Rhodes/Reigns is the headliner, but these three undercard matches could steal the show (hello, GUNTHER).
WrestleMania 40 will be defined by a showdown between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. While the main takeaway after Sunday night roars to a finish may be whether or not Rhodes finished his story, their battle may not be the one we remember most fondly.
WrestleMania has a long tradition of seeing its headlining title fights overshadowed by high octane bouts further down the card. Hulk Hogan bodyslammed Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, but for all its history making it can’t hold a candle to the technical ballet between Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage three matches earlier. On the opposite spectrum, Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville was a stupid, beautiful spectacle and 100 times more memorable than another chapter in the Reigns-Brock Lesnar saga.
It’ll be tough to outshine Reigns-Rhodes. If that match is done right, it’ll pay off more than five decades of history for the Rhodes family and provide the zenith of Cody’s 18 years as a wrestler. But these three matches have a real shot.
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The Usos have long been one of the best tag teams in WWE history. The emergence of the Bloodline story has allowed them to shine outside the ring as well, allowing the brothers to showcase the personalities we’d only seen glimpses of before 2021.
Needless to say, plenty has happened in the three years since, but Jimmy and Jey have gone from supporting players to legitimate stars. The twists and turns of their on-screen familiar relationship and status in the Bloodline is convoluted and a little bit dumb, but I’ll be damned if they haven’t found a way to sell it in a way that makes you care.
Now they bring that product to the ring, where the veterans are advanced storytellers with permission to pull out all the stops. This should be a 15-plus minute classic with a stirring conclusion and some post-bell emotions as the two brothers either reconcile or see their rift grow. It’ll embody all the most soap opera-y facets of wrestling. I mean this in a good way.
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Speaking of the Bloodline, this Intercontinental title scrap features arguably it’s finest, since-ejected member. Zayn has always been an A+ player in the ring, from his work as El Generico on the independent scene to his proficient-yet-generic babyface work in his early days on the main roster.
But Zayn’s turn with the Bloodline upped his storytelling game to new levels, giving him bigger obstacles to overcome and cementing his place as one of pro wrestling’s most beloved characters. He’s been part of WrestleMania’s most entertaining matches each of the last two years, losing to Johnny Knoxville in a match that had no right being as good as it was, then exacting his vengeance over The Usos to claim the undisputed tag titles alongside old frenemy Kevin Owens.
Now he gets Gunther, the Austrian murder machine who looks like he is having zero fun in the ring while ensuring his opponent doesn’t either. The big (but much trimmer than he used to be) Ring General is approaching two years as Intercontinental Champion, surviving a handful of close calls on the way and proving he’s one of the best technical wrestlers in the world — see his televised matches with Chad Gable as proof. Now he gets to sharpen his sword against another vaunted pro who can take a beating and fight from underneath. It’ll be great.
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I’m very interested in Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi taking on Damage CTRL. Belair and Cargill are both monsters and I’m interested to see what the time spent at the WWE Performance Center has done for the still relatively new Cargill — especially given the chance to ragdoll stars like Asuka and Kairi Sane. But I’ve already dug in pretty hard on Night 1 (it’s the better night). Let’s talk about Night 2.
Rollins has worked sparingly since a winter knee injury, but looks like he’ll be ready to set the tone with his show opener Sunday. Opposite the ever-reliable champion is McIntyre, who continues to find new gears in his career. On guest commentary will be CM Punk, airer of grievances extraordinaire and recent target of McIntyre’s A+ hater mode.
McIntyre had his crowning moment at WrestleMania 36, but that four-minute match against Brock Lesnar came in front of an empty crowd in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the three years since, he’s been lost in the shuffle on the stage of the immortals, losing to Bobby Lashley in 2022, beating Happy Corbin in a match it’s difficult to care about in 2023, and coming up short in a hoss-fest triple threat match vs. Gunther and Sheamus last spring. This is his chance for redemption and the spotlight is glowing hotter on him than it has in years.
Plus there’s a chance Punk divulges embarrassing family secrets of his former coworkers on a live mic. Top notch, all around.
