Category: WWE News & Results

WrestleMania 40 results: Mami still on top as Rhea Ripley outlasts Becky Lynch

It took a tremendous effort, but Rhea Ripley held off Becky Lynch in the opening match of WrestleMania 40.

The autobiography of Becky Lynch is a prominent element in her ring entrance, while Rhea Ripley gets a live performance of her theme as she heads down the very long ramp.

Lynch shows she’s not intimidated by the champ, slapping her in the face and hitting a missile dropkick. They head to the floor, where Becky has Rhea’s left arm targeted. A Northern Lights suplex is on target for Ripley when they return to the ring, and she gets the first two count.

Ripley earns another near fall with a suplex, looking comfortable with the pace. A dropkick from Rhea is on target, but Lynch pulls off an arm drag to yank Ripley down from the top rope.

Lynch uses the ropes for momentum to connect on a DDT, covering for another two count. Ripley ends up strung over the ropes, and Lynch hits a legdrop on her and continues by coming off the top rope to the back of Rhea’s neck, covering for yet another two.

Trying to fly off the top rope again, Lynch finds herself caught by Ripley, and a body slam is followed by a big knee to the face. Mami goes for the pin and hears the ref count to two.

Taken to the ground by the champ, Ripley has to struggle to avoid the Disarm-Her. Rhea figures the best way to escape is to pick Becky off the mat and slam her down, three times in a row to earn a near fall.

A big boot is next, with Rhea looking frustrated now that Becky won’t stay down. They trade blows and headbutts until Ripley misses a charge into the corner, and Lynch continues to torment her while she’s caught in the ropes.

Lynch lands another legdrop to the back of the neck, but Ripley answers with her standing crab submission, dragging Lynch to the middle of the ring and then falling back to keep her body weight engaged. Becky pivots so the champ’s shoulders are down, forcing her to release the hold.

Ripley’s Riptide is countered by a Manhandle Slam, yet Mami kicks out at two. Ripley hits the Riptide this time, looking incredulous when it’s not sufficient to end the match.

Looking for another way to finish things, Ripley goes up top but is quickly crotched by Becky. Lynch’s superplex lets her float over into the Disarm-Her, and Ripley looks to be in trouble. But she’s able to power to her feet, then flip over the top rope to the floor. Becky is still on the champ’s shoulders, but an electric chair drop crushes her.

Ripley hits a frog splash and now it’s Pat McAfee’s turn to be incredulous when it turns out to be a two count.

The battle heads up to the top rope again, but nothing too big occurs. You know what is big? A Riptide into the buckles, then another on the mat, allowing Ripley to finally bring this to a close. Mami retains, though it took everything she had to do it.

[lawrence-related id=47779]

WrestleMania 40 Night 1 results: All matches, winners from Philadelphia

Keep up with all the action from WrestleMania 40 Night 1 with results and live updates from Philadelphia.

The big day has finally arrived. The first of two big days, to be precise, as Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 invades Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. A completely sold-out crowd is expected to watch seven matches, culminating in what WWE is calling the biggest tag team match in WrestleMania history.

Considering the main event at WrestleMania I was a tag team match, that’s really a matter of opinion. There’s no question that it has real stakes, however, as it can shape the all important stipulation for the Night 2 main event.

Roman Reigns and The Rock have so far managed the two-alpha problem in The Bloodline just fine, and if they defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins tonight, they’ll ensure Reigns has Bloodline Rules on his side against Rhodes on Sunday night. That will certainly make Cody’s second chance at finishing his story a lot harder.

The main event has attracted the lion’s share of attention, but there are several other great matchups on Night 1. The expected opener, Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship, is definitely one of them. So, too, is the battle of brother between Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.

The Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match should also be a spectacle where any team can win — or maybe more than one team, since it appears the Raw and SmackDown titles could be separated again during the match. And we’ll see the bona fide debut of Jade Cargill, something fans have been anxiously awaiting.

We’ve got multiple people on the ground in Philadelphia, and we’re ready to get this rolling.

WrestleMania 40 Night 1 results from Philadelphia:

(please click on any match with a link to see full details)

  • Coco Jones performs “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the show
  • Triple H welcomes the crowd to a new era
  • Rhea Ripley def. Becky Lynch by pinfall to retain the Women’s World Championship
  • Pretty Deadly gives their own unique takes on the teams in the Six-Pack Ladder Match
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller and The Awesome Truth win the Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship; Theory and Waller grab the SmackDown titles, while R-Truth and The Miz grab the Raw titles
  • Andrade and Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar by pinfall, thanks in part to two masked figures who revealed themselves to be Philadelphia Eagles lineman Lane Johnson and recently retired center Jason Kelce
  • Jey Uso def. Jimmy Uso by pinfall
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi def. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors) by pinfall as Cargill pins Kai
  • Sami Zayn gets a visit from his family and Chad Gable, who tells him that “you’ve got this on your own” but also says “don’t forget, you owe me a favor”; he also gets some last second encouragement from Kevin Owens
  • Sami Zayn def. Gunther by pinfall to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion
  • Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce come to the ring to reveal tonight’s announced attendance: 72,543
  • The Rock and Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins by pinfall, meaning the Night 2 main event will be Bloodline Rules

Triple H sure sounds like he confirmed a 2024 WWE Draft for May

While appearing on Impaulsive, Triple H casually suggested the 2024 WWE Draft is on the way this spring.

It’s not quite WrestleMania weekend yet, but Triple H is already devoting at least part of his booker’s brain to what comes next. And apparently, that includes the next edition of the WWE Draft.

The 2023 WWE Draft took place a few weeks after WrestleMania 39 (after the previous three iterations were held in the fall), and it sounds like that might be the case again this year.

While appearing on the Impaulsive podcast, Triple H fielded a question from Logan Paul about whether he might be able to move from SmackDown to Raw once the Netflix deal to carry Raw kicked in. The WWE CCO promptly reminded him there’s a mechanism for that (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

I’m sure we’ll see people float all over places. There’s a thing called, in a month or so, there is a thing called the Draft. That’s when you can switch around and make moves.

“In a month or so” might turn out to be exactly right. The 2023 WWE Draft spanned the April 28 episode of SmackDown and the May 1 episode of Raw, with any roster moves taking effect starting on May 8.

If WWE takes a similar road this year, it would put the draft on April 26-29, or perhaps the following week on May 3-6. The company will undoubtedly publicize it ahead of time, so watch the next few weeks of Raw and SmackDown for more.

[lawrence-related id=47651,47711]

WWE WrestleMania 40 card: Both nights finalized

A look at the updated match card for WWE WrestleMania 40.

Anticipation is building for WWE’s grandest annual event, as it always brings massive hype. A month out, it seems fans know who will square off in some of the top matches of the two-day extravaganza at WrestleMania 40.

Bayley‘s Royal Rumble win propelled her to a title match at WrestleMania. While Rhea Ripley presented an intriguing matchup, once her Damage CTRL teammates turned on her, the Role Model chose to challenge IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship instead.

In a surprising turn of events, Cody Rhodes told Roman Reigns on the Feb. 2 episode of SmackDown that he would not challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. While it seemed like the logical continuation of Rhodes’ storyline, one wondered how much CM Punk’s injury changed WWE’s WrestleMania plans for the top title matches.

Nevertheless, Rhodes surprised the audience by bringing out The Rock to share a face-to-face moment with Reigns in the ring, closing the show. This comes just a month after the People’s Champion proclaimed on Raw that he would “sit at the head of the table.”

However, then came the WrestleMania Kickoff event in Las Vegas on Feb. 8. Rhodes, Reigns, The Rock and Seth Rollins were all billed for it, with a teaser that the American Nightmare made his decision on what he’ll do at WrestleMania despite what happened.

The Tribal Chief tried to take matters into his own hands at the Sin City show, declaring he’ll face the People’s Champion at WrestleMania. After a handshake agreement, Rhodes interrupted the festivities and told them he wanted Reigns at Lincoln Financial Field after all.

It sparked a fierce war of words, with The Rock snapping back at Rhodes and Rollins for talking about his family. Most comments were explicit and bleeped from the Peacock broadcast as the faces traded words with the Bloodline members.

For any questions about how definitive that event’s shenanigans were, Triple H confirmed on X that Reigns vs. Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Rollins got his own challenger at Elimination Chamber, when Drew McIntyre outlasted five other men to earn his world title shot. Becky Lynch did the same earlier on the show, and will take on Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship.

But that’s not all. After the events of the first few shows of March, a huge tag team match has been set for Night 1. Rhodes and Rollins will team together to face Reigns and The Rock with high stakes for Night 2: If Cody and Seth win, the Rhodes-Reigns rematch will be one-on-one, but if they lose the tag team match, that rematch will be fought under Bloodline Rules, meaning anything goes.

WrestleMania 40 goes down on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The full card looks set at this point, but we’ll update if needed all the way up to the weekend.

Latest update: April 5, 2024, 10:00 p.m. ET.

WWE WrestleMania 40 card:

Night 1:

  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch – Women’s World Championship match
  • Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
  • The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) – Six-Pack Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship (possible for the Raw and SmackDown titles to be split if two different teams retrieve them)
  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage Control (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors)
  • Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar
  • Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock – If Rhodes and Rollins win, then all members of The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during Rhodes’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns on Night 2; however, if Reigns and Rock win, then the championship match will be Bloodline Rules

Night 2:

  • Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre – World Heavyweight Championship match
  • IYO SKY (c) vs. Bayley – WWE Women’s Championship match
  • LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
  • Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton – WWE United States Championship match
  • The Pride (Bobby Lashley and Street Profits) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross and Authors of Pain) – Six-Man Philadelphia Street Fight
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match, stipulation TBD

[lawrence-related id=45058]

WrestleMania Saturday card: All matches scheduled for night 1

Here are all the matches to look for on WrestleMania Saturday, April 6 in Philadelphia.

Even though the rematch from WrestleMania 39 is going to legitimately close the show for WrestleMania 40 on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field, there’s still plenty at stake on WrestleMania Saturday.

Multiple championships are up for grabs on night 1, including a highly anticipated Women’s World Championship bout between Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch. Gunther will also try to continue his record-setting run with the WWE Intercontinental Championship while Sami Zayn tries to defy the odds and take that title from the Ring General.

The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship may not stay that way by the end of the night, as a Six-Pack Ladder Match has the potential to split up the Raw and SmackDown titles. And even some of the non-title matches have big emotional hooks, as we’ll see brother vs. brother when Jey and Jimmy Uso fight, as well as father vs. son in the LWO vs. Legado Del Fantasma (with Dirty Dom) tag team match.

The action begins at 7 p.m. ET on April 6, preceded by a two-hour Countdown to WrestleMania pre-show on Peacock. Here’s everything to expect when you tune in for WrestleMania Saturday.

WWE WrestleMania 40 Saturday card:

  • Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock – If Rhodes and Rollins win, then all members of The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during Rhodes’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns on Night 2; however, if Reigns and Rock win, then the championship match will be Bloodline Rules
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch – Women’s World Championship match
  • Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
  • The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) – Six-Pack Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane)
  • Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar

[lawrence-related id=47609,47575,47531]

WrestleMania SmackDown results 04/05/24: Jey Uso gets help from Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins

The Andre the Giant Battle Royal also produced a big winner at WrestleMania SmackDown from Philadelphia.

In unscripted sports, the idea of a tune-up game or match is a real thing. Think a boxer fighting an unranked journeyman prior to a big title fight, or Ohio State playing Akron in football before it heads to Michigan. Not in WWE, though, which subjects its stars to gut-wrenching, emotional contests the night before the Showcase of the Immortals, like tonight on WrestleMania SmackDown in Philadelphia.

Case in point: Jey Uso, who is going to take on his twin brother Jimmy Saturday at WrestleMania 40. If pro wrestling was a shoot, there’s approximately a 0% chance Jey would spend the night before battling it out against his younger but bigger brother, Solo Sikoa.

Why would you put yourself through the mental anguish and physical abuse? You wouldn’t. Yet here we are, and honestly it should be very entertaining.

Hopefully the same can be said about the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. It was a pretty cool idea once upon a time, a way to honor a one-of-a-kind WWE icon and get some additional people on the WrestleMania card. The winner gets a big trophy and everything.

Alas, WrestleMania got too big and popular to have filler matches, even intriguing ones like this, so it got shunted to SmackDown. There are worse fates; a strong argument could be made that this is better placement for the Andre than on the WrestleMania pre-show, when everyone is getting food and taking their last bathroom break before the Show of Shows gets rolling in earnest.

But still.

Anyway, this is all to say that while no one can wait for tomorrow night at Lincoln Financial Field, what’s happening tonight at Wells Fargo Center should also be fun. Let’s see if that’s the case.

WrestleMania SmackDown results from Philadelphia:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • A hype video for WrestleMania narrated by Meek Mill gets you … well, hype
  • The KO Show welcomes Randy Orton, and when they both get mocked by Logan Paul, they decide to head across the street to pursue him
  • Bronson Reed wins the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, last eliminating Ivar
  • A highlight video replays the end of Raw, with The Bloodline beating the crap out of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
  • Karrion Kross says he targeted Bobby Lashley to teach him humility, scoffing at the idea that Lashley was left out of WrestleMania last year for any reason other than WWE not wanting him in it; Kross also says The Final Testament will win on Sunday, etc.
  • Now Logan Paul is in the building, thinking he’s outsmarted KO and Orton but quickly learning he’s wrong
  • The LWO discovers Dragon Lee has been laid out backstage
  • Elektra Lopez def. Zelina Vega by pinfall with lots of help from Legado Del Fantasma and Dominik Mysterio; Andrade is also out there but he reveals his true colors by standing with the LWO
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi are ready for WrestleMania
  • Jey Uso is fired up and wants to hear some yeets before he tangles with his big little brother
  • Rey Mysterio gets some bad news: Dragon Lee can’t compete at WrestleMania; Andrade says he’ll step up and team with Rey, so that seems official
  • New Catch Republic def. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller by pinfall, but both teams immediately get jumped by The Judgment Day after the bell
  • A hype video for Bayley takes us through her history with Damage CTRL and how it’s led to her showdown with IYO SKY, who also gives her side of the story
  • LA Knight cuts a short but passionate promo ahead of his WrestleMania grudge match with AJ Styles
  • The Pride says they will finish things with The Final Testament in the Street Fight
  • Jey Uso def. Solo Sikoa by DQ due to interference by Jimmy Uso, but Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins come to the rescue and Cody gets to cut one last pre-WrestleMania promo

The KO Show welcomes Randy Orton, who agrees with KO to go after Logan Paul

Like we’ve been saying for a bit, even if Owens and Orton aren’t BFFs, the one thing that unites them is their intense dislike for Logan Paul. Speak of the devil, he interrupts from the WrestleMania XL stage, mocking both of his challengers.

Owens and Orton realize together that Lincoln Financial Field is right across the parking lot and decide to head over there. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller pop out from under the ring and run after them, probably because they were supposed to attack KO and Randy in the ring.

We then see Owens and Orton get in a golf cart to roll over to The Linc, with Theory and Waller chasing them on foot.

Now Logan Paul is in the building, but his plan has gone awry

Guess Owens and Orton never caught up with Paul at the football stadium, as he’s now back at Wells Fargo Center. He gets right to work making fun of both them and the denizens of Philadelphia. As one does, if one is a heel.

Paul brags about playing 4D chess and says Theory and Waller will successfully ambush our heroes. He throws it to the Linc, where A-Town Down Under is perplexed as Owens and Orton are nowhere to be found.

“Did you do a thorough search?” Of course they did not, as Owens and Orton sneak into the ring. A Stunner and an RKO are quick to follow. Think this definitely means Paul is winning Sunday, but we shall see.

Bianca Belair, Naomi and Jade Cargill are ready for WrestleMania

Belair has a little Cowboy Carter going on tonight as she reminds us that she has the longest history of fighting back against Damage CTRL. It’s time to stop them for good, which is possible now that Naomi is here, and they agree that they needed each other.

But they’re still outnumbered, so it’s good they have someone new on their side: the new-EST SmackDown superstar, Jade Cargill. She’s dressed like a cowboy too, and gives Damage CTRL a shoutout for giving her the opportunity to show the WWE Universe what she’s all about.

The Big 3 will show everyone why “there is no Damage CTRL.” Asuka, Kairi and Dakota are now in the eye of the storm, and the three faces point at the WrestleMania sign again.

Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa ends in hijinks, and Cody Rhodes has the last word before WrestleMania

Well, it doesn’t start well for Jey as Solo smashes him into the apron, but that’s about all we get before commercials.

Will he fight back to the point where the crowd can yeet? Come on, of course.

A hip attack by Jey allows him to cover for two. There are eight minutes left in the show, but you feel like a few minutes might be reserved for hijinks.

Sikoa hits a Samoan Drop, but his Samoan Spike attempt is countered with a superkick and a spear. Jey’s Uso Splash is on target and WHAT DID WE TELL YOU? Jimmy Uso attacks and breaks up the pin.

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins hustle down to the ring, and now that Solo and Jimmy are down, Rhodes removes his weight belt and gets in a few shots. Jey won’t let Jimmy escape, and he ends up getting rolled back into the ring to eat a Cross Rhodes, a belt shot from Rollins and an Uso Splash.

Cody grabs a mic and asks if everyone can feel the 40 years of WrestleMania history. Tomorrow night, he and Seth will slap the Final Boss so hard his soul will lift out of his body and he’ll remember what it’s like to be The People’s Champion. On Sunday (Sunday! Sunday!), Cody says he’ll dethrone the Tribal Chief.

The fans start a “Cody” chant as he says he’s fighting for everyone who’s ever had a dream. After all, when one story ends, an even better one begins.

Trick Williams on main event with Carmelo Hayes: ‘This is what Melo and I set out to do a long time ago’

“It sucks that this is how we had to get here.” Trick Williams didn’t know he’d end up facing Carmelo Williams but isn’t surprised either.

Philadelphia, Pa. — Success stories don’t always happen instantly. For some, it takes longer to achieve the dream they are seeking to make a reality. That couldn’t ring more true for those looking to make it to the top of the mountain in WWE. Not everyone is a natural like Kurt Angle.

You could put Trick Williams into the category of the thousands who had to grind and put in the hard work as he headlines WWE NXT’s marquee event, NXT Stand & Deliver, on Saturday against former best friend and running mate Carmelo Hayes.

The 29-year-old Williams debuted in NXT in September 2021 alongside Hayes as part of Trick Melo Gang, though Hayes was a more developed and more relatable character than his counterpart. It felt like Williams was the Diesel to Hayes’ Shawn Michaels.

But then, little by little, one could see Williams improving in the ring and his promos getting better, and the crowd took notice. Williams took off quicker than a firecracker and is undoubtedly the biggest star on the NXT brand, to the point where his popular “Whoop That Trick” catchphrase was said loudly during a recent promo by The Rock.

“I think just consistency, hard work, opportunity,” Williams told Wrestling Junkie in explaining this newfound phenomenon. “Shoutout to Shawn Michaels. When hard work meets preparation and opportunity, explosive things can happen. I think that’s what happened to me, and having great opponents like IIja Dragunov, Dijak, Josh Briggs and Bron Breakker put me on a platform and let the people see I can do this at a very high level.

“My first match with IIja Dragunov at Heatwave (August 2023) is where it all started clicking for me. I remember just being in a fight for 15 minutes. It was just literally a fight. I wasn’t thinking too much out there, not worrying about anything. The people could feel it and got behind. Even in a loss, they knew this is who I am, and this is who I can be.”

Typically at WWE main roster and NXT premium live events, the main event is a title match. Not at Stand & Deliver, where the Williams vs. Hayes grudge match takes the headlining position after the latter turned on the former at NXT Vengeance Day in February.

Now, the two biggest stars on the black and gold brand will duke it out for the ultimate supremacy. Being in this spot is something Williams always envisioned with Hayes, but not under this circumstance of having to stand across the ring from him.

“Honestly, this was the goal,” Williams admitted. “This is what Melo and I set out to do a long time ago. We said, ‘We are main eventers.’

“[Now], I’m a main eventer. I guess we knew at the time either one of us was lying, or it was going to come down to this. So it’s good to see we are both getting what we want out of this. It sucks that this is how we had to get here.”

[lawrence-related id=47677]

WrestleMania 40 guide for lapsed fans: Get up to speed quickly for WrestleMania

Hello there. If you’re reading this article, it’s probably because you know WrestleMania 40 is this weekend and WWE is hot again right now. There are all kinds of people who have watched in the past who are wandering back into pro wrestling in …

Hello there. If you’re reading this article, it’s probably because you know WrestleMania 40 is this weekend and WWE is hot again right now. There are all kinds of people who have watched in the past who are wandering back into pro wrestling in general, but there’s no question that this weekend’s event in Philadelphia is the biggest draw.

Maybe it’s caught your eye because The Rock is back. Maybe you just have friends excited about this year’s show and decided you should dive back in too and see what all the fuss is about.

But now you have a dilemma: You haven’t watched WWE in quite some time, and while some of the faces are familiar, you have no idea what’s going on outside the broadest of strokes. You can’t go to a friend’s house and watch WrestleMania and not know what you’re talking about, right?

We agree that’s less than ideal, but no worries. We’re glad you’re here and very excited you’ve chosen this point in time to reacquaint yourself with WWE. And we’re going to help you with this WrestleMania 40 guide for lapsed fans. It’s a primer that you can read and feel good about knowing the most important storylines and subplots going into this weekend’s Showcase of Immortals, presented in the time-honored FAQ style.

Let’s jump in!

It’s true. Cody Rhodes did his best to topple Roman Reigns last year in Los Angeles, riding a wave of fan support based on his compelling personal narrative: He wants to win the world championship his late, great father Dusty Rhodes never could. It was a surprise when he left WrestleMania 39 without the title, and lots of people wondered where he’d go from there.

What’s happened since then could fill an entire 1000-word article, but we’ll do the TL;DR version. Rhodes won the Royal Rumble in January, putting him in position to challenge Reigns again. Then The Rock became available, allowing WWE to do the Rock vs. Reigns match it reportedly wanted to do each of the last two years. But fans revolted and WWE was listening — something much more possible with Triple H now in charge of the company’s creative direction instead of the deposed Vince McMahon.

So The Rock turned heel and aligned himself with Reigns. That ended up giving WWE two huge matches for this weekend, as Rhodes and Seth Rollins will take on The Rock and Reigns on Saturday. If the good guys win, Reigns’ group, The Bloodline, won’t be able to interfere in the Sunday night match (as they did last year). If Rock and Reigns win Saturday, it’s Bloodline Rules on Sunday, meaning anything goes. The Rock has already promised to interfere liberally if that’s the case.

Call it the ultimate case of pivoting on the fly and landing somewhere better. The end result is a rematch from last year, yes, but with a lot more going on.

You’re really going to doubt The Rock? Actually, that’s a valid question, because it’s been 11 years since he last had a full WWE match (against John Cena at WrestleMania 29), and he suffered multiple injuries in that one. He was 40 then and is nearing 52 now.

Fortunately, both he and WWE know this, so they’ve taken some pretty impressive measures to get him ready. Also, he’ll be in a tag team match, which can be carefully plotted to avoid him having to go for like, 10 minutes straight. He’s also one of the best to ever do this. He’ll probably be fine.

Plenty. In fact, one of the reasons WWE has been firing on all cylinders again is due to the fact that it’s really been nailing the storytelling up and down the roster. The women’s championship matches for WrestleMania 40 both fall in that category.

The match that’s expected to kick off the show on Saturday features Rhea Ripley, the Australian Women’s World Champion who has become arguably the most popular woman in the company over the past year, against Becky Lynch. What’s fun about their dynamic is that Lynch has accomplished almost everything worth doing in the industry, but she still feels like an underdog because of Ripley’s incredible power and presence. They should get things off to a great start.

Some of the same undertones are in play during the Sunday title bout, where IYO SKY will defend her WWE Women’s Championship against Bayley. In this case it’s more pupil vs. teacher, as Bayley included IYO in her Damage CTRL group and helped her on her way to become champion. Alas, once IYO’s friends Asuka and Kairi Sane joined the team, they effectively started a coup and gave poor Bayley the boot — while turning her face in the process. A Bayley victory would cap this long-running tale and be very popular.

There are several, but two stand out for different reasons. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, the brothers who just happen to be one of the greatest tag teams of all time, have been important parts of the sags involving Reigns and The Bloodline over the past two years. They went their separate ways since last year’s WrestleMania, with Jey heading to Raw and pursuing a singles career while Jimmy stayed loyal to Roman and remained with The Bloodline on SmackDown.

Now they will face off this Saturday in a rare WrestleMania bout between brothers (it’s happened only twice before). Along with his surging popularity in his own right, Jey is tapping into some real Star Wars vibes here, even recording a “there’s still good in Jim” video this week. Except for the main events, this figures to be the most emotional match during the whole weekend.

Then for pure spectacle, there’s a six-team Ladder match for the men’s tag team titles that figures to be chaotic and wonderful. There’s also a chance that the two tag team championships, which have been unified for a while and we won’t get into here, could be split back up again in the process.

There’s certainly a chance for any or all of them to make an appearance, though nothing that’s been confirmed at the moment. John Cena has made multiple teases about doing something, then he posted something on Instagram Friday that made it seem like he was suggesting Stone Cold Steve Austin would show up. It wouldn’t be surprising if they appeared in some capacity, as it’s hard to bill something as the biggest WrestleMania of all time (though WWE tends to do that every year) and not have some of its top legends involved.

The most popular fan theory is that Rhodes and Rollins will lose their tag team match Saturday, meaning the very real threat of The Bloodline simply overrunning Cody on Sunday will loom over his match. When that happens, however, Cena, Austin and maybe The Undertaker will come to even the odds, kind of like all the heroes popping out of the portals in the climax of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Could that happen? Sure, and it would send the fans at the Linc into pandemonium if it does. For now, it’s just a theory.

It would hardly be a WrestleMania without stars from adjacent areas of sports and pop culture, right? Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill will be on hand, and will likely perform a song at some point. Lil Wayne is also going to be in Philly and has suggested he will debut a new track at WrestleMania. R&B star Coco Jones has been announced as the national anthem singer on Saturday night as well.

There have also been reports that Jason Kelce, the popular and recently retired All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles center, has been approached to appear. He likes wrestling and has the oversized personality for it, plus he’d get a crazy reaction from the fans in Philly, so it makes perfect sense.

We’ve already discussed The Rock, and we’d be worried indeed if you didn’t know him.

As for other performers you should recognize even after an extended absence, let’s do it this way …

If you’ve been away from WWE for five years …

There has been some turnover since WrestleMania 35, to be sure, but still plenty of talent will be in Philly who were also at the Meadowlands in 2019. Among them are The Miz, who will be in the six-team ladder match Saturday, and AJ Styles, who is set for a grudge match against LA Knight.

Drew McIntyre challenged Reigns five years ago but will hope for a better outcome when he tries to win the World Heavyweight Championship this year from Rollins on Sunday night.

If you’ve been away from WWE for 10 years …

We talked about Rollins, who was still part of The Shield alongside Reigns back at WrestleMania XXX. There’s also Naomi, taking part in a six-person tag match this year on a team with Bianca Belair and much-hyped newcomer (to WWE, anyway) Jade Cargill.

If you’ve been away from WWE for 20 years …

Believe it or not, there are several other wrestlers on the card other than The Rock who competed at WrestleMania XX in 2004. Randy Orton will be part of a three-way match for the United States Championship, while Rey Mysterio will team with Dragon Lee to take on his son, Dominik, and Santos Escobar.

Cody Rhodes says his tour bus caught fire last night, everyone OK

It was likely a bit of a scare for Cody Rhodes on Thursday night, but thankfully everyone on the bus is safe.

When you’re preparing for the biggest weekend of your pro wrestling career, the last thing you need is unexpected misfortune. Life threw one at Cody Rhodes Thursday night, but fortunately it all turned out fine.

The American Nightmare took to social media today to reveal that his tour bus caught fire Thursday, but that everyone was OK. He thanked the Philadelphia Fire Department and joked that the things he grabbed off the bus before he evacuated “will probably pop wrestling fans,” though he didn’t say what those were.

Appropriately, the comments section of his post is filled with fans and other accounts (like that of USA Network, which broadcasts Raw) expressing their relief that everyone on the bus is safe.

Rhodes has a busy schedule during WrestleMania week, one that comes with being the biggest fan favorite star in WWE. He’s been doing a ton of media and also made an appearance at the WWE World fan event yesterday.

He could probably do with less unscheduled distractions like this one, however, as he’s pulling double duty at Lincoln Financial Field this weekend. Rhodes will team with Seth Rollins to take on Roman Reigns and The Rock on Saturday night, then turn right around and face Reigns solo in the last match of the evening on Sunday.

In any case, we echo the sentiments of the wrestling community in saying we’re glad Cody and everyone with him is fine, and hope that nothing else of this nature pops up over the next 48 hours.

[lawrence-related id=47704,47688,47669]

WrestleMania 40 night 1 rumored match order: Rhea vs. Becky to open the show

See which match is said to be kicking off WrestleMania 40 as night 1 arrives on Saturday.

The wait is almost over. WrestleMania 40 is set to light up Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia this weekend, drawing sellout crowds both nights to the home of the NFL’s Eagles. The card has been set for a while now, but fans are still curious about the match order.

For night 1, the main event is set as Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will battle The Rock and Roman Reigns in what WWE is billing as the biggest tag team match of all time. The stakes involved are real: If Cody and Seth win, The Bloodline will be banned from ringside when Rhodes faces Reigns on night 2, but a Rock and Reigns victory mean that Sunday match will be contested under Bloodline Rules.

With that match going on last, the question is how the rest of Saturday night will shape up in front of it. In his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer says he knows what the plans are, with the caveat that it’s subject to change.

WrestleMania 40 night 1 rumored match order:

  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch – Women’s World Championship match
  • Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) (c) vs. #DIY vs. The Awesome Truth vs. The New Day vs. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller vs. New Catch Republic
  • LWO (Andrade and Rey Mysterio) vs. Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar
  • Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors)
  • Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
  • Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and The Rock) – If Rhodes and Rollins win, The Bloodline is banned from ringside for the night 2 main event; if The Bloodline wins, the night 2 main event is Bloodline Rules

[lawrence-related id=47692,47655]