WrestleMania 40 recap: Cody Rhodes finishes story; winners, highlights from Night 2
PHILADELPHIA — Will the story be finished, or will The Bloodline reign supreme?
After a stellar night one, WrestleMania 40 night two has arrived, and it is headlined by the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. After Reigns and The Rock won their tag team match on Saturday, the match will be under Bloodline rules, making it a large obstacle for Rhodes to win the title. Five other matches will take place Sunday night, including the highly-anticipated WWE Women's Championship match between former Damage CTRL friends Iyo Sky and Bayley.
Are surprises in store for Sunday? USA TODAY Sports provided updates of all the action inside Lincoln Financial Field:
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
It's Bloodline rules for the title, but it was an "American Dream."
Knowing the odds are stacked against him, Rhodes tried to bring weapons into the match early, but Reigns wasn't having any of it. Instead, the champion used a kendo stick on the challenger. Rhodes was able to get out of the sticky situation and used Ric Flair's figure four leg lock in an attempt to get a submission, which wasn't successful.
The fight escalated into the crowd and Rhodes suplexed Reigns off the barricade. Once it got back into the ring, Reigns caught Rhodes with a power bomb and took control of the match. Reigns even took a page from his opponents book when he used a Cross Rhodes on the challenger.
Rhodes got on offense and delivered the bionic elbow on Reigns, leading to the match going outside of the ring. A low blow from Reigns turned the momentum again, and the champion did a power bomb to send Rhodes through the announcer's table. He went to finish it off, but Rhodes kicked out. Rhodes then went the Reigns route with a spear on the champion, which ended in an unsuccessful pin.
Once Rhodes looked to be closing in, Jimmy Uso came to the aid to superkick Rhodes. Jey Uso came out to take out his twin brother by spearing him off the ramp in a crazy spot. When Rhodes got momentum again, Solo Sikoa came to Samoan spike Rhodes. A spear Samoan spike combo was used, but Rhodes kicked out.
Then came John Cena, who delivered an attitude adjustment to Reigns and Sikoa. But then The Rock showed up to deal with Cena in another epic faceoff between the two. A Rock bottom was hit on Cena, and Seth Rollins came in to help, but he was Superman punched. Then The Undertaker came out and choke slammed The Rock in a wild sequence.
Rhodes then finally got the three Cross Rhodes he longed to get. He got the pin to become champion and finish the story.
FINISHED. THE. STORY. ❤️#CodyRhodes earned that #WrestleMania moment. pic.twitter.com/U5IAnBimgv
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
Roman Reigns has orchestra lead his entrance
It was an entrance fit for the Tribal Chief.
Roman Reigns had an entire orchestra sing and play his entrance music as he came down the ramp in epic fashion.
#RomanReigns has arrived for the main event of #WrestleMania!
ACKNOWLEDGE your Tribal Chief! pic.twitter.com/NGHaeYNwfP— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
Cody Rhodes makes entrance with wife Brandi Rhodes
What an entrance for the challenger.
Cody Rhodes emerged with his skull mask and wife Brandi Rhodes was there along his side.
Can #CodyRhodes finish the story TONIGHT at #WrestleMania XL? pic.twitter.com/wVIZyhVyVS
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
WWE Women's Championship match: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
The battle between the former friends had one of the best build-ups of any WrestleMania match, and it delivered in a highly emotional contest.
Sky went after Bayley's legs early in the match, which have been severely injured over the course of her career. The champion has continued to impress amid her championship run, and she showcased her abilities in and out of the ring. Bayley was only able to change the tide after she did a sunset flip to send Sky into the turnbuckle.
Both stars were unsuccessful in taking each other out in the next moments, and they finally went punch-for-punch before Sky got the upper hand with the over the moonsault. However, Bayley kicked out. Bayley changed the momentum of the match and went for her own splash off the top rope, then she executed the rose plant to perfection. She pinned Sky to win the title and got to celebrate being champion once again, a much deserved achievement for Bayley.
WWE United States Championship match: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
With Orton and Owens bonding over their distaste for the United States Champion, the two decided to go after Paul to start the match and they unleashed a lengthy assault against Paul. Eventually, Owens and Orton realized they'd have to take out each other to win, and they had a quick scuffle before Paul took advantage of it.
Paul played the heel role perfectly with great work in getting the crowd vocally involved in the match. "Vintage" Orton would come out and get ready to deliver the lethal strike. Owens would disrupt it and try his own ending, but it was unsuccessful. Owens had an impressive backflip dive onto Paul and he went for the stunner on Orton, but Orton countered with an RKO and it wasn't enough for the pin.
Paul brought out his brass knuckles since he couldn't be disqualified, and he landed the powerful right-hand on Orton. It looked to be a win but Orton surprisingly kicked out. Paul tried it again, only this time Orton countered with an RKO as all the stars were down. Orton got up and went for the punt until the Prime mascot saved Paul, revealing to be popular streamer iShowSpeed. Orton didn't enjoy that, so he decided to RKO him on the announcer's table.
RKO to @ishowspeedsui at #WrestleMania XL! pic.twitter.com/8npyBAmsMT
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
Orton continued the momentum and hit an RKO on Owens. He was going to go for the pin, but Paul threw him out of the ring and did a frogsplash on Owens to get the victory and retain the title. It was a very entertaining match from beginning to end, and Paul's ceiling in WWE continues to go up.
Fireflies come out for Bray Wyatt
The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field again honored the late Bray Wyatt on Sunday. When the 2024 Hall of Fame class was recognized, the crowd lit up the arena with their flashlights for Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham. Then when an ad for the Bray Wyatt documentary played, the crowd again lit up the stadium.
The fireflies once again are out at #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/wfLirrxYDC
— jordan mendoza (@jordan_mendoza5) April 8, 2024
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
The bad blood had been brewing for weeks, and these two wasted no time going after each other before Samantha Irvin could finish the introductions.
The match was as brutal a no stipulation match could be, ranging from heavy blows to Styles suplexing LA Knight on the hard surface underneath the walkway around the ring. But Styles was never able to capitalize on any of his shots, and LA Knight was the one to land the winning move with a BFT. LA Knight put away Styles in what should be a big win for his rising career, and could launch him into a title opportunity in the near future.
Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam and Rezar) in a Philadelphia Street Fight
The Philadelphia Street Fight wasted no time getting chaotic with weapons being introduced early in the match. What was a great surprise was seeing Scarlett and B-Fab get involved and physical against each other.
After Dudley upset Kross, The Final Testament leader slapped Dudley in a not so smart move. Lashley speared Kross right afterward, and his team were inspired by Dudley to do his patented "get the table" yell. Ford then leaped high off the top rope to send Kross through the table and Lashley secured the pin to get the victory over a group that had terrorized them for weeks. It was a quick match, but had some good spots in an ode to extreme.
Snoop Dogg joins as guest commentator, Bubba Ray Dudley joins as special guest referee
The surprises keep on coming, with legendary rapper and WWE Hall of Fame joining the commentary team to call the Philadelphia Street Fight match. Then WWE Hall of Famer and extreme icon Bubba Ray Dudley came out to serve as special guest referee of the match.
Damian Priest cashes in Money in the Bank contract to win title
Call him Señor World Heavyweight Champion.
After CM Punk surprised Drew McIntyre with an attack after McIntyre won the World Heavyweight Championship, Damian Priest made the most of his opportunity by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. The Judgment Day member wasted no time by finishing off McIntyre and pinning him to win the title in stunning fashion.
The Judgment Day came out to celebrate the monstrous victory and McIntyre was left stunned in the middle of the ring, while CM Punk taunted him back. What a way to start the night.
SEÑOR WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/A7STQ6swzw
— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2024
World Heavyweight Championship match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
The match was nearly over in seconds when McIntyre went for a claymore as soon as the bell rang, but Rollins kicked out to prevent the stunning loss.
The intensity continued high after that, and both stars were landing signature moves against one another, but the knee Rollins hurt during his match on Saturday night was slowing down the champion. In just a few minutes, there were already several dramatic near falls. McIntyre also continued his specular run as "player hater of the year" by going on his phone during the match and taunting CM Punk.
There were curb stomps and claymore kicks happening left and right, but McIntyre was able to land two-straight, and it was enough to get the pin and become the new World Heavyweight Champion, this time in front of a crowd he so desperately wanted to do it in front of. It was a fantastic start to the night and sets the tone for another elite night of wrestling.
And to put the cherry on top, McIntyre made sure to bask in the glory in front of the rival he's waiting to come back: CM Punk. But the injured star attacked the new champion, and it proved to be costly.
Seth Rollins has epic entrance with Philadelphia mummers
The World Heavyweight champion came out in iconic Philadelphia style with mummers, and he dressed for the occasion with an iconic mummers costume of his own.
The mummers, part of the city’s annual New Year’s Day parade with people dressed in extravagant costumes, played Rollins entrance music before he emerged from the crowd.
PHILA-FREAKIN-DELPHIA!@WWERollins arrives on #WrestleMania XL Sunday with the Mummers of Philadelphia! pic.twitter.com/mOsgCNJX2G
— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2024
Stephanie McMahon addresses crowd
Just like her husband did on night one, Stephanie McMahon addressed the crowd to kick off the night. She said she is the most proud of this WrestleMania because it its the first one in the "Paul Levesque era."
CM Punk joins as special guest commentator
WWE fans were given a treat before the night officially began when CM Punk surprisingly emerged to serve as the special guest commentator for the first match of the night.
It's #WrestleMania time!
We're kicking the night off with the World Heavyweight Championship Match! pic.twitter.com/bxbfthYUwX— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2024
WrestleMania 40 start time
WrestleMania 40 continues with Night 2 action beginning at 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
How to watch WrestleMania 2024
WrestleMania 40 can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.
How to catch WWE's biggest event without cable
The only way to stream WrestleMania is through Peacock. The streaming service discontinued its free trial option so the only available Peacock plans are:
Premium: Stream with ads for $5.99/month of $59.99 for a full year
Premium Plus: Stream ad-free and catch local NBC channels as well as downloadable content for $11.99/month or $119.99 for a full year
Student Discount: Get the Premium plan for only $1.99/month for 12 months
WrestleMania 40 match card, schedule night 2
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes.
World Heavyweight Championship match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre.
WWE Women's Championship match: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley.
WWE United States Championship match: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles.
The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam and Rezar) in a Philadelphia Street Fight.
WrestleMania 40 night 2 predictions
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match: Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns.
World Heavyweight Championship match: Drew McIntyre defeats Seth Rollins.
WWE Women's Championship match: Bayley defeats Iyo Sky.
WWE United States Championship match: Logan Paul defeats Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
LA Knight defeats AJ Styles.
The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam and Rezar) defeats The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins).
Reigns vs. Rhodes stipulation: What does Bloodline rules mean?
Since Reigns and The Rock won the tag team match against Rhodes and Rollins on Saturday night, that means the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match will be under Bloodline rules.
The match will essentially be a no disqualification match, meaning anything goes. The Rock vowed if the match was under Bloodline rules, he would do "everything" to make sure Rhodes doesn't win the title.
The Rock teases surprises
There’s tons of speculation of what could happen for the main event match tonight. At the WrestleMania 40 night one press conference, The Rock was asked if there would be any surprises for Sunday’s match, and he gave a little snippet of what to expect.
“Absolutely. But ‘the Final Boss’ can’t tell you that. I can't tell everybody that. I gotta keep everybody guessing,” The Rock said. “You can sure expect the unexpected. A lot of surprises.”
WrestleMania 40 weather
Saturday night was chilly, and it’ll be another cold night inside Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
It is forecasted to be 57 degrees when WrestleMania begins, according to AccuWeather. However it won’t be as windy as Saturday, with winds expected to be up to seven miles per hour. By the end of the show, it’ll be in the high 40s.
WWE champions
There were three title changes on Saturday with both tag team titles and the Intercontinental Championship switching hands. There could be more changes on Sunday, but before the action kicks off, here are the champions of WWE.
Why is WrestleMania two nights?
The first 35 WrestleManias all happened on one night, but that changed in 2020.
When COVID-19 resulted in WrestleMania 36 being held behind closed doors, WWE took advantage by booking as many matches as possible and stretching it over two nights. It was a success, and when fans returned for WrestleMania 37 in 2021, WWE opted to keep the two-day format and it’s been that way ever since.
Having WrestleMania across two nights was also a relief for fans. When it was just one night, WrestleMania would last around eight hours, and it became hard for fans to maintain the hype in the stadium, while also creating logistical challenges in the host city. With more and more matches worthy of being on the event card, it only made sense to make it a two-day event.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWE WrestleMania 40 recap: Cody Rhodes wins, highlights