[ad_1]
On the biggest night of the year for WWE, WrestleMania 40 delivered a show to remember. For the first time since the inception of the two-night event, Night 2 far outshined Night 1.
The reason for that was a hotter crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, totaling 72,755 fans in attendance, as well as a series of great matches under the bright lights.
As good as the night was, some won big while others will look back on Sunday with regret.
Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins to capture the World Heavyweight Championship, but his celebration did not last long. With an assist from CM Punk, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and became the new champion.
Bayley completed her journey back to the top, capturing the WWE Women’s Championship in a showstopper with Iyo Sky.
LA Knight made his Show of Shows debut with an emphatic victory over AJ Styles, and Logan Paul retained the United States Championship despite the best efforts of Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
The Pride and Last Testament went to war, and it was Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits who emerged victorious in dominant fashion over Karrion Kross and The Authors of Pain.
Nothing mattered more than the main event, though. Cody Rhodes finished his story, defeating Roman Reigns and ending The Bloodline’s reign of terror.
It was a fantastic night that truly lived up to the promised that WrestleMania 40 would be the “biggest WrestleMania of all time.”
The opener for Night 2 began with huge entrances and a big-fight feel. While Seth Rollins fought hard, he was no match for Drew McIntyre after going 45 minutes with The Bloodline on Night 1.
The Visionary lost the title that he elevated with steady defenses through 2023. It was a tough loss, his second in as many days.
However, as rough as it was for Rollins, McIntyre’s night was even worse. The Scot got a little too cocky while walking into a surprise attack from CM Punk and then a shocking cash-in by Damian Priest.
It was hard not to feel for McIntyre as much, as WWE sold that he talked his way into it. He just wanted to stand tall in front of a crowd as world champion.
Instead, Priest made him pay for getting a little too distracted under the bright lights.
The Judgment Day had a mixed Night 1. While Rhea Ripley retained against all-time great Becky Lynch, Finn Bálor and Damian Priest lost both the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships in a six-team ladder match.
However, The Punishment pushed the group back into the spotlight with a cash-in that finally made sense of his Money in the Bank victory.
Priest lost serious momentum at the start of 2024, when fans started to question if he would he even successfully cash in when it mattered.
While he did so at WrestleMania, he has a long road to travel in order to sell himself as the right man to carry the World Heavyweight Championship.
Priest has the biggest opportunity of his career, and the next few months will be entirely on him to sell his worth as a true main event talent.
He will certainly have multiple top names who challenge him as soon as the Raw after WrestleMania.
At the end of a surprisingly fun Philadelphia Street Fight, Karrion Kross was completely run over by The Pride.
The Final Testament sold this as the match that would put the stable on the map. Instead, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits reinforced their status as top guys in WWE.
The result almost felt like the company making a statement about Kross and, by extension, all of Final Testament’s future prospects.
Hopefully, WWE has not lost interest in the heel group so soon, but the signs are not positive for Kross, Scarlett or The Authors of Pain.
When AJ Styles first arrived in WWE, his first WrestleMania match was against Chris Jericho. Despite everyone pulling for The Phenomenal One, Y2J won in a forgettable contest for both men.
Styles made sure LA Knight did not have the same experience for his first ‘Mania match. He walked in with the momentum and need for a big victory, and he got all of it.
His match with The Phenomenal One was one of the best of the weekend, ending with a definitive clean victory for The Megastar.
It was an important moment that will hopefully push Knight into the spotlight. He might be the perfect man to dethrone Damian Priest.
The shine may be off Logan Paul as the surprise rookie, but WWE is still completely behind him as the future of the business.
Once again, his influencer friends played a key role in helping him beat anyone in his way. He survived both Randy Orton and Kevin Owens on The Grandest Stage of Them All with help from fellow YouTuber IShowSpeed.
If this wasn’t the moment to take the United States Championship off Paul, it’s not coming any time soon.
He is far from popular, so this may not sit well with many rooting against The Maverick, but his reign of terror is only beginning. He has been champion for longer than 150 days already.
The record in WWE is 351 days, which he is certain to pass. He may have a harder time passing the 523 days of Lex Luger in WCW, but that may be the ultimate goal.
Bayley has finally completed her journey back to the WWE Women’s Championship.
After a record-breaking women’s Royal Rumble victory, The Role Model was somewhat sidelined on the Road to WrestleMania. Luckily, when the lights were brightest, she and Iyo Sky performed at their absolute best.
Each year, the women have added an all-time great match to the division’s history at The Show of Shows. This time, it was The Role Model vs. The Genius of the Sky.
While Sky showcased why she should be respected as one of the best wrestlers of the current era, this was the night of Bayley.
With a special entrance, new music and a crowd fully behind her, she is a top woman in the business again and walks out of WrestleMania hotter than she has ever been before.
On WrestleMania 39 Night 2, Cody Rhodes sat in the middle of the ring and felt the weight of his failure. He was the clearest loser of the weekend after all his promises.
On WrestleMania 40 Night 1, he again sat in the middle of the ring, watching Roman Reigns and The Rock celebrate behind him. He was the biggest loser of the night, but there was a glimmer of hope. He had one last chance to win.
In the main event of Night 2, with all the odds and momentum against him, The American Nightmare made it all worthwhile, becoming the biggest winner of the last two WrestleManias.
He did it for his father, Dusty, as well as his entire family. He is the first Rhodes to win a WWE world championship. He is the first Rhodes who can call himself the true face of the business in WWE.
He made many promises along the way to this moment, and he is now the undisputed WWE universal champion. This is his chance to make good on every promise. He can be the face of WWE and the ultimate fighting world champion.
As a whole, this is even a major win for the WWE Universe. A fresh champion sets up fresh matchups and a more interesting immediate future for Raw and SmackDown.
[ad_2]
Source link