Cody’s Avengers, assemble? Here’s why some WWE fans believe that’s what awaits on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40.
Right before Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 went off the air, there were some great shots of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins sitting and mulling over their loss in the main event. Both men wore looks of dejection, as Rhodes now has to head into his rematch with Roman Reigns knowing it will be fought under Bloodline Rules.
That means anything goes, and with The Bloodline, that means the numbers game. The Rock has already promised he’d interfere liberally if given the chance. One can only assume Solo Sikoa is licking at the chops to help his Tribal Chief, and Jimmy Uso will be looking to rebound after losing his Saturday match.
Rollins likely won’t be able to help Rhodes since he has a very difficult title defense against Drew McIntyre. As is often the case with top babyfaces, Cody just doesn’t have enough friends. All is lost.
Or maybe not.
Rhodes fans have been putting faith in a theory that centers upon one of Marvel’s most popular franchises, one that they think will play out on Night 2 when Cody is facing his darkest hour.
What is the Avengers theory?
Put simply, the Avengers theory is the idea that a group of extraordinary individuals will come together to do what others can’t. OK, so that specific language is borrowed from Nick Fury, but the idea is the same: a team will assemble to help Rhodes battle The Bloodline on Sunday night.
The theory has been floating around for months, but it’s taken on new life ever since Rhodes needing help under Bloodline Rules became a possibility. It’s perfectly fine since Bloodline Rules work both ways. Any number of people could come to Cody’s aid, and it wouldn’t affect his ability to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Reigns.
Who might be in Cody’s Avengers?
There are actually two lines of thought here. The more fun one is that WWE legends will come to the rescue. There’s even been some suggestions that the clues were there for the whole world to see during The Rock’s infamous rain-soaked beating of Rhodes on the March 25 episode of Raw.
Specifically, a WWE production truck could be seen in the background, with the faces of two specific legends on it, both of whom have been active at WrestleMania within the past two years.
Cody’s avengers gonna pull up near the end of the match, like it’s no coincidence this was set up pic.twitter.com/ZbFMWYUlXa
Yep, that’s John Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin. WWE hasn’t advertised or confirmed that either man will be present in Philadelphia for Night 2, but there have been teases and rumors floating around for some time. Cena even posted something on Instagram that directly implied Austin would pull up for WrestleMania.
Cena has a history with Reigns so his motivation wouldn’t even need explanation. And Austin, despite his penchant for giving both good guys and bad guys a Stone Cold Stunner on occasion, has been a friend and admirer of Rhodes for some time.
Failing that, there are plenty of others who have a score to settle with The Bloodline already on the roster. Jey Uso is an obvious candidate since his ties to the group run deep. Sami Zayn is another, and would be free since he wrestled Saturday (unlike Kevin Owens, who will vie for the United States Championship on Sunday).
Or it could be a mix of people past and present. The point is that on a day unlike any other, Rhodes wouldn’t have trouble rallying people to his cause.
Could this actually happen? The parallels between the downbeat ending of “Avengers: Infinity War” — where the evil Thanos has achieved an unthinkably total victory — and Night 1’s main event have been pointed out by many fans.
Seen a lot of talk of Cody assembling WWE's "Avengers" for the main event. Would make a lot of sense. Tonight felt like Infinity War, which would make tomorrow Endgame.
If the Avengers theory is correct, Sunday night could be reminiscent of “Endgame,” where a host of heroes unites to join in one triumphant final battle. That could lead to the most spectacular feel-good ending in the 40-year history of WrestleMania, one that will surely help fans disappointed at the end of Night 1 bounce back quickly.
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.
While the world has been wondering if Cena will have some kind of role at WrestleMania 40, he took to Instagram to fuel speculation about another WWE legend who has also been the subject of much fantasy booking for Philadelphia: Stone Cold Steve Austin.
It’s been two years since Austin thrilled WWE fans by returning to the ring to take on Kevin Owens in a highly regarded No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38. While no one expects Stone Cold to take part in a full-on match in Philly — and this year’s card is loaded anyway —there have been rumblings that WWE was trying to figure out something for him to do.
A popular fan theory is that Austin, Cena and perhaps others would show up on night 2 to help neutralize The Rock and The Bloodline from interfering in the Cody Rhodes-Roman Reigns main event, even if it is contested under Bloodline Rules. That would only happen if Rhodes and Seth Rollins lose their tag team match against Reigns and The Rock to end night 1, so there are a lot of moving pieces to this theory.
Still, the so-called Avengers plan would be a lot of fun, seeing popular WWE stars assemble to ensure Rhodes gets a relatively fair fight in his rematch against Reigns. Whether that actually takes shape or Austin is used in some other manner, expect the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field to explode this weekend if it hears the sound of breaking glass at any time on Saturday or Sunday.
It’s possible it could be up to Stone Cold if he wants to have a role at WrestleMania 40.
It’s been two years since Stone Cold Steve Austin turned back the clock and gave WWE fans an unforgettable match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. That would have been a fine sendoff for the Texas Rattlesnake, as it means that everyone would remember him not that far removed from the way he was in his prime.
But it’s natural to want more, and it’s become clear that many fans would love to see Austin back at the Showcase of the Immortals one more time. That begs the obvious question: Is Stone Cold Steve Austin going to be part of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia?
The short answer is we don’t know. WWE hasn’t announced any role for Austin, whether it be as a host, guest referee or what have you. There’s almost no chance he’ll be in a full-on match, both because he’s mostly dismissed the idea himself and because the WrestleMania card is likely to be jammed full as it is.
The longer answer is … maybe. As Dave Meltzer noted in his most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), WWE is believed to be working on something not just for Stone Cold but for other legends as well.
Nothing is official but the belief right now is that Steve Austin, Undertaker and John Cena will have something at WrestleMania in some form. At press time, there is no creative locked in for Cena and Austin at this moment, or if there is it’s a well-guarded secret. A lot depends on how much they are willing to do and money. Cena is free but depending on what acting stuff he has and how quick after he’s filming would determine how much he can or can’t do for insurance reasons. Austin and Undertaker would be based on willingness that they have.
In other words, it sounds like the ball is in the court of Austin and Undertaker. If they want to pop in and do something at WrestleMania 40, WWE will likely accommodate them. If not, maybe next year. Either way, with less than a week to go until the Show of Shows, we should learn soon unless WWE wants to keep it a surprise until the event itself.
There are two reasons Austin can’t say for sure that he’s done for good. One is that he already defied Father Time once, taking on Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38 — 19 years after his previous WWE match.
Was it peak Stone Cold? Not quite. But it was better than just about anyone could have imagined, despite Austin’s age (he was 57 at the time), long layoff and extensive injury history.
The other reason is that Austin is a pro’s pro who understands the wrestling business as well as anyone. So that means he knows that completely closing the door on any idea is silly.
A Punk vs. Austin showdown is one of those dream matches that fans have filed away in the “probably not, but can you imagine?” folder for years. Austin was asked about the possibility by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi and didn’t seem to think it was impossible, just unlikely.
I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me — so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who’s had a great career. We’ll see.
WrestleMania would be the most likely place for it to happen, but it’s definitely not in the cards this year. Barring a late surprise, Punk is expected to miss this year’s show in Philadelphia while recovering from a torn triceps.
What about WrestleMania 41, the location of which has yet to be announced? Austin will be 60 by then, but he’s surely seen the way Sting has stayed active in spurts in AEW past that age. He certainly sounds like someone who could be tempted to get back in there one more time.
I love the sports entertainment business more than anything I’ve ever done in my life. And you get a dose of it, and you want more. And so here I am talking to you a couple years later about doing it again. And that’s how addicting it is to me, just to talk about it. And I get excited, and I’ll start talking too fast.
But it’s not gonna happen. But it could.
Maybe the stars can align again after all. Listen for the sound of breaking glass, we suppose.
Check out a full list of WWE Royal Rumble winners over the years, plus fun stats on entry number, most eliminations and more.
There’s nothing in pro wrestling quite like the Royal Rumble. While there have been and always will be other battle royals, WWE has distilled the over-the-top extravaganza into something that has withstood the test of time.
Since 1988, the promotion has had at least one Royal Rumble a year, with one for men and women held annually since 2018. Not only have fans fallen in love with the core concept, to the point that they enthusiastically count down from 10 each time a new wrestler enters the fray, they’ve also come to expect legends and surprises — which WWE generally delivers.
Another great aspect that has become part of the Royal Rumble’s DNA over time is the prize: an opportunity to challenge for a world championship at WrestleMania, making the Rumble the official kickoff on the road to WWE’s biggest show of each calendar year.
Naturally, that means it’s quite an honor to win a Rumble match. Even with the event heading toward its 40th anniversary later this decade, the list of Royal Rumble winners is still a pretty exclusive club.
Let’s take a look at every Royal Rumble winner ever, year by year.
Far from a typical villain, Drew McIntyre has easily understandable grievances that have carried him to the dark side in WWE.
Pro wrestling is a lot of things.
It’s loud, it’s full of action, it’s emotional. But one thing it has rarely been is nuanced.Â
There usually aren’t a whole lot of layers to a pro wrestling story. One person dislikes another person, they fight out their grievances, and we move on to the next chapter. Oh, and one of those entities is usually good and the other is typically evil.
That may sound elementary, but it has proven to be an effective formula for the industry for the last century or so. A promoter or booker’s job at the end of the day is to give the fans someone to root for and someone to root against. Pro wrestling can in fact be that simple.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room in for a more layered story. It’s just that we haven’t seen it very often. However, I think WWE is crafting one right now with Drew McIntyre.
Now you might ask, what’s so nuanced about a guy who’s clearly the villain in the story? The nuance is that the man’s got a point.
Through no fault of his own, McIntyre was embarrassed in his home country at Clash at the Castle in 2022. The fault falls squarely on The Bloodline, which everyone’s current favorite main event player, Jey Uso, was once a part of. Within the story, I understand why McIntyre would hold a little bit of a grudge against him and any other member of the group, current or former. That includes Sami Zayn.Â
And in reality, it makes complete sense from WWE’s end to have The Bloodline’s actions toward McIntyre and others have a lingering effect at least in some way. Uso and Zayn, while mostly on everyone’s good side now, have committed way too many sins for them to go fully unpunished.
He’s also got a point when it comes to CM Punk, who was fired in disgrace from AEW only to be warmly embraced by WWE, essentially rewarding him for his past transgressions.
He’s not the only one that has been hesitant to embrace Punk or Uso for that matter. As soon as Randy Orton returned to Monday Night Raw, he had a chat with Uso to squash their past beef.
But where McIntyre becomes a villain is that he doesn’t not give them a second chance to show that they have turned over a new leaf, whereas Orton and others have forgiven, even if they don’t necessarily forget. McIntyre has clearly done neither.
Where McIntyre becomes a villain is when he lashes out against others for his misfortune rather than looking in the mirror.Â
It is reminiscent in ways to Bret Hart in 1997, when the Canadian hero was cheered inside of his home country and abroad, but reviled within these United States.
But like McIntyre, Hart also had a point. Hart was also routinely getting the short end of the stick through no fault of his own. He was also appalled by the fact that a beer-drinking, foul-mouthed outlaw like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was gaining more and more traction as the everyman’s hero. In Hart’s eyes, that role belonged to him, a champion of integrity who spread a more wholesome message, and not Austin, who had children throwing up the double bird in his name.
In McIntyre’s mind, he’s done nothing wrong. He did everything he was supposed to do and still came up short, which is why he no longer has any sympathy or compassion for his colleagues. After all, they didn’t have any for him when he was being embarrassed in front of a stadium full of his people back in 2022.Â
Unfortunately for Hart and wrestling fans, his story was cut short thanks to an infamous November night in Montreal. With McIntyre, however, we should be able to see this nuanced story through to its conclusion.
Even before CM Punk made his dramatic WWE return at Survivor Series, fans were doing their own fantasy booking for him. It’s only natural to want to see him clash with Seth Rollins, a star who has been vocal in his dislike for Punk (shoot or otherwise) in recent years.
Maybe we weren’t thinking big enough, however. Maybe we needed to include dream matches that involve icons who aren’t active even once a year but could get themselves ready for one good match if needed.
While the Texas Rattlesnake is getting up there in years now (he’ll turn 59 before the end of 2023, if you can believe it), he showed at WrestleMania 38 that under the right circumstances, he can turn back the clock to deliver a performance that isn’t just a nostalgia trip. He just needs the right dance partner … which could be Punk.
Fightful Select (subscription required but well worth it) dropped a bombshell report today citing sources claiming that not only has the topic of a Punk-Austin match been brought up, WWE has already considered the logistics for how it can be put together.
One source in the company had indicated that many ideas have already been floated between CM Punk and WWE. We have not heard how far along in talks, planning or pitches that this is, but that if all went well, the ideal scenario would see Punk flying to Austin to go over ideas. One source indicated that while that is the “ideal scenario,” there’s a lot to get through first.
That’s … pretty deep thinking considering Punk only got to the company this past weekend and that Triple H said the deal to reunite with him came together very quickly.
But considering the age of both men, there would be similar urgency to put something together for them fast. It even calls into question the presumption that Punk and Rollins would headline one night of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, because a Punk-Austin match could draw even more mainstream interest if it were to be held at that event.
And even though the term “dream match” can feel a bit overused these days, this is one pairing that would qualify by just about anyone’s definition as a never seen before, once in a lifetime meeting. If you’re among the people who would love to see it, take some solace in the idea that it’s supposedly already being worked on.
WarGames matches are about as memorable as they come. We rank every one from WWE and WCW history.
“Mad Max” is among the most memorable action franchises in film history, but it is the third installment of the franchise, “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome,” that was particularly notable, as it starred the late great Tina Turner and featured a dome-like structure where two people entered and only one left after a fight to the death.
Although “Beyond Thunderdome” isn’t necessarily seen as the peak of the “Mad Max” franchise, its look at a gritty, post-apocalyptic dystopian future undoubtedly left an impression on its viewers.Â
One of the viewers that were particularly inspired by what they saw was a man by the name of Virgil Runnels, better known to professional wrestling fans as the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
There have been a number of pieces written over the years about the verbal prowess of Rhodes. But as much as he was a force in front of the camera, Rhodes was arguably even more influential behind the scenes.Â
He was the primary booker for multiple territories during his career and while he could map out a week-to-week story, Rhodes’ true creative genius shined when it came to creating spectacles.
When Rhodes laid eyes on the Thunderdome, he saw his next project.
Rhodes added a few wrinkles to make the concept pro wrestling-friendly, but the violence and excitement remained. The result is one of the most anticipated matches in professional wrestling, one that has provided countless fond memories during its near 40 years of existence.Â
But which WarGames match is the best of all time? Conversely, which one is the worst? I am here to answer that question once and for all. Well, in my opinion, at least.Â
Before we dig into the rankings, some ground rules: First, this ranking will only feature WarGames matches from the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and NXT/WWE. Yes, I know, AEW has its own version of WarGames called Blood and Guts, but for the sake of this list, I’m only including matches that actually carries the match’s namesake.
Secondly, this list does not include WarGames matches that were not televised. Televised WarGames matches only!
Lastly, remember that this is merely my opinion, so don’t kill me too much if you disagree. Please feel free to disagree and give your thoughts. But again, these are just my thoughts after recently watching all of the matches that qualified for this list.