Randy Orton – Syndication Server

Logan Paul def. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from Logan Paul’s WrestleMania 40 victory over Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in Philadelphia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag]’s victory over [autotag]Kevin Owens[/autotag] and [autotag]Randy Orton[/autotag] to retain the United States Title at WrestleMania 40, which took place April 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

WrestleMania 40 results: Logan Paul outfoxes KO, RKO for prime victory

The odds were against him, but Logan Paul retained his United States Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Always one to make an entrance, Logan Paul rides to the ring on a giant Prime bottle in the back of an enormous six-wheeled Prime truck. A Prime bottle mascot also bops down the ramp, and we’ll see if it’s once again KSI.

Sami Zayn greets Kevin Owens on the way out the curtain with a simple message: “Your turn now.” He walks out, sees the Prime truck, goes back and gets a “KO” golf cart and crotch chops the truck.

When Randy Orton is ready for his entrance, Owens backs up the cart and offers the Viper a ride. Randy can be seen telling KO to slow down as they fly down the ramp.

Paul is being chased by both challengers right off the bat, and he finds no refuge out on the floor. The Prime Hydration Station is in the line of fire as well, but when the fight returns to the ring, Paul pushed Owens into Orton and tries to get them to turn on each other.

Narrator: It does not work.

Alas, Orton sees a chance to go for an RKO on Owens and is sheepish when Owens fights it off. They discuss it briefly and decide to start throwing hands. Paul naturally takes advantage of the other two fighting and moves in to try to pick their bones, one at a time.

Owens gets both of the others into one corner, hitting a double cannonball. He tries for a Swanton but Paul gets his knees up.

Pau connects on his own Swanton, then rolls through to splash Orton for a near fall. Logan and Randy start trading uppercuts, with the champ getting the best of the exchange.

But Paul ends up getting tossed to the floor, leaving Orton free to powerslam KO. Paul wants a Buckshot, but his unsure footing allows Orton the time to powerslam him too.

Orton hits the vintage DDT on both of his foes, but they recover quickly for a sequence of counters, leading to a Codebreaker on Orton and senton on Paul that gives Owens a near fall. To the corner they go, with KO eventually hitting a moonsault on Paul for a two count.

Orton hits an RKO on Owens and it’s still not enough. Now it’s a right hand from Paul with the brass knux, and the Maverick is befuddled when Orton kicks out at 2.99. Owens tries to come back in and gets hit by two brass knux shots.

Picking Orton back up, Paul wants a big swing with the knux and eats an RKO instead. The Prime battle unmasks, but it’s not KSI this time, it’s IShowSpeed. Orton is unamused and kicks him, strips the bottle costume off him and RKOs him on the announce table.

The distraction did its job, though, as Paul sneaks up and runs Orton into the post. Owens has recovered as well, hitting Paul with a Popup Powerbomb and Orton with a Stunner, and he covers Randy for two.

Orton counters a Popup Powerbomb with an RKO, but he’s quickly thrown to the floor. Paul hits a frog splash and covers Orton, and that’s enough to finally finish things.

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WWE Money in the Bank winners — Every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in

Check out the complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in.

Originally the brainchild of Chris Jericho, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has gone from being an entertaining gimmick match to one of the most anticipated subplots of any WWE calendar year. It’s changed and expanded to multiple brands and the women’s division, and become the focus of its own event, joining the likes of WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam as one of the most important that WWE puts on.

At its core, however, is a simple and compelling idea: Whoever outfights and outwits a group of hungry competitors and grabs the namesake briefcase has a guaranteed title shot they can use any time, any place, for one year. It’s the WWE’s equivalent of a golden ticket, and the anticipation for when a briefcase might get cashed in has become drama in its own right.

As Money in the Bank has risen in prominence, its history has grown as well. Let’s take a look at a complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including how the winners fared when they eventually cashed in their contracts.

Last updated on April 7, 2024.

WrestleMania 40 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes gets the help he needs to defeat Roman Reigns

See how WrestleMania 40 came to its conclusion with all the results from Night 2.

When last we saw Cody Rhodes, he was looking glum. And why not? He and Seth Rollins had just lost the most significant tag team match in WrestleMania history, one that made the likelihood of Rhodes never hearing the phrase “finish the story” again that much more unlikely.

But that was Saturday and this is Sunday, and there’s still hope that Rhodes can regain control of his narrative in the main event of WrestleMania Night 2 in Philadelphia. He’ll have to overcome Roman Reigns despite the match being contested under Bloodline Rules, which means The Rock, fresh off scoring the pinfall on Night 1, is virtually guaranteed to get involved.

Fighting back will probably mean getting some help, whether it’s from the likes of Jey Uso and Sami Zayn or WWE legends who have a bone to pick with Reigns and The Rock. There’s also a chance Reigns may have an ace up his sleeve, but however it plays out, it should be wild and entertaining.

It might not be as enjoyable for Rollins, seeing as he has to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against a very locked in Drew McIntyre. Will the Scottish Warrior win the title he craves and be able to let the world know his way was the right way?

Another emotional high point should be the WWE Women’s Championship match between IYO SKY and Bayley. While fans are heavily invested in Cody’s journey, they’ve become quite attached to Bayley’s narrative as well. It’s hard to not relate to people you thought you could trust stabbing you in the back, and while that’s standard pro wrestling fare at this point, it’s become especially poignant in the case of Damage CTRL.

We’re ready with people in the press box at the Linc, in the crowd and watching at home, so let’s do this.

WrestleMania 40 Night 2 results from Philadelphia:

(please tap or click on any match with a link for full details)

Damage CTRL and Bayley are shown entering the stadium earlier today
The War and Treaty sing “America the Beautiful” to kick things off
Stephanie McMahon is introduced, putting over the specialness of WrestleMania, touting the work of Triple H and generally getting the fans excited
Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins by pinfall to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, but …
… while McIntyre is mocking CM Punk on commentary, Punk removes his arm brace and smashes him with it; Damian Priest runs down, hits McIntyre with his briefcase and cashes in his MITB briefcase, then hits the South of Heaven and pins McIntyre to become the new World Heavyweight Champion
Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits def. The Final Testament by pinfall in a Six-Man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight, with Snoop Dogg on commentary and Bubba Ray Dudley as special guest referee
Logan Paul is shown doing push-ups in his locker room; we then see a highlight package of the Night 1 main event
Paul Heyman tells Kayla Braxton that Bloodline Rules means no DQ, no count-outs and there has to be a definitive finish, but also suggests it’s really whatever Roman Reigns, The Rock and Heyman decide they are
LA Knight is shown pulling up to the ring in the Slim Jim car; he then hands the keys to the car to the sweepstakes winner by ringside
LA Knight def. AJ Styles by pinfall
Logan Paul def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton by pinning Orton to retain the WWE United States Championship
Bayley def. IYO SKY by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Champion
Snoop Dogg and the Philadelphia Eagles reveal the announced attendance: 72,755 for Night 2 and 145,298 total for the two nights
Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns by pinfall in a Bloodline Rules match to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, in a match that also involved both Usos, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Rock, “Shield era” Seth Rollins and The Undertaker
Rhodes celebrates in the ring after his victory with Brandi, his mom and many of the faces, including Cena, Zayn, Owens, Orton, Knight, Jey Uso and more …
… Cody gets on the mic and says he’s surrounded by greatness but wants to thank both Bruce Prichard and Triple H

Kevin Owens feels ‘very lucky’ for WrestleMania moments, still has 1 more in mind

KO is grateful for the big WrestleMania matches he’s had, but there’s one legend he’d still love to face.

Philadelphia, Pa. — Naturals inside the pro wrestling ring are far few and far between. Normally, it takes years to perfect the craft. You can count on one hand in terms of how many people it just clicked for instantaneously. In the past, fans have often only brought up Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. You can add Logan Paul to the list as he defends the United States Championship against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton tonight at Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 from Lincoln Financial Field.

Paul had his first WWE match two years ago at WrestleMania 38 when he teamed with The Miz to defeat Rey and Dominik Mysterio, and the social media influencer and part-time boxer shined in the contest. Since then, he’s signed a multi-year deal with the pro wrestling giant and has stood out in performances against current WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who Paul faced at last year’s WrestleMania 39. It’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by one of the foes he’s about to face.

“There’s a lot that can be said about him and stuff he’s done,” Owens told Wrestling Junkie. “As far as wrestling goes, you can’t deny how much he cares, how much of himself he gives, and he really respects what we do. Right off the get-go, that makes it a lot easier for us to be accepting of him being in our locker room and being on our shows. But he is an insufferable human being, don’t get me wrong. There’s something very special about being able to beat the crap out of him.

“He grew up as a YouTuber or a Viner or social media. You know, social media makes people … worse. I’m done with that stuff. As great as it can be, it’s so toxic to me. This guy [Paul] grew up making a living on it, so it’s a product of his environment.”

The 39-year-old Owens has been on a great run at the last three editions of WrestleMania. At WrestleMania 38, he headlined Night 1 against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who was returning for his first match in 19 years. That was followed up last year at WrestleMania 39 by once again main eventing Night 1, when he teamed with fellow Canadian and best friend Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles from The Usos.

While not on the top of the marquee, Owens is in a prominent position with a legend in Orton and one of the biggest mainstream names in the world in Paul. Having these moments at pro wrestling’s biggest annual event isn’t lost on the former WWE Universal champion.

“I’m fortunate to be around so many people that I looked up to for so long and getting to work with them,” Owens admitted. “Steve was actually the epitome of that for me, obviously. If I can get Shawn Michaels to wrestle me at WrestleMania … I bother him every year and he’s staunchly against it. But I’ll keep bothering him. It’s very unlikely.

“But I’ve been very lucky. I would have never thought I’d get to wrestle Stone Cold. let alone at WrestleMania, so maybe this Shawn Michaels [match] isn’t so out of the realm of possibility.”

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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.

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 …

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.

WWE WrestleMania SmackDown preview 04/05/24: Andre the Giant Battle Royal and more

We’ll also see Jey Uso battle his other brother, Solo Sikoa, on WrestleMania SmackDown from Philadelphia.

There was a time, not long ago, actually, when the Andre the Giant Battle Royal was part of WrestleMania itself. That’s no longer the case, but it does give the WrestleMania SmackDown episode we’re about to see tonight from Philadelphia something interesting as its centerpiece.

Who will win the Andre trophy?

Heck, who is even in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal? We don’t know just yet, but there’s a chance to make some history as it’s the 10th edition of this particular battle royal. And you know WWE loves it some anniversaries.

The Six-Pack Ladder Match and multi-person brawl between The Pride and The Final Testament have removed some of the potential candidates to win this from contention, unless there are people in it who also have a WrestleMania match. Otherwise, people like the members of Alpha Academy figure to have a shot, as do JD McDonagh and Ricochet.

Jey Uso has to fight another brother

As emotional as his battle against his twin brother Jimmy will be at WrestleMania, it’s not going to be easy sledding for Jey Uso on SmackDown either. That’s because Jey has to take on his not-so-little brother Solo Sikoa, and that’s no yeet.

(Sorry.)

Will the Enforcer of The Bloodline soften Jey up and make him vulnerable for Saturday night, or can Jey take some important momentum into the Showcase of the Immortals?

Will Logan Paul crash the KO Show?

Logan Paul has a serious issue when it comes to defending his United States Championship. While Kevin Owens and Randy Orton may not be best buds, they dislike the Maverick a lot more than they do each other.

That’s definitely a problem, but it’s one that Paul can turn to his potential advantage tonight. See, Orton will be the guest on The KO Show in Philadelphia, and if there’s one thing that tends to happen under those circumstances, it’s distrust being sown. Maybe Paul can do that here so that it doesn’t feel like a handicap match on Sunday.

WrestleMania SmackDown card for Philadelphia:

Andre the Giant Battle Royal
Randy Orton is the guest on The KO Show
Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez
New Catch Republic vs. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller
Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa

We’re so, so close to WrestleMania 40 but still have this one final SmackDown to get through, and it should be a fun one. Join us back here at Wrestling Junkie for live results and updates starting at 8 p.m. ET.

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WrestleMania night 2 card: All matches confirmed for April 7

A look at WWE’s match card for night 2 of WrestleMania 40.

Once again, WrestleMania takes place over two electrifying nights. Set to unfold from April 6 to 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, this year’s event promises to be a spectacle, spotlighting WWE’s top talents and culminating the year’s top storylines.

Night 1’s main event has implications for night 2’s headlining match, Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Should Rhodes and Seth Rollins emerge victorious, all members of The Bloodline will be banned from ringside on night 2. However, should Reigns and Rock win, the championship match will be Bloodline Rules.

Rollins will also compete on night 2, defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre. While the spotlight has focused on the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, don’t overlook this match, as it stands among the weekend’s top bouts. The Architect puts his near-year-long title reign on the line against a superstar riding a wave of momentum, both in the ring and on the microphone, and though this won’t main event, it should prove noteworthy.

With Damage CTRL ousting her from the group, Bayley will use her Royal Rumble win by challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. It’s an opportunity for Bayley to receive a moment years in the making, and Philadelphia could be where she shines.

Recall when AJ Styles flew around the world to cost LA Knight a WrestleMania title match? After weeks of escalating tensions, the stage is set for these two to clash and settle the score once and for all.

WrestleMania night 2 goes down on Sunday, April 7 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Latest update: April 1, 2024, 9:53 p.m. ET.

WWE WrestleMania 40 Night 2 card:

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre – World Heavyweight Championship match
IYO SKY (c) vs. Bayley – WWE Women’s Championship match
Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton – WWE United States Championship match
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits vs. The Final Testament – Philadelphia Street Fight

[lawrence-related id=47493]

WWE SmackDown results 03/29/24: The Jade Cargill era has arrived

Another thing to watch for on SmackDown: Which tag teams will win their way into the Six-Pack Ladder match at WrestleMania?

As I count myself among them, I feel comfortable saying this: Wrestling fans aren’t always the most patient bunch. A not insignificant percentage of them have been clamoring for the debut of Jade Cargill, for instance, and that’s finally happening tonight on WWE SmackDown in Uncasville, Conn.

WWE clearly was in no hurry to rush the former AEW champion into the fray, despite an impressive debut earlier this year at Royal Rumble. Part of it was likely getting Cargill used to the WWE style of in-ring work, given that she’s still not super experienced compared to many of the company’s other wrestlers.

But the other part was making sure Jade could have the proper impact at a time when storytelling is so strong up and down the card, so it will be interesting to see what’s been cooked up for her.

There seems to be a logical foil for her in Damage CTRL, which still has a lot of power on SmackDown between IYO SKY and the Kabuki Warriors. Could we see Cargill come to the aid of some of the faces who have been standing against the group?

If so, that could even lead to a spot for Jade in a multi-person match at WrestleMania, which would be a good way to use her.

Speaking of WrestleMania, two tag team matches tonight will fill the final two spots in the Six-Pack Ladder match for the men’s tag team titles, which should be a spectacle. Our picks are Street Profits and New Catch Republic, though the former may get caught up in their larger feud with The Final Testament.

Let’s see what this show has in store for us.

WWE SmackDown results from Uncasville:

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

A brief clip of The Rock’s attack on Cody Rhodes from Raw is played, and we see Bianca Belair and Dakota Kai entering the arena earlier today
Pretty Deadly def Randy Orton and Kevin Owens by pinfall … but only because Logan Paul sneaks out from under the ring and lays out KO with brass knux
Alas, Orton realizes that Paul is probably still under the ring and drags him back out, but Pretty Deadly ensure he doesn’t get driven through the announce table … then pay for it by eating a Stunner and an RKO; Paul is chased by Orton and Owens to the back, where he jumps into a Corvette and speeds off
IYO SKY cuts a promo calling Bayley a narcissist and taking fans to task for siding with her, but just as she’s wrapping up, Bayley appears and attacks her, tearing up the photo backdrop until they can be separated
Jade Cargill signs on the dotted line with SmackDown
Kayla Braxton talks with Damage CTRL, and Dakota Kai wants to know why there’s a fuss being made over Cargill and Bayley before turning her attention to Belair, who she faces tonight in the main event
After Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn get only a passing moment of Aldis’ time, AJ Styles angrily expresses his displeasure with the GM’s actions to ensure LA Knight won’t be here tonight; elsewhere Bobby Lashley and B-Fab fire up the Street Profits
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Street Profits by pinfall in a WrestleMania Six-Pack Ladder Match qualifier; the critical moment comes when Karrion Kross appears on the big screen and shows that he and Scarlett have beaten up Lashley and the B-Fab in the back, and after the match, Kross and the Authors of Pain beat down the Profits … and eventually Lashley
Santos Escobar wants to thank Dominik Mysterio for helping him against Rey Mysterio, which brings the Hall of Famer to the ring with the LWO flanking him; their discussion turns into a challenge: Rey and a partner of his choosing vs. Escobar and Dom, with Rey revealing that his partner will be the newest member of the LWO, Dragon Lee …
… but a brawl breaks out after Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez light the spark, which is eventually won by the LWO
Bianca gets well wishes from Naomi, who says she has Belair’s back if Damage CTRL plays the numbers game
The Judgment Day wants to know why Dom went and freelanced and they don’t seem super thrilled with his response, but Finn Balor calms everyone else down
New Catch Republic def. Angel and Berto by a pinfall in a WrestleMania Six-Pack Ladder Match qualifier
A replay of The Rock’s attack on Cody Rhodes on Raw is played, including his continuation of said attack even after the show went off the air
Paul Heyman appears and insists that The Rock took out Rhodes by order of the Tribal Chief; Solo Sikoa says he’ll see Jey Uso next week and take him out by orders of the Tribal Chief
AJ Styles wants to chat about home invasions, but LA Knight launches an in-arena invasion this time
A Tiffany Stratton hype video features her promising to show everyone what Tiffy Time is all about
Bianca Belair def. Dakota Kai by pinfall, and both Naomi and Jade eventually help her fight off a post-match attack by Damage CTRL

Jade Cargill signs on the dotted line with SmackDown

GM Nick Aldis says his only goal since assuming the position was to make SmackDown the very best show, and he believes signing this superstar will take him another step closer to that goal. Yes, he’s talking about Jade, who looks unbelievable as always as she heads to the ring.

Cargill says it’s about damn time after she signs the contract offered by Aldis. She says SmackDown has one of the best female rosters in the world, but they aren’t her, a once-in-a-lifetime superstar. Jade says she has a weather update: The storm has arrived.

AJ Styles may have provoked LA Knight a bit too much

Styles blames the fans for being the reason that Knight came to his house and assaulted him in the front yard. Now AJ wants the biggest possible spotlight so he can expose him as “the overachieving, undertalented piece of trash that he is.”

Despite Aldis asking him to stay away, Styles guarantees Knight is there and dares him to come to the ring. A guy in a hoodie jumps over the barricade, but it’s not the Megastar and he gets led away by security.

Oh but Knight is there, wearing glasses and a wig. He gets the best of a small scrap, then hops on the announce table to vow that he’ll get the dub when they collide at WrestleMania.

Bianca Belair takes down Dakota Kai, and a storm comes to help her afterward

Kai has not wrestled all that much since her return from injury, but she’s looked good when she has and we’d expect that to continue here. Bianca shows off her ridiculous strength with rolling suplexes like it’s no big deal.

There’s cool camera work coming out of a commercial break, with the camera circling the ring and capturing the action from every angle. The presentation continues to be very up close and tight on the wrestlers for a bit, though it does switch back to the hard cam at times.

The fans get an “EST” chant going as Kai is taunting her. Bianca is able to hoist Dakota from the other side of the ropes into a deadlift suplex, one of those moves that makes you go “damn.”

The KOD follows quickly to end it, but the Kabuki Warriors jump the victor as soon as the bell rings. As she promised, Naomi comes running down to help Bianca, but the numbers are against our heroes. The fans eventually realize what’s going on and chant for Jade Cargill, who obliges and strides to the ring.

Cargill quickly mows through Kai and the Warriors, locking eyes on Asuka who has escaped the worst of it. Six-woman tag at WrestleMania, anyone?