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