. The former WWE NXT Women’s Champion responded by she loves and respects Kai and was thankful for everything her Damage CTRL ally has done for her.
I love and respect you too? Thank you for everything.
Ultimately, Sane would not have intended to have come across as disrespectful and it appears only Henry felt her actions at WrestleMania were out of line. In the comments, many supported Sane and some pointed out times that Henry has remained in the ring during the entrance of opponents.
Taking to Twitter, Stratus reflected on her time at WrestleMania and called Bayley’s victory a highlight of the night for her. Trish added that no one deserved the spot or the adulation of the crowd more than the Role Model and was pleased that Bayley and IYO SKY “crushed it” on WWE’s grandest stage.
What a night!! What a weekend!! It was wild to see Lincoln Financial Field absolutely lose their mind at the end of the show. Even wilder to think that was a typical Monday night back in my day! Awesome stuff!
Stratus and Bayley were on opposite ends of a six-woman tag-team match at WrestleMania 39. The match saw Stratus team with then-WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Lita & Becky Lynch to defeat Bayley, SKY, and Dakota Kai.
This isn’t the first time that the new WWE Women’s Champion has earned props from Status, a seven-time Women’s Champion in her own right. During a 2023 interview with SHAK Wrestling, Stratus put Bayley on her Mt. Rushmore of women’s wrestling, alongside herself, Lita, and All Elite Wrestling’s Mercedes Mone
In the build to the WrestleMania 39 match, Bayley shared her appreciation for Stratus and Lita coming back after having legendary careers on an episode of the Masked Man Show.
“They came back and they agreed to face us, which I think is a huge compliment and just something that we shouldn’t take for granted.”
Cody Rhodes’ entrance at WrestleMania 40 saw the involvement of a legend of the masks and effects industry to make his time in Philadelphia extra special.
Ahead of his emotional Undisputed WWE Universal Championship victory over Roman Reigns, Rhodes entered Lincoln Financial Field with his wife Brandi. Rhodes also bore a skull mask that was designed around his ‘American Nightmare’ insignia.
On social media, it was revealed that Jason Baker was the one behind Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40: Sunday mask. Rhodes shared a backstage selfie wearing the mask as a test and made sure to tag Baker in the picture.
Rhodes modeling his mask, created by Jason Baker.
Who is Jason Baker?
Baker, a protege of horror movie effects legend Tom Savini, is no stranger to working with WWE. He previously created the Fiend mask for Bray Wyatt and also was heavily involved in Wyatt’s presentation upon returning to WWE in late 2022. He was also close friends with Wyatt.
In 2021, it was reported that Baker and Wyatt were working on a film together, which was set to be produced in-house by Baker’s Calloseum Studios. Unfortunately, that film will not come out now given Wyatt’s passing in August 2023.
While best known for his work with Wyatt, Baker has also created masks for other Superstars including Asuka and Finn Balor. He was also responsible for Triple H’s ‘Skull King’ mask that the Game wore at WWE WrestleMania 30 in 2014. The Game would arrive with masked women (Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss) and opened the show with a loss to Daniel Bryan.
WWE Superstars give their all, especially on the road to WrestleMania. After the show and shows is over, it appears that two top stars are taking a bit of time off.
Both Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins lost their matches during WrestleMania 40. Lynch was unable to capture the WWE Women’s World Title from Rhea Ripley in the first match of WrestleMania Saturday. Then, on WrestleMania Sunday, Seth Rollins lost his World Heavyweight Championship.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch were not listed on rundowns before WWE RAW this week. Seth Rollins is expected to take some time off.
Clues For Their Time Off
Drew McIntyre spoke directly to the camera this week to address Rollins, and thank him for their Mania match. It seemed as though he was delivering a message to The Visionary, as he wasn’t there.
As inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Rollins held the title for 316 days before dropping it to Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior’s reign as champion lasted just over 5 minutes before Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the belt.
It is also worth noting that Triple H sent out a post on Twitter/X today, praising Rollins for his contributions as World Heavyweight Champion. That message certainly seemed like it might have had more meaning behind it than the surface statement about Rollins’ toughness.
How do you make steel and leather become a most sought after possession? How do you get men to give their blood, sweat and tears to attain it? How do you make it mean the absolute most? Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
How do you make steel and leather become a most sought after possession? How do you get men to give their blood, sweat and tears to attain it? How do you make it mean the absolute most? Seth “Freakin” Rollins. pic.twitter.com/OhA51jx7LH
Both Rollins and Lynch have contracts expiring in 2024. Lynch’s deal is expiring in two months, something that she didn’t express much worry about, as Endeavor is showing up how they handle contract renewals.
We will have to see when The Man and The Visionary return to WWE television. They could both get some well-deserved time off at this point.
WWE is resetting a lot of the deck after WrestleMania 40, and that could bring a brand-new storyline to the picture.
During Bronson Reed’s promo on RAW this week, something very interesting happened. A glitch appeared on the screen, and it looks like this was all on purpose.
Fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center received a crazy, ominous tease as well. The lights went down, and strange music started to play before the show even started.
It appears that WWE is teasing something, because production glitches like this don’t just happen out of nowhere, as they are very likely choreographed to be a part of the show.
If you remember, Bray Wyatt’s initial return with his revamped character after his release was started with playing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” at house shows, as they bathed the crowd in a red light. That was followed by a slew of QR codes. These new teasers have a lot of those same vibes.
They just played some eerie music and it stopped ? uncle Howdy is that you? #wweraw
With the idea that WWE may use Bo Dallas again, and the Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary ending with an apparent tease for Uncle Howdy’s return, this is a very interesting situation.
Fightful Select went on to report that details about Bo Dallas’s return, including the version or character he may portray, remain uncertain. While under WWE contract since 2022, he hasn’t made an appearance on live WWE programming for over a year, coinciding with Bray Wyatt’s absence from television due to illness.
It’s anyone’s guess what this means, but WWE is certainly up to something.
SEScoops will keep our eye on this story for more details. It appears that Triple H has a lot of stories planned for after WrestleMania 40.
Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania 40, and that could come with a change for the title he will carry. It’s a new era in WWE, and The American Nightmare just teased another change.
Rhodes beat Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 in a very emotional match. John Cena and The Undertaker were on hand to help Cody finish his story, and the celebration was a happy one after the Tribal Chief was defeated.
On the morning after WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes dropped a very interesting post on Twitter/X. Along with WWE’s current Undisputed Universal Championship, he also had another belt by its side, a throwback design. The caption that Cody picked leads us to believe he may be contemplating carrying that championship instead.
When one good story ends, an even better one begins.
Cody Rhodes tagged WWE’s official shop in his post. He also tagged Prime, Logan Paul’s hydration company, because the American Nightmare signed a deal to endorse them.
Cody Rhodes tagged WWE’s official shop in his post. He also tagged Prime, Logan Paul’s hydration company, because the American Nightmare signed a deal to endorse them.
During the Pat McAfee show at WWE World on April 8, Cody Rhodes said it would be special to see a particular championship. Fans chanted for the winged eagle title. Cody said, “You guys are damn right, the wingled eagle. If it doesn’t happen, don’t get mad at me. I’ll do what I did last time (with the IC Title), I’ll try my best.”
Cody Rhodes Wants To Carry The Winged Eagle Title
Some might think that Cody Rhodes is just teasing another title belt for the sake of it, but he has altered his title belts in the past. Rhodes is the one who pulled for WWE to bring back the white Intercontinental Title belt during his last reign as champion, a design that they kept around for a while until Vince McMahon changed it back after Cody bet on himself and left the company.
Cody Rhodes has also made it clear in the past that he would like to bring back the Winged Eagle Championship. He said in the past that, “Through my youth, the WWE I was watching, was really synonymous with the Winged Eagle. I think there’s a lot of people who love the Winged Eagle design, some people like the Big Eagle, but the Winged Eagle was the one for me. Today’s design with the giant W is also incredibly special because it’s this walking billboard for the promotion.”
Although Cody previously stated that it is a “pipe dream” to carry the Winged Eagle Championship, you never know what can happen in the Paul Levesque Era of WWE.
Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Monday, April 8. Last night was WrestleMania Sunday, and Cody Rhodes finished his story.
– CM Punk Footage: Don’t forget that Tony Khan promised to air the footage of Punk and Jack Perry’s All In brawl during Dynamite this week. That video could break the internet.
Upcoming Major Pro Wrestling Pay-Per-View Events:
AEW is coming to St. Louis, MO with AEW: Dynasty LIVE on PPV on Sunday, April 21st at Chaifetz Arena
Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.
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.
Bayley is very happy to allow the next generation of women wrestlers to take their spot at the top but not before she has celebrated her own moment.
After defeating Becky Lynch at last night’s WrestleMania 40: Saturday event, Rhea Ripley was asked if the Four Horsewomen’s time in WWE was over. While The Mami acknowledged their contribution in the women’s revolution, she said that it was time for them to step aside.
At the post-show press conference tonight, Bayley was asked if her win over IYO SKY was an answer to the Judgement Day star. The new Women’s Champion first discussed how the young star is a once in a lifetime talent:
“I think Rhea is…she is once in a lifetime. I get so jealous of her. First I have so much respect for her because she works her butt off. She does everything. You guys see Judgement Day on every single show, like 10 times throughout the night. That is not easy and sometimes not always fun. It’s very hard.
So I have all the respect for the work she does. Plus she puts on incredible matches. She’s so young, so athletic. She does one dropkick, that I can’t even….I can’t do a drop kick to someone’s knees. It’s like everything she does makes me mad.”
Bayley then mentioned a number of young female talents that are taking the work of the Horsewomen to the next stage and proclaimed that she is very happy to watch it happen:
“But I feel as the time comes for the four horsewomen to lift the division up and get better and better as we wanted to do from the beginning. I’m glad that it’s going to someone like Rhea Ripley. It’s going to somebody like Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan. You got Zoey Starks.
There is so many women that are itching to get out there. Candice LeRae is finally showing her face out there. You all the girls in NXT Roxanne Perez, Lyra [Valkyria]. This is exactly what we wanted. So if she’s ready to take it on, I’m very proud and I’m very glad to watch it happen. But let me have my damn moment, Rhea.”
Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania last year and successfully took on Becky Lynch at this year’s edition of the Show of Shows. While it’s too early to predict the future, this banter turning into a match between The Mami and Bayley at WrestleMania 41 would be very poetic.
You can check out the full WrestleMania 40 Night 2 press conference below:
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
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.
Triple H is promising that the story of Roman Reigns is not finished after WrestleMania 40.
The run of The Tribal Chief since his heel turn in 2020 has been one of the most epic storylines WWE has ever produced. Now that it’s over, there has been a lot of curiosity on what’s next for the now former Undisputed Champion.
The WWE Chief Content Officer talked about Reigns in the post show press conference after WrestleMania 40. He claimed that after the latest run, Roman is for certain one of the greatest of all time:
“Before I talk on Cody, let me talk about Roman. There’s a lot of banter about greatest of all time. You can make arguments for a lot of people in that and there’s a lot of metrics that you could measure that by, or opinions or whatever that is. If he is not the, he is one of, absolutely for certain – the greatest of all time.
To do what he has done, to overcome all the things in his career. The positioning and the stuff that he had to get through and hung in there to get where he needed to be. To deal with his physical issues and his health issues to overcome, the pandemic to overcome.
Just everything that he has had to deal with, on the way here. Then to go out there and put on a run like nobody has ever put on before. A run of just epic, epic moments, epic storytelling. I see that word cinema thrown around a lot but it really is.”
Roman Reigns Is Going On A Whole New Story: Triple H
Triple H discussed how Roman Reigns has changed the business in many ways through his run. Though he proclaimed that his story is far from over and teased that The Head of The Table is going to take things on a whole nother level:
“There’s few guys that come along in our business where you say, during that period of time that they were in it. They changed the industry. He changed the industry. I mean that in front of the camera, I mean that behind the camera, he’s changed the industry. He’s that good. I can’t say enough good stuff about him.
Then to do what he did tonight with Cody Rhodes, it’s not completing the story. It’s just getting to the end of this chapter. Because he’s gonna go on a whole new story now that is going to blow people’s minds I think. I know he’s going to take it to a whole nother level, but I can’t tell you how much respect I have for Roman Reigns.”
The last time Triple H promised something like this was when Cody Rhodes lost the WrestleMania 39 match against Roman. He claimed that Cody’s story wasn’t finished and it led us on a year-long journey that concluded tonight. A promise similar to that suggests that there are some plans already in place for the former champion and we should gear up for another epic ride.
You can watch the full press conference below:
If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
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.
Cody Rhodes received a very meaningful gift from the WWE leadership after his big win against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.
The American Nightmare took part in the media scrum after finally finishing the story. He was asked why he thinks people resonated with his journey so much.
Rhodes mentioned how it was a father-son story that a lot of people can connect to. Beyond that, however, it was also a tale of someone who wasn’t considered a franchise player and proved himself to be main event worthy:
“I think sometimes it feels like it’s a father-son story, which is something that father-daughter, father-son that a lot of people can see and relate to. But then if I’m truly being honest, I think it’s a story of as much as I had the legacy and I had the last name I didn’t…[I] wasn’t born with all the tools.
My brother’s six-four. Do you know how pissed off I was when I stopped growing? [laughs] My dad and my sister just had all this charisma. I think people resonate that, that works for them. You can make it to the main event. You can make it to being THE main event. I always wanted to be a winning franchise if that makes any sense. At my age and where I’m at in my career, I know that’s not been the story. But I’m very proud of, of what the story has become.
You asked, why it resonates? It’s the only answer I really know – because it’s real. I wanted to be this because at first, he wasn’t and I thought he should have been. Then when he passed away, I failed. I didn’t hand it to him. But it became about, I said this earlier, it was in the hype packages and stuff that was playing – the story was beyond me at that point. I still felt the need to finish it. I’ve been saying all week. I think I said it on First Take too that even if I didn’t believe people believed so I had to do it.”
Cody Rhodes Received A Meaningful Gift
Cody Rhodes also revealed a very special gift he received from WWE officials once he returned backstage after winning the Undisputed Championship:
“I know this isn’t what you asked at all, but something that I wanted to share. I came to the back and Bruce Prichard and Triple H and Nick Khan handed me this [watch] which is the same watch that my dad had that he pawned so that I could go to acting school. So the level of investment and responsibility that the company just put in my hands. I hope I can pay it back. Pay it forward, 100 times over.”
Cody had originally written about the watch in his eulogy for Dusty Rhodes back in 2015:
“My beautiful Sister Teil will tell you all about “angel money”. And that beautiful gold Rolex…he told me if I ever won the World Title, that I could have it. Just the other night I inquired about that watch, come to find out he had sold it so that I could drive to Los Angeles to chase a dream.”
Ric Flair may be an old rival of Dusty Rhodes, but ‘The Nature Boy’ believes in Cody Rhodes.
‘The American Nightmare’ became the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion by defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of night two of WrestleMania 40, but it was not without its bells and whistles. “The Bloodline Rules” bout between Reigns and Rhodes started off as a single affair until Jimmy Uso got the ball rolling with run-ins that featured the likes of Seth Rollins, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Rock and The Undertaker. However, it was Cody who delivered the final blow to ‘The Tribal Chief’ with three Cross Rhodes to become the new champ.
Flair was watching it all unfold somewhere else in Philly and was sure to congratulate ‘The Grandson Of A Plumber’ on a well-deserved win, despite ‘The Dirtiest Player In The Game’ not fully endorsing how he fully finished his story.
“Congrats To Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns 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 You! Cody, You Finally Lived Your Dad’s Dream! Love You All! WOOOOO! -Naitch”
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
While Rhodes had two full nights of WrestleMania, Flair also had a weekend full of signings at WrestleCon this year in downtown Philadelphia. Flair’s daughter Charlotte also made an appearance at the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday night.