This Saturday, live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, WrestleMania XL: Night 1. For the fifth consecutive year, “The Show of Shows” is a two-night affair, with Saturday’s main event pitting undisputed world champion Roman Reigns and The Rock against Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.
This will mark only the third time in Mania history that a tag team match will act as the main event, though rumors persist online about WWE’s decision to make this a more traditional tag match or a ‘tornado’ style tag match where all four men are ‘legal’ at the same time.
While plenty of great matches are booked for the card, there is plenty of buzz surrounding the surprises WWE has in store, including possible appearances from Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker. There are also longshot predictions that we will see some AEW talent aid Cody Rhodes in his win or maybe MJF, but these are highly unlikely.
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Stipulation: Bloodline win means that Night Two’s main event will be fought under “Bloodline Rules”; Rhodes/Rollins win means that The Bloodline is banned from ringside for Night 2 main event.
This program started on first street, hit a fork, then teleported back in time before jumping on Interstate 95. The feud was well-designed, the intensity grew organically, and the stakes are as high as they can be for a storyline that feels years in the making. The pieces to this storyline were set weeks ago, and every week, the four men committed to telling a story with generational undertones and one that blurs the line between both sides of ‘Gorilla.’
If things weren’t already tense, The Rock’s recent violent tendencies and sadistic promises have certainly raised the bar. There are possible swerves and/or ‘turns’ to look for in this one, and trust has been the underlining theme of this entire program. Still, there is more reason to believe that The Rock will be involved in the outcome of night two’s main event than there is him being reduced to a spectator in the hottest angle in wrestling right now.
Until this week’s RAW, we had no idea what “Bloodline Rules” meant, but it is essentially a “No DQ” match. Regardless, we are likely to see ‘run-ins’ from the other Bloodline members and Jey Uso, maybe Sami Zane, that lead to a schmoz before a conclusive finish, and one that likely leaves Cody facing insurmountable odds in his rematch with Roman night two.
Prediction winner: Roman Reigns & The Rock
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch (WWE Women’s World Championship)
Ripley and Lynch should have had more time, but a pesky Nia Jax got in the way. Still, the two have managed to escalate things within a short timeframe. The subplot has become ‘Mami’ vs Mommy, with Becky’s daughter used in one of Rhea’s verbal salvos.
For Becky, this is a chance to get back to the spot she once held but is now occupied by Rhea. Rhea has the opportunity to elevate her status even further and on the grandest stage, continuing the run that started at the 2022 Royal Rumble. This match could get very physical, with a high chance of some in-match ‘color.’
Prediction winner: Rhea Ripley
GUNTHER (c) vs Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship)
This is the Savage-Steamboat contender on the card, the match that might not ‘steal the show’ but will instead go down in the pantheon of Mania matches involving workers. It was also built around an emotionally gripping arch that has Zane questioning himself and then turning to a friend/coach in Chad Gable, the guy who lost when he got his opportunity.
The entire story is very Rocky IV, but the deeper storyline is one of men’s mental health. Men are expected to grit their teeth and fight through hardships to be the conquering hero. Yet, here is a man, an athlete, and a father struggling with internal demons that exist only to create self-doubt. And still, here is a real man in Zane who is not afraid to say he needs help, and the in-ring tutelage from Gable is nothing compared to the mental and emotional strides that come from the heartfelt conversations between the two ‘faces.’
This match will be great, but it could end up being one that gains respect and fandom as the year progresses. With Gunther coming in as the longest-reigning IC champ, this title means more than it has in decades.
Prediction winner: Sami dethrones Gunther via pinfall
The Judgement Day (C) vs DIY vs Awesome Truth vs The New Day vs A-Town Down Under vs New Catch Republic (Undisputed Tag Team Titles)
In the mid to late noughties, the “Money in the Bank” match was a staple of WrestleMania, and the TLCs made famous by the Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian were showcased at Mania where the boundaries were pushed even further. All of those matches and the very idea of WrestleMania becoming synonymous with ladder matches stems from WrestleMania X (the Roman numeral for 10) and the classic Razor Ramon VS Shawn Michaels ladder match for the IC title.
Those matches shaped a generation of wrestlers competing today and changed the industry forever. Now, a new generation of superstars will compete in a match designed to be a spot-fest. While teams like DIY and New Catch Republic have been gaining momentum heading into Saturday’s match, a win for the team of The Miz and R-Truth (Awesome Truth) has WrestleMania moment written all over it. The two men are from a very underappreciated era of WWE, but they deserve to have this moment together in a sort of way that honors the generation from which they originated.
Prediction winner: Judgment Day retain (*crosses fingers in hopes of an Awesome Truth victory)
Jey Uso vs Jimmy Uso
This match pits brother versus brother, a familiar theme both biblically and within WrestleMania’s own history. Bret Hart and Owen Hart famously had one of the best Mania openers, and is still hailed today as a classic. The motivation was something you could empathize with—who hasn’t wanted to kill their sibling? But it was their chemistry and non-verbal communication that allowed both men almost to predict the other’s movement.
However, the Matt and Jeff Hardy match of WM 25 was far from a classic. The point being you really can’t predict what sibling matches will look like. The hope is that Jey and Jimmy can deliver on the biggest stage. The two have gotten into scraps here and there dating back to Jimmy’s SummerSlam turn on his brother Jey. Both men are capable of doing a little bit of everything, but the feud has become so personal that I could see it being more physical, either way, Jey is getting his “dream match,” now all he has to do is deliver.
Prediction winner: Jey Uso
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar
There were many rumors that Dom would receive a huge push at the beginning of the year, culminating with an even bigger match at Mania. However, week after week, Dom missed out on those Mania opportunities. Then, in the final few shows before Mania, he inserts himself into his dad’s feud with Legado Del Fantasma. Escobar, who turned on Rey and the LWO, wanted to put Rey on the shelf for good, and the famous luchador returned for revenge. With Dragon Lee as his partner, the stage is set to give WM a lucha feel. The great thing about the Night One card is that it has a little bit for everyone.
Prediction winner: Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee
Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair & Naomi vs Damage CTRL
This was one of the latest editions to the WM card, but it is no less intriguing. Cargill made her big budget debut on SmackDown last week, and it looks as though WWE has plans to book her strong.
However, rumors and stories of her being too green on the mic and not picking up things quick enough in the ring highlight the fact that this is the kind of match where you can hide a weak player only to get them the hot tag and feed them bodies for dominating spots. There is no chance Jade’s team loses, and it is most likely she gets the pinfall victory, but it is a shame that Belair and Naomi have to be set pieces in Cargill’s movie, especially when you consider that both superstars are proven talents of the highest capacity.
Prediction winner: Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi
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