The Casual Fan's Guide to WWE WrestleMania 2024 Match Card

WrestleMania 40 is finally upon us, and for many in the WWE Universe, this is the most exciting time of the year.

Philadelphia is hosting the 40th annual pay-per-view this weekend. WWE Superstars have been in Philly all week doing press and participating in various events to hype the show.

The card for this year's show is stacked. Almost all of the main roster titles will be defended, but the match with the most hype is the Universal Championship bout between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.

With over a dozen contests and storylines to follow, it can be a bit daunting for even regular viewers to keep up with, let alone casual fans, so we're here to help.

Let's take a look at some of the stories behind the matches for WrestleMania XL. We'll briefly run down the undercard matches but go a bit more in-depth for the biggest showdowns.

The Card for WrestleMania

Night One:

• Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch (Women's World Championship)
• Gunther vs. Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship)
• Judgment Day vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. New Catch Republic vs. New Day vs. A-Town Downunder (Tag Team Championships)
• Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
• Bianca Belair Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai
• Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
• The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

Night Two:

• Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Championship)
• Iyo Sky vs. Bayley (WWE Women's Championship)
• LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
• Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens (U.S. Championship)
• The Pride vs. The Final Testament
• Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (Universal Championship)

The Rock Is Everywhere

When The Rock became part of the Bloodline leading into WrestleMania, a lot of people assumed he would only be involved in a limited capacity, but he has been showing up every week and has become a centerpiece of WWE programming once again.

As a board member of TKO, Dwayne Johnson has become more important to WWE than ever. He's not just a character, but now he plays an important role behind the scenes.

During the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, Rocky not only helped induct his own mother, but Muhammed Ali presented him with a special title belt during Ali's induction.

Rhodes and Reigns may be the main eventers, but The Rock is just as big a part of the show as they are this year. It will be his first official WrestleMania match since he defeated Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32, but if you don't count that on-move squash, it will be his first proper match in 11 years.

The Undercard Feuds

Paul and Owens have been feuding on and off for months with both men using brass knuckles on each other to score knockout blows. With Orton now in the mix, they will compete in a triple threat for the U.S. title.

Chad Gable has been training Zayn for his IC title bout against Gunther in the hopes of training the Canadian Superstar to be the man who can finally end The Ring General's epic title reign that has lasted over 660 days.

Judgment Day will have a huge challenge this weekend when five other teams challenge Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the tag titles. The possibility of the titles being split up has been suggested by many, so we could see two new sets of champions leave Philly this weekend.

Rey and Dom have reignited their feud recently thanks to Escobar recruiting the younger Mysterio into the LWO vs. Legado Del Fantasma storyline. Rey brought in Andrade to assist in what is sure to be a high-energy tag team match.

Father vs. son is not the only familial matchup this weekend. We will also see brothers battle as Jey and Jimmy Uso attempt to determine which Uso is truly the best. The Usos have been at odds ever since Jey left The Bloodline last year.

Following her appearance in the Royal Rumble, Cargill will have her first proper PPV match at WrestleMania when she, Naomi and Belair take on Asuka, Kai and Sane. Cargill is being positioned as a big signing for WWE, but the feud between Belair and Damage CTRL is the driving force behind this bout.

Stables will go to war on Sunday when Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits take on Karrion Kross and AOP. These two groups have been fighting on SmackDown for several weeks, but this should put the final nail in the coffin of this storyline and determine which group is superior.

Last but not least, Styles and Knight will face off in a singles match. The Phenomenal One has been embracing his dark side for months while Knight has continued to be one of the most popular acts on SmackDown. Their feud is simple, but the fight should be a lot of fun.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

If you've been paying attention to social media, then this may be one of your favorite feuds on the card thanks to the work McIntyre has been doing.

The Scottish Warrior is working as a heel, but it's so hard not to cheer for a guy who actually makes good points, delivers entertaining promos, and does extra work to build the story outside of weekly programming.

When McIntyre won his first world title, he did so in front of zero fans at WrestleMania 36 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so a lot of his fans are hoping he gets a proper WrestleMania win in front of thousands of people this year.

Rollins has not only been competing at a high level every week, but he has been stretching himself a bit thin due to being part of the Rhodes vs. Reigns feud, too.

On Saturday, The Visionary will team with The American Nightmare to take on The Tribal Chief and The Rock. McIntyre will be sitting back relaxing, so he will head into Sunday's World Championship match as fresh as a daisy while Rollins will likely be feeling the effects of facing The Bloodline.

Regardless of who wins, Priest is still going to be lurking somewhere with the Money in the Bank briefcase, so whoever claims the victory is going to have to keep an eye out for The Archer of Infamy.

Iyo Sky vs. Bayley

Bayley was the leader of Damage CTRL ever since the group formed at SummerSlam 2022, but now she finds herself ostracized from the stable she created and all on her own.

It seemed like the moment Sky successfully cashed in her MITB briefcase to win the title was when things started to go downhill for Bayley. She was the leader and likely hoped Kai and Sky would help her get back to the top, so playing second fiddle probably wasn't in her plans.

After winning the women's Rumble, Bayley was almost immediately kicked out of the group that now includes Asuka and Sane. The former Hugger no longer had anyone to embrace.

Now, former allies are enemies and will fight for the Women's Championship on Sunday. Sane, Kai and Asuka will almost certainly be involved in some capacity, but if Bayley can find anyone who will have her back like Naomi has, she may be able to even the odds.

The former women's champion has spent several years as a heel and helped WWE get through the pandemic by being one of the most entertaining performers on a weekly basis. Seeing her rewarded with a big WrestleMania moment as a babyface would be unforgettable.

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

When you strip everything else away, this match is about two of the best women to ever step foot in a WWE ring wanting to know who is better.

Five years ago, The Man was on top of the world. She was one of the most popular acts in all of WWE, has won every title she can possibly win, and has continued to put on great performances every time she steps into the ring. She also got married and had a child. In a lot of ways, Lynch had it all.

However, Ripley has been one of the most dominant forces on Raw for the past couple of years and has held the title since winning it from Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. In the eyes of some, The Eradicaor has taken The Man's spot as the top star in the women's division. Even as a heel, Ripley gets massive reactions every time she appears.

Both women see each other as a hurdle they need to clear for different reasons. For Lynch, this is about proving she is still the best by reclaiming the title from one of the most powerful competitors she has ever faced. For Ripley, this is about overcoming one of the greatest of all time to cement her place at the top.

Either competitor will benefit from a victory here, making one of the less predictable outcomes on the card. Fans in Philly will get a great match no matter who has their hand raised at the end.

Cody Rhodes vs. The Bloodline

Both nights of WrestleMania will be headlined by Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, but before they step into the ring on Sunday, they will compete in a tag team match on Saturday.

Rhodes will have Rollins by his side while Reigns will team with his cousin and TKO board member, The Rock.

This feud has been going on for more than a year since Rhodes won the men's Rumble in 2023. He came up short against The Tribal Chief last year, but he is hoping the second time's the charm.

The American Nightmare has even more stacked against him thanks to The Final Boss inserting himself into the storyline. He tried to get Rhodes to give up his title shot at 'Mania, but when he changed his mind, The Rock made him public enemy No. 1.

Saturday's tag match will determine the stipulation for Sunday's title bout. If Rhodes and Rollins win, The Bloodline will be banned from ringside on Sunday. If Rocky and Reigns win, it will be Bloodline Rules, which means anything goes.

This feud has gotten personal and seen everyone take personal shots at each other. The Rock left Rhodes in a puddle of his own blood on Raw, so The American Nightmare is heading into this weekend with just about every obstacle you could imagine set in front of him.

This year's WrestleMania is going to be an interesting weekend. With all but one main roster title on the line, the landscape of WWE could look very different on Monday.