WWE WrestleMania 40: What To Expect in Philadelphia

WWE rolls into Philadelphia on April 6 and 7 for WrestleMania 40, the biggest premium live event of the year, at a time of record-breaking success for the company.

Revenue is up, live events (televised and not) are selling out, and the buzz surrounding this year's Showcase of the Immortals is as strong as it has been in years, thanks to a handful of engaging stories and the return of The Rock to the squared circle.

The Great One and undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns team up to battle Cody Rhodes and world heavyweight champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins as part of Saturday's festivities while Reigns will defend against Rhodes in a blockbuster rematch from last year's show on Sunday.

What can fans expect from that match and more in the City of Brotherly Love?

Find out with this preview of the extravaganza.

Match Card

Announced in advance of the event are:

• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (c) (Sunday)
• Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Reigns and The Rock (Saturday)
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (Sunday)
• Women's World Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
• WWE Women's Championship Match: Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (c)
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (c)

A Story Finished

A year ago, it seemed a certainty that Cody Rhodes would defeat Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39. He had to finish his story, after all, and win the title that eluded his family for decades.

As we know, that did not happen as Reigns capitalized on late interference from Solo Sikoa to down The American Nightmare with a spear and retain his title.

Fast-forward a year and Rhodes has made the long, arduous climb back to the top of the WWE mountain, with a rematch against The Tribal Chief scheduled for the WrestleMania Sunday on April 7.

Rhodes' popularity never waned if anything, intensified in the wake of his disappointing loss. The fans' desire to see him get back to this spot, with a chance to win the title that his father, the late "American Dream" Dusty could not, only grew.

He is the most popular star in WWE, a guy whose bond with the audience is unwavering. They relate to him, invest in him emotionally, and are ready to see him pay off a story that has been told since the night he returned to the company at WrestleMania 38.

The decision to beat him a year ago was controversial, to say the least, and the creative team is not likely to make that mistake again.

Rhodes will finish his story, defeat Reigns to win the title, and proceed to hand it to his mother as he celebrates with his fans and family to close out the show.

As he should.

High Drama for The Bloodline

It has been obvious since The Rock returned and aligned himself with The Bloodline that Roman Reigns' fragile ego has seen him as a threat to his status as The Tribal Chief.

He has stood on the sidelines and watched wrestling's most electrifying star bark orders, tout his status on the TKO Board of Directors and issue challenges on both of their behalves. His insecurities reared their ugly head, forcing The Rock to acknowledge him on the March 2 episode of SmackDown.

In the main event of WrestleMania Saturday, Reigns will team with The Great One to battle Cody Rhodes and world heavyweight champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a high-stakes tag team main event.

A win for The Bloodline means the faction can openly interfere in Reigns' title defense against Rhodes the next night. A loss, however, and The Head of the Table will have to go it alone against The American Nightmare.

Win or lose, expect mounting tensions between the heels to manifest themselves, either in a betrayal or in The Rock's insistence that, perhaps, Reigns is not the right choice to reside over The Bloodline as Tribal Chief.

Another Match of the Year for Rhea Ripley

In Los Angeles, Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair in one of the best matches of 2023.

It was a physical battle, one of the most intense and aggressive women's division match-ups WWE had ever seen. It also sparked a run that would see The Eradicator become one of the most popular stars on the roster.

She has not lost a match since, carrying the Women's World Championship into Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40 and a showdown with Becky Lynch.

The Man is no stranger to triumphs on the grand stage. She made history in 2019 as one-third of the first women's main event in the event's history, defeating Flair and Ronda Rousey in a Triple Threat Match.

Lynch is a tenacious battler whose style should mesh well with Ripley's, potentially resulting in a match as good, if not better, than last year's classic.

Do not be surprised if, when it comes to the best match of this year's show, fans are buzzing about an instant classic out of The Man and Mami.

Feel Good Stories

Sami Zayn won a Gauntlet Match Monday night on Raw to earn a shot at intercontinental champion Gunther at WrestleMania, one year after teaming with best friend Kevin Owens to end the historic reign of The Usos in one of the best matches of 2023.

This year, he fights to prove he can be a champion. Driven by the need to constantly reaffirm his belief in himself, he will have the opportunity to put an end to another historic run, that of The Ring General.

The match should be damn good, perhaps with some of the best heat of the entire WrestleMania card, and after well over a year as champion, Gunther dropping the title is not out of the question.

That Zayn, the perennial underdog, could be the Superstar to do it and stand triumphantly on the WrestleMania stage for the second time in as many years would be a testament to the trust Triple H and the creative team have in him, as well as the love and adulation the fans have invested in the gutsy performer.

Elsewhere, Bayley will challenge Iyo Sky for the WWE Women's Championship in the culmination of a split between the 2024 Royal Rumble winner and the Damage CTRL faction she founded.

Long overlooked and underrated, even disrespected by some, The Role Model will look to achieve that elusive WrestleMania moment by defeating Sky and earning a measure of revenge for the betrayal she suffered at the hands of her, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Dakota Kai.

Hers is a redemption story. Here was someone who, not all that long ago, was an insufferable heel. Now, left on an island to fend for herself, she is a babyface looking to right her wrongs, starting with a championship victory on the grand stage.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that both Zayn and Bayley, among the most beloved babyfaces in professional wrestling during their runs in NXT, emerge from their battles in Philadelphia as champions.

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