WWE WrestleMania 2024: LA Knight vs. AJ Styles and Bouts That'll Exceed Expectations

WWE will take over Philadelphia on April 6 and 7 for WrestleMania 40, with Cody Rhodes teaming with world heavyweight champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins to battle The Rock and undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns on Saturday while Rhodes and Reigns will lock up for the top prize in the company on Sunday.

With two main events of that magnitude, not to mention Rollins defending against Drew McIntyre on Sunday and social media megastar Logan Paul defending his United States title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat Match, there are destined to be matches that arrive on the grand stage with little expectation for no other reason than the jam-packed card.

Ahead of the monumental event, these are the four matches that will exceed expectations and potential rank among the weekend's most memorable.

WWE Women's Championship Match: Bayley vs. Iyo Sky

Bayley won the Royal Rumble, was betrayed by her Damage CTRL teammates, and has spent the last month and a half engaged in an intensely personal rivalry with Dakota Kai, women's tag team champions Asuka and Kairi Sane, and WWE women's champion Iyo Sky.

As WrestleMania 40 and her title opportunity against Sky draws near, though, it feels as if the culmination of one of the better stories in the company is flying under the radar.

Even after Friday's episode of SmackDown, where The Role Model competed against Kai in the main event.

Regardless of whether Bayley is on the WrestleMania poster, or invited to the kickoff press event, she has made a career of drawing emotion from fans. She can make them feel, especially as a babyface, as evidenced in her iconic NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn showdown with Sasha Banks.

Sky is one of the best all-around professional wrestlers in the company and has made a habit of showing out in big-match situations.

Expect the match to exceed expectations in Philadelphia, if not completely blow them away as Bayley looks to write the next chapter of her career by winning singles gold for the first time since October of 2021.

Jey vs. Jimmy Uso

WrestleMania has been home to two sets of brothers doing battle on the grand stage before: once in 1994 when Bret and Owen Hart kicked off the 10th event with one of the greatest matches in show history, and again in 2009, when Matt and Jeff Hardy did battle in an Extreme Rules Match.

The latter was not nearly as good as its predecessor and was another reminder that The Hardys did not have great in-ring chemistry as opponents.

There are very real questions about how well Jimmy and Jey will work as opponents after a decade-plus as the best tag team in the company. Will they gel seamlessly like Bret and Owen or will they struggle to find the story like the Hardys did in their handful of matches against each other?

The questions surrounding the match will likely temper expectations. Still, given the epic storytelling that we have seen out of the overarching Bloodline saga, and the intensity we have seen out of the future Hall of Famers in the promos that set up the match, there is reason to believe that they can deliver a banger.

Especially if they can implement callbacks to previous angles, matches, and moments dating back to the start of the storyline in 2020.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther

It seems rather absurd that Sami Zayn vs. Gunther for the WWE Intercontinental Championship would exceed expectations given how widely regarded they are for their in-ring performances.

Still, amid the massive stars on the show and the attention paid to bigger, more significant matches on the card, The Underdog from the Underground vs. The Ring General feels like a match destined to get lost in the mix by fans at large.

That will be a mistake.

Gunther is an unstoppable force of nature who has spent nearly two years chopping the souls out of opponents en route to successfully defending his title. Zayn is the consummate underdog, the guy who was never supposed to be a star but has developed an unbreakable bond with the WWE Universe.

On paper, their styles should mesh well and if their histories are any indication, there is plenty of reason to believe that they will in execution, too.

Expect Zayn to ramp up speed and agility and for Gunther to try and overwhelm him with his ferocity, aggression, and punishing strikes. The dynamic, and the fan interaction with it, will fuel it to potential show-stealer status, if not Match of the Year consideration.

Look no further than last year's WrestleMania and the champion's war of attrition with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus for what he can do on the grand stage.

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

On the surface, LA Knight vs. AJ Styles may not seem like the most dynamic addition to the WrestleMania card but it is a match that has been built since September, when Solo Sikoa injured The Phenomenal One, opening the door for The Megastar to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Taking exception to it, Styles repeatedly accused Knight of "stepping over" him and taking his opportunity. Each man cost the other a chance at headlining WrestleMania against Seth "Freakin" Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship to intensify things.

In Philadelphia, they will take to the squared circle with Knight receiving a massive pop and Styles basking in the respect he typically receives at this point in his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Still, the match itself will likely be an afterthought on a two-night card featuring as many title matches and high-stakes, star-studded matches as it does.

They will exceed expectations because the story is there, Styles is one of the greatest of his generation, and Knight knows what a match of this magnitude, on a stage like WrestleMania, means to his career.

He has yet to disappoint in big-match situations and this will be no different.

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