Grading the Booking of Every WWE WrestleMania 40 Feud Thus Far

The Road to WrestleMania 40 has been consistently memorable, and the card for The Show of Shows is shaping up to be one of the greatest of all time.

Ten matches have been announced, and every single one has a clear story and hype behind it.

While the headlines focus on Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes as well as their tag team match also featuring The Rock and Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch and Iyo Sky vs. Bayley feel important, too.

Gunther and Logan Paul will defend their gold against worthy competitors, while The Judgment Day must face five of the best tag teams in the world to remain champions.

WWE has built singles grudge matches featuring LA Knight and AJ Styles as well as the battle of brothers as Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso finally fight.

The hype is real for WrestleMania, but how has WWE done individually in setting up these rivalries in the build to April 6-7?

Feuds Without Officially Announced WrestleMania Matches

Latino World Order vs. Legado World Order

WWE has two big stable warfare storylines rolling on SmackDown, and LWO vs. Legado is easily the better one. Santos Escobar has looked and sounded like a star since he turned heel.

Since WWE seems to be rushing out Escobar vs. Rey Mysterio, this would make most sense as a multi-man match that can give several young stars a major WrestleMania spotlight.

Grade: B

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The Pride vs. The Final Testament

While LWO vs. Legado runs, The Pride vs. The Final Testament crawls. Karrion Kross still has to get his credibility back after years of mishandling, and Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits feel wasted.

The talent involved have established a decent direction for WrestleMania, but it is hard to believe that any of this is worthy of The Show of Shows.

Grade: D+

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The Kabuki Warriors vs. Naomi and Bianca Belair

The women's tag team division has strong confident champions but little else at the moment. It's hard to tell if the plan is for Naomi to formally challenge Asuka and Kairi Sane with Bianca Belair (or Jade Cargill?), but neither feels like a 'Mania-worthy matchup yet.

The focus has been more on Iyo Sky vs. Bayley, and an injury to The Empress of Tomorrow on SmackDown could leave the women's tag titles off the 'Mania card entirely.

Grade: D-

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Ladder Match

The Judgment Day has controlled the tag team division for some time, but it's time for a change.

WWE has gone to a familiar WrestleMania formula by using a multi-team ladder match to set up Damian Priest and Finn Bálor to lose.

At present, DIY, Awesome Truth and The New Day have qualified, and SmackDown is still determining its representatives for the contest.

The positive is that The Judgment Day has a current feud with both DIY and Awesome Truth, giving this a personal edge, though the match itself will be more spots than story.

While it's a shame that the tag team division could not deliver a more focused match for The Show of Shows after last year's Night 1 main event, the qualifiers have made for exciting television on the road to WrestleMania.

The main caveat is that The Judgment Day has lost major momentum while general managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis book against them, but that is inevitable to set up a bout this lopsided against the champions.

Grade: B-

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

LA Knight and AJ Styles hate each other, and they want to fight at WrestleMania to resolve it. This is short, simple and to the point.

With the added wrinkle of The Phenomenal One's slow heel turn, this has a spark driven forward by The Megastar's popularity.

Most years, this would be one of the most talked-about feuds on the road to 'Mania, but it's all happening in the shadow of SmackDown's clearest focus.

Any feud on the blue brand is going to pale in comparison to The Bloodline, which takes up the majority of time every week.

Knight and Styles are doing a lot with a few minutes per week, avoiding getting too physical to spoil the fresh matchup to come at The Show of Shows.

It may not be possible to do more in the modern WWE landscape, but the two men have been overshadowed.

Grade: C+

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso is a match that WWE has delayed since SummerSlam to blow off at WrestleMania 40. It's brother vs. brother, so the drama is obvious from the outset.

The problem with matches like this is how quickly sibling rivalries can turn melodramatic in WWE, and Jey and Jimmy have not escaped that trope.

The anticipation was building until both started cutting promos on one another. Trying to capitalize on The Bloodline hype, they have attempted to keep the epic feeling without the top guys involved.

In particular, while Jey has risen to top star status, Jimmy does not come off as a heel on his level. He played lackey for months on SmackDown while Jey fought for multiple championships.

The two need to focus in on what makes this story feel most real. Speak from the heart rather than trying to sell this as the ultimate drama.

There is plenty of build to this story, but that could mean nothing if the WWE Universe loses interest.

Grade: C

Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Gunther brings a level of excitement to every match in which he defends his Intercontinental Championship. Toppling the true top monster of the midcard scene matters.

After over 600 days, though, The Ring General has defeated just about everyone. The only men left willing to fight him are those who refuse to be broken.

Sami Zayn may be one of those stars, but he does not feel like the star, the one who is ready to take the gold away from Gunther.

Since the Austrian won the Intercontinental Championship, only three men have come off as worthy challengers to dethrone Gunther: Sheamus, Jey Uso and Chad Gable.

Each has sold what it would mean to them to become IC champion, primarily because none of them have held that title. The man to beat Gunther should need to beat him, not just want to do it.

The truth is, even with all the hype behind the title at the moment, the Intercontinental Championship still feels beneath Zayn's interest.

He's a three-time IC champion and has shown no interest until now of regaining the gold. This feels more like a match to get two of WWE's best on the card than an epic conclusion worthy of WrestleMania.

Grade: C-

United States Championship: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Logan Paul has never been in the position he is heading into WrestleMania. He is a defending champion with multiple top challengers nipping at his heels.

It is an interesting position for The Maverick, which is helped even more by the names who want to shut him up: Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.

Paul and KO have built a solid rapport in 2024 as champion and challenger. Owens is the wild card that The Maverick has trouble predicting.

The United States champion has also got on the bad side of The Viper, a man who never takes these situations lightly.

It is a nice,easy midcard title story for WrestleMania. This isn't the kind of story meant to blow fans away but rather fill out the card with a tale they can latch onto.

Grade: B+

Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

The two biggest female names in WWE right now are Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch. They have grasped the spotlight and refused to let it go.

Long before this match was official, fans were reacting positively to every tease. This is a money match that could determine the future of the entire women's division.

Lynch has been on fire in 2024, stealing the show time and again in matches with Nia Jax, Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler. She is performing at her peak.

Ripley has focused most on presentation and mic work over in-ring performance. She has developed an aura that allows her to stand out from her fellow Judgment Day members.

The Man is the veteran looking to prove she can still be the top woman in the business. Ripley is the top woman, and she refuses to give up her throne.

This is a recipe for success that has worked well in building anticipation for WrestleMania. Every time Raw has featured these two women face-to-ace, it has felt like a monumental clash on the verge of exploding.

The main element missing is the WrestleMania build moment that makes this truly personal. That should be coming in the next few weeks.

Grade: B+

WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley

All of Damage CTRL are working their hardest to sell the rivalry of Iyo Sky vs. Bayley, but one thing is holding this story back: presentation.

The Role Model won the women's Royal Rumble and had a strong story to tell from the outset with The Genius of the Sky.

At every turn, Bayley has faced the consequences of her own actions in creating Damage CTRL and allowing them to betray her.

Dakota Kai's turn was expected but also heart-wrenching as The Role Model was left alone against a dangerous quartet. Even with Naomi trying to help Bayley, the faces are wildly outnumbered.

On the surface, this is magic unfolding, the perfect title feud that has been built over a year to this moment.

However, WWE refuses to give it the attention and care that the women involved deserve. Bayley and Sky are not featured as WrestleMania headline attractions.

Their story has been confined to SmackDown where The Bloodline cuts into their time weekly. It's time to put some respect on this feud.

Grade: B

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is carrying his World Heavyweight Championship feud nearly well enough to make up for the fact that Seth Rollins has his attention divided.

The Scottish Warrior has made it his mission to sell his journey to gold. He has owned injuring CM Punk in the men's Royal Rumble match and stolen the show time and again with memorable lines for everyone in his way.

McIntyre is the best heel in the business because everything he says carries a strong truth, and he delivers each line with conviction.

However, his feud with Punk feels more important than this angle with The Visionary. It has not helped that Rollins is more interested in The Rock and Roman Reigns, though.

While this has factored into the WrestleMania build, it still takes away from the shine on this World Heavyweight Championship match.

Rollins has stood in the ring with McIntyre recently to sell their match, but he lacks conviction. He just taunts The Scottish Warrior, almost acting more as the heel, while McIntyre is the babyface who wants his fair shot.

The initial hype from the Scot's stellar promos is wearing off, and hopefully a spark is left to deliver to sell this story beyond more references to The Bloodline tag team rivalry.

Grade: B-

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

No match has more hype or expectations behind it than the tag team battle of The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.

It will be The Rock's return to the ring, following months of The Great One showing he is ready to get back to his best WWE work.

It's also a chance for The American Nightmare and The Visionary to deliver a memorable blow to The Bloodline that will directly set the stage for Night 2's main event.

This is a battle of titans in the current WWE scene, and nothing more needs to be done to make it feel special. The Rock would not have to show up again before The Show of Shows.

While the hype around this match has affected the build of other key 'Mania angles, there is no doubt WWE has done what was needed to sell it as special.

Grade: A+

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

It is rare that the same match will main-event two WrestleManias, especially back-to-back, but WWE set the foundations with the shocking end of the first Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes match.

To this day, it still feels like The American Nightmare should have won last year, but there is no doubt that the sequel has more hype because he did lose at WrestleMania 39.

The problem with any long-term WWE storyline is that context changes, and so much has happened in the past year to take some shine off the Rhodes vs. Reigns rematch.

In particular, the arrival of The Rock has overshadowed the central build, a tale of redemption for WWE's top babyface battling the top heel, finally completing a promise he made two years ago after returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38.

The emotions are high for this match that will deservedly main-event Night 2 of WrestleMania 40. However, WWE does need to get the focus back on what matters most: Rhodes and Reigns.

This cannot be about The Great One after Night 1 of WrestleMania. It must be about the longest world championship reign of the modern era and all that The American Nightmare will do to end it.

Grade: B