Wrestlemania XL was hyped up to be the biggest one in the history of the show. With 13 matches on the card, fans were in for an action packed weekend.
Night One
Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch
This match kicked off the weekend and was one of the few matches I enjoyed on night one. Rhea and Becky started the night off with a very good match, which was to be expected from two of the best in the business. The only flaw I found in the match was there were too many near falls. Ripley retaining the title was the right decision. While Becky is great, she shouldn’t have been the one to dethrone Ripley, at least not right now.
Judgement Day vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. New Day vs. New Catch Republic vs. A-Town Down Under
This match was quite possibly my favorite of the night, which is unusual because the second match of the night is usually the worst. WWE splitting the tag belts was the best for business and having a heel team like A-Town Down Under win the first set of belts was good, because it didn’t take away from the pop that Awesome Truth got when they won the Raw tag team titles. There were plenty of good spots in the match and the two teams who have the tag titles will have good storylines going forward.
Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Dominic Mysterio and Santos Escobar
With Andrade being entered into the match in place of Dragon Lee, I very much expected a heel turn from a member of the LWO, whether it was Andrade or Carlito. We didn’t see that, and we really didn’t see a great match. The only thing that made the match worth watching was former Eagles center Jason Kelce and current Eagles tackle Lane Johnson intervening in the match, when Dominic Mysterio tried to grab a steel chair to attack Rey Mysterio. It was exciting to see the two Eagles players make an appearance with the event being held in Philadelphia, but I think they could’ve put Escobar over to continue to build his character.
Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso
This match was disappointing to say the least. I think WWE missed the opportunity to have Rikishi, Jimmy’s and Jey’s father, return to either referee the match or at least be in attendance. When Jimmy was “apologizing” to Jey to get him to lower his guard, it was very predictable that it was a trap. Overall, the match was subpar at best and didn’t help Jey go over as a face or Jimmy get more heat as a heel.
Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL
This was supposed to be a squash match and it was. WWE wanted to promote their new superstar, Jade Cargill. The match was uneventful and didn’t necessarily make Cargill look too dominant. The only take away I could see from this match is a possible tag team of Cargill and Belair dominating the women’s division, though I believe both are too talented to not be singles competitors.
Gunther vs. Sami Zayn
After three straight poor matches, my expectations were high for this match for the Intercontinental Championship. Zayn and Gunther put on a solid match for the most part. The ending is what ruined it for me. Zayn winning the match wasn’t necessarily the worst thing that could’ve happened. I don’t believe he should have been the one to end Gunther’s historic title reign, but I’m not too upset about it. The way it transpired was disappointing. Gunther is not a high-flyer, so when he continued to go to the top rope repeatedly, leading to Zayn reversing with a devastating brainbuster, it didn’t make any sense. While I’m not a fan of the result, there is a good storyline that could be brewing with Zayn as champion.
The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes
This match was hyped up so much over the past couple months, and it was disappointing. The match was a normal tag team match, so the match could’ve ended in disqualification or countout. When the referee started to count, The Rock basically bullied him into not counting, leading to brawls ensuing in the crowd and on the stage. While I agreed with Rhodes taking the pin, the way the match ended was a letdown, with The Rock pinning Rhodes.
Night Two
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
To open night two, Rollins and McIntyre put on a phenomenal match, with CM Punk on commentary. McIntyre winning the title was the right decision, but what happened next caught me off guard. After winning the title, McIntyre celebrated in front of CM Punk, trying to rub it in that he was the champion. Punk attacked McIntyre, before Damien Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and stole the title from McIntyre. This added more flame to the feud between Punk and McIntyre.
Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits vs. The Final Testament
Though this was the worst match of the night, it was still extremely entertaining. With Bubba Ray Dudley as special guest referee, fans knew there was going to be carnage. With kendo sticks and tables, the match hit its boiling point when Karrion Kross of the Final Testament got in the face of Dudley, prompting him to take out his signature glasses, before helping Lashley and the Street Profits finish the match, with Dudley’s signature “what’s up” and 3-D through a table to secure the victory.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
The bell barely rang before these two started throwing hands with each other. This rivalry hit a boiling point when LA Knight attacked Styles at his home, after Styles cost Knight a title shot at Elimination Chamber. Styles was very methodical, picking away at Knight, making him look strong, but in the end Knight needed the victory and he walked away from his first Wrestlemania victorious.
Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
The entrances were great, with Paul riding in a Prime branded truck, before Kevin Owens hopped on a golf cart to match Paul, even offering Orton a ride to the ring. The three of them put on a great match. Randy Orton hit a vicious RKO on the announcers’ table to IShowSpeed, who was dressed up as the Prime bottle. Paul showed off his incredible athleticism and retained the title, which made the most sense for future storytelling.
Bayley vs. Iyo Sky
In the penultimate match of Mania, Bayley and Sky put on a classic. Sky focused her attack on Bayley’s knee, the same knee that sidelined her earlier in her career. Sky also showed her gravity defying top rope moves. But in the end, Bayley knocked off her former factionmate and hoisted the title high.
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
In the main event of night two, Rhodes and Reigns were back to action in the most anticipated match the WWE has ever seen. The two went back and forth, with neither being able to keep their opponent down. Jimmy Uso was the first to intervene under the “Bloodline Rules” stipulation, before Jey Uso came out to take out his brother with a devastating spear off the stage. Solo Sikoa was the next to interfere, leading to John Cena returning to take out the enforcer of the Bloodline. After Cena put Sikoa through the announcers’ table with an Attitude Adjustment, The Rock made his way to the ring, planting Cena with a Rock Bottom. As the Rock stood tall, the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s music hit, which had me thinking that Jon Moxley, Dean Ambrose in WWE, was returning. It ended up being Rollins, which Reigns took him out quickly. Then as Rock was ready to hit Rhodes with his belt, the bells tolled and the lights went out, as the Undertaker returned, planting the Rock with a brutal chokeslam. Reigns returned to his feet, with both Rhodes and Rollins down in the ring, he grabbed a steel chair, and focused on Rollins, drilling him with a chairshot to the back, the way Rollins did years before when they were in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Reigns then went to hit his finisher, but was reversed by Rhodes, who hit three Cross Rhodes, pinning Reigns and finishing his story.
Overall
Wrestlemania XL was a tale of two nights. I was very underwhelmed by the matches on night one, but night two picked up the slack and had me very happy with the event. The constant ad drops throughout both nights and the weather reports were unneeded in my opinion, but it didn’t hurt the show in any way. For the most part, I was very happy with who walked away victorious. For the whole event, it was excellent and it’s very exciting to see what is to come in the future of the WWE.
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