Grading the Booking of Every WWE WrestleMania 40 Feud Thus Far

WWE will soon descend on Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to host WrestleMania 40.

The 40th anniversary of the company's crowning achievement will boast the in-ring return of arguably the most recognizable star in pro wrestling history, The Rock.

Surprisingly, the legendary star won't compete in a highly anticipated one-on-one match with Roman Reigns, but there's a star-studded tag team contest on tap instead.

On Night 2, Cody Rhodes will attempt to finish his story and achieve his childhood dream of becoming WWE champion. Elsewhere, Becky Lynch will try to cement her legacy as the most prolific women's wrestler in WWE history, and Bayley will step out on her own in her first singles match at The Show of Shows.

Many Superstars still don't have a path to WrestleMania yet, but the card is taking shape. We still have a long way to go, but there is already plenty to be excited about.

WWE has announced six matches so far, and these are our grades for every bout set to occur on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso isn't official yet, but it was one of the earliest matches predicted for this year's card.

WWE has been building toward this match since Jimmy turned on his twin brother last year at SummerSlam. The divisive move could have failed miserably, but the company has presented them both as distinct characters and added weight to their sibling rivalry.

Roman Reigns' sycophantic follower cost Jey and Cody Rhodes the tag titles and a historic win over Gunther. As such, Jey concluded that he would never be able to move forward until he defeats his brother on this week's Raw.

It was hard to believe WWE could stretch this story out long enough to necessitate a WrestleMania match, but there's ample material here to guarantee it will make the card.

Grade: B

Iyo Sky vs. Bayley

Iyo Sky vs. Bayley for the WWE Women's Championship was the first match announced for WrestleMania 40.

Following her women's Royal Rumble win, the then-leader of Damage CTRL finally addressed the tension between herself and the other members. Considering her history with Asuka and Kairi Sane, the group had become an uneasy alliance since The Kabuki Warriors joined in November.

On the Feb. 2 episode of SmackDown, The Role Model revealed that she knew they were conspiring against her, thwarted their attempt to jump her and then challenged Sky for the women's title.

The execution of Damage CTRL's implosion has been tremendous, and WWE has done an excellent job of getting the audience to empathize with Bayley.

This has been one of the best storylines heading into The Showcase of the Immortals. However, it was disappointing that neither competitor was at the WrestleMania kickoff press conference and that their match has taken a backseat to others that feel like a bigger deal.

Grade: B+

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes

It has been a long and winding road, but Cody Rhodes will officially take on Roman Reigns in a WrestleMania rematch.

Most of The American Nightmare's side quests in 2023 ultimately came off as filler until WWE was ready to reignite this feud. Nevertheless, the road to Rhodes' second consecutive men's Royal Rumble win was excellent.

Fans saw how much this meant to the 38-year-old as he evaded multiple obstacles like Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre and a returning CM Punk. Making him the first wrestler to win back-to-back titles at the event since 1998 was an inspired choice, but the company quickly undermined the achievement when The Rock joined the fray.

Rhodes' brief decision to step aside and let The Great One have his spot after a year-long build is still one of the most baffling plot points in recent memory.

Thankfully, the second-generation star is back on track to face The Tribal Chief after a convoluted but largely entertaining few weeks of television.

Grade: B

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch is a Women's World Championship match that has been in the making for over a year.

The two have crossed paths and sized each other up several times since their initial staredown on the Dec. 7, 2022 episode of Raw. Their tension finally came to a head during the build to this year's women's Rumble match as Lynch expressed her intent to become a two-time winner and challenge The Eradicator at WrestleMania 40.

The Man didn't fulfill her goal in January, but she went on to win the women's Elimination Chamber match and punch her ticket to The Show of Shows. It was a predictable outcome, but the two have had so many electric encounters that their eventual showdown has always seemed inevitable.

The most significant criticism of this feud is that WWE hasn't spent enough time explaining their animosity. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan's revenge tour feels more personal, so some fans have more interest in her need to beat Ripley.

Yes, there's a refreshing simplicity to The Man's drive to test herself against the hottest star in the division, which is perfectly in character for her. But that hasn't always come across well.

Grade: B-

Gunther vs. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn's quest to avenge his loss to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in 2023 has been one of the most compelling storylines of the year.

With a few backstage interviews, WWE effectively presented him as the most intriguing wild card heading into WrestleMania 40. It immediately raised longtime fans' hopes that the ultimate underdog could finally win the world title.

Instead, Zayn lost his qualifying match for the men's Elimination Chamber match. On the latest edition of Raw, he performed admirably in the gauntlet match to become the No. 1 contender for the intercontinental title.

The outcome was a bit of a catch-22 because many viewers are so invested in Chad Gable after he feuded with Gunther last year. The company produced a beautiful video package for the Olympian, driving home how much a win over The Ring General would mean to him.

Positioning Zayn as a potential contender for a world title but making him Gunther's opponent instead without a satisfying conclusion to Gable's story is a head-scratcher. Nevertheless, there's still time before WrestleMania 40 to make this a Triple Threat or add more heat to a one-on-one confrontation.

Grade: C

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Seth Rollins' upcoming title defense has become an afterthought in the face of his participation in the tag match scheduled for Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.

It's unfortunate because it's hard not to imagine what could have been if CM Punk hadn't gotten injured at Royal Rumble. Nonetheless, his feud with Drew McIntyre has been one of the highlights of his time as world heavyweight champion.

The Scot is the most captivating heel on Raw, and he already had two fantastic matches with Rollins last year. To that end, the 38-year-old has done much of the heavy lifting to keep viewers interested in this matchup.

The Visionary has made stopping The Bloodline and backing Cody Rhodes his top priority, but he's underestimating the challenger. McIntyre's obsession with revenge and desperate need to win the world title in front of a live crowd and rewrite his legacy makes him more dangerous than ever.

It's a great story marred by what-ifs and a lack of focus. The aforementioned tag bout also doesn't accentuate it as much as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match.

Grade: C+

The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

With The Rock vs. Roman Reigns off the table, the build to its alternative has exceeded expectations.

Many fans were understandably frustrated following the Feb. 2 episode of SmackDown, but WWE has pivoted and salvaged the situation. The WrestleMania kickoff press conference was a turning point for this storyline because it put Cody Rhodes back on pace to defeat The Tribal Chief.

Even more, the media event in Las Vegas marked the beginning of The Rock's heel turn, which has been incredible. This has been the most engaging and wildly entertaining version of the Hollywood star in years. His promos online and on SmackDown have been worth the price of admission alone.

Seth Rollins' character progression and expected alliance with Rhodes has also been a pleasant surprise. It's a great payoff to the four years he spent reinventing himself as The Visionary, and his motivation to stop The Bloodline is in line with everything he set out to do as a self-proposed leader.

The subtle friction between Reigns and Rock has also been outstanding. The viewers are supposed to question how two former rivals, who were never "the guy," could co-exist and take on two top stars bound by blood. Conversely, there's enough to make you second-guess this dynamic.

This multi-layered build has produced so many memorable segments and added even more anticipation for the marquee matchup it replaced. It's also the best use of two nights of WrestleMania we've seen thus far.

Grade: A