WrestleMania 40 recap & reactions: The storybook ending (2024)

Couldn’t Be Done

If someone asked me how to destroy Roman Reigns and create his downfall, I’d say it’s gotta be something emotional. Everyone has a weakness and Roman, despite his superhuman run, showed several insecurities. One such popped up any time someone mentioned Seth Rollins. Being better than Seth matters possibly more than anything else. Ruining anything Seth cherishes takes precedence because Seth committed the first betrayal Roman ever experienced in WWE. The SHIELD rolled as a pack of brothers but Seth destroyed all that with one chair shot to Roman’s back. Even on Night One, Roman showed more disdain for Seth than Cody Rhodes and relished taking him out of commission when the match ended.

Fittingly, that emotional scar Roman never got over, the one that created the Tribal Chief, became his ultimate undoing. If it was just that, then I’d rank this story very high in professional wrestling history. But oh, dear dude or dudette, it was so much more. And when it all finished, the Bloodline saga, from start to finish, is my choice for best story ever told in professional wrestling. Period.

The Bloodline Rules match between Cody and Roman started like a normal match. Cody went for a table early but Roman cut that off and put the table back. They signaled early that the Bloodline Rules stipulation wasn’t about tables, ladders, or chairs (oh my) but people. I spent most of the match counting down the time until a Bloodline member emerged. And while everything before Jimmy Uso showed up rocked, like Roman using a Cross Rhodes and complaining about the move sucking, this wasn’t about that. It wasn’t about the actual wrestling these two did. Like I said, this is wrapping up a four-year story, so it boiled down to the drama. As Carmelo Hayes says, let’s talk about it.

Jimmy Uso showed up when Cody went for the Cross Rhodes trifecta. One Superkick to the chin changed all that and Roman got back on top. But Jimmy’s presence brought out Jey Uso. The two picked up where they left off last night as Jey speared his big brother off the Mania stage. I really want a rematch between these two and I demand violence so they can end it once and for all.

Roman and Cody battled for a bit longer and once Roman got in trouble again, along came Solo Sikoa! Solo dropped Cody with a Samoan Spike, draped the Chief over Cody, and turned his back while the ref counted. But Cody kicked out at three and Solo looked shook. Well, shook for him. Solo hit Cody with another spike and coaxed Roman to get in the game. Roman hit Cody with a spear but Cody didn’t stay down.

Then “My Time is Now” blared through the Philly streets and the crowed roared in anticipation. John Cena rushed to the ring and got his sweet revenge against Solo for how the Street Champ sent John packing. He then adjusted Roman’s attitude because while Solo was the gun, Roman was always the man who pulled the trigger.

Cena showing up meant The Rock wasn’t far behind because, well, these two have history. In one move, WWE seamlessly integrated John and Rock’s feud into this Bloodline saga, which is a stroke of genius. After Rock dismissed Cena, I really expected broken glass. Sadly that didn’t happen but I got the Undertaker instead. Even that makes so much sense in context given Roman and Undertaker’s WrestleMania history. Oh, and Paul Heyman too. Paul managed the two men who defeated Taker at Mania, with Roman possibly being Taker’s biggest embarrassment on the grandest stage. Not to mention there’s no love lost between Rock and Taker, which just came as an extra bonus.

But something important happened before the lights went out and the Deadman snuck up on Rocky like tax season: The Shield theme bellowed throughout the Linc. Rock, along with the camera, panned the crowd looking for what it meant. The camera missed Seth popping into the ring with a chair and his old Shield gear, but it caught Roman nailing him with a Superman Punch. Seth lied prone on the mat when Taker chokeslammed Rocky into the mat and out of the ring.

That put us right back where this whole Mania XL story started with Roman, Cody, and Seth in the ring. But with the added bonus of a chair. That’s when Roman came to his true crossroads and he unfortunately chose poorly. For a man who showed so much strategic excellence for four years, he let his emotions rule the day in the worst possible moment. Standing between Cody and Seth, he hesitated. Looking at Seth dressed like that, he remembered those feelings he never resolved.

Instead of hitting Cody and possibly ending the match in his favor, he wanted revenge for something that happened almost 10 years ago. He swung on Seth and showed more joy than any other moment during his historical run. But that brief moment of humanity gave Cody enough time to recover. The American Nightmare nailed the Cross Rhodes trifecta this time without any interference and on one coming to save Roman.

The king is dead, long live the king.

“Finish the story” was actually a double entendre. It wasn’t just about finishing Cody’s story but Roman’s as well. Seth’s action 10 years ago set us on this path. Even during his recent promos, Seth talked about feeling responsible for Roman’s position because he created him. He told Drew that defeating Roman and the Bloodline was the most important thing and he’d do anything to make sure it happened. The man formerly known as the Architect knew Roman never got over what happened many summer moons ago. Seth, along with almost everyone else Roman ran afoul of during his run, did everything in their power to end it. What started with Jey, Roman’s cousin, ended with a man Roman once called brother. Cody got his moment where several babyfaces came out to hail the conquering hero, but for me, how it happened is so much bigger than the results.

That said, I loved the real emotion that came from everyone when Cody celebrated. From Samantha Irvin to Michael Cole, they all truly felt joy for this man. They respected his journey and love that he gets to do something his dad never did. I’ve always thought of Mania as a season finale but this one truly felt that way with the babyfaces hoisting Cody on their shoulders while Triple H and Bruce Prichard showed their appreciation. They threw the word around a lot this week but this truly is a new era for WWE. I don’t know where it goes from here or how they get there but it'll be hard topping the saga they just capped.

And it’ll be even more fun watching them try.

Composure

This whole thing between Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins revolved around both men focusing on the wrong thing. Seth focused more on The Bloodline than a man who calls himself a Scottish Psychopath. And why wouldn’t he? Drew was 0 for the century against Seth and, no offense to Drew, but The Rock & Roman Reigns are sort of a big deal.

But Drew is, as we all know, a hypocrite. For all his talk about Seth’s misplaced focus, he was way too occupied with CM Punk. He seemingly cared more about keeping Punk out of Mania than making sure he walked out of Philly with the gold. That Single White Female behavior went so far that Drew requested Punk sit at the commentary table during this match.

Seth paid for his ambitions at Mania Night One. Rock & Roman beat him silly when they exposed his bad knee and worse back. He was literally held together by duct tape when he walked into Night Two for the opening match, and accompanied by...honestly I’m not sure what that entrance was. But I do know Seth looked like a Mortal Kombat character, so I understood that pretty well.

And then the bell rang and Drew nailed Seth with a Claymore Kick! I often talk about defying expectations and playing against them. We’ve seen Mania matches end quickly (usually involving Brock Lesnar) so that move not only played on history but felt like the right thing to do strategically. Why wouldn’t Drew go for the quick kill given the fact Seth looked like he did and wrestled in the longest Mania match in history.

And yet Seth kicked out! That immediately created an unprecedented situation while showing Seth’s heart. The Claymore set the stage for a match where Seth never got going and Drew controlled most of the action. In fact, shortly after that first Claymore, Drew took his wife’s phone and posted this:

Son was feeling himself until Seth pulled a Curb Stomp out of nowhere. But it actually hurt him more than Drew. Every action Seth did the put pressure on that knee only put him in more pain. Seth, always stubborn, went for another curb stomp. Then, he went for one from the top rope only to miss because Drew played possum. And guess what happened when a man with a bad knee jumped off the top rope while leading with that same knee? You guess it: pain.

Eventually, they battled outside because Drew kept looking at Punk. He took the action directly to him. Seth blocked Drew’s Powerbomb attempt and nailed Drew with another curb stomp. But this time, it happened on top of the commentary table. Seth still took the worst of it though and that knee had nothing left at this point.

Once Drew got Seth back in the knee, he nailed him with two more Claymores. After the second, Drew finally got the moment he felt he so richly deserved. He celebrated winning a championship in front of a packed crowd.

Remember that whole thing I said about misplaced focus? It bit Seth in the butt first and at this event, it finally caught Drew.

Rather than celebrate his championship with his wife and leave well enough alone, he poked the bear. He taunted Punk and told him to suck it. Punk, who looked injured, was actually in perfect health. That’s when this happened:

And just like that, we have a new champion. Again. Judgement Day is back on top, Drew is a doofus who couldn’t leave well enough alone, and the stage is set for Punk vs. Drew.

Very well done all around. I have no complaints about the match, the post match, or the cash-in. Damian Priest deserves this moment for all his incredible work. I cannot wait to see how Judgment Day moves with Raw’s two main championships in the fold.

B-Sides

Baby I’m a Star

This was a big moment for LA Knight. Aside from his first WrestleMania match, it put him against AJ Styles. So how would he handle the spotlight, pressure, and expectations in the city that hates Santa but swears it loves you like a brother?

Unsurprisingly, the match worked because of the clashing styles. And I promise, that’s no pun intended. LA wanted to brawl while AJ wanted to wrestle. Yeah, he’s a heel now and this thing between them is incredibly personal, but AJ’s a wrestler at his core. The moment that encapsulated this best came when both men fought for supremacy on the top rope. LA bit, yes bit AJ. AJ raked LA’s eyes in kind. LA then pops up like a zombie from Return of the Living Dead, goes for a huge German Suplex, AJ kicks out and immediately puts him in a Calf Crusher. From there, they brawled outside and LA pulled the mat off the floor, usually a sign someone really wants to hurt their opponent. Unfortunately for LA, he was hoisted on his own petard when AJ hit him with a back body drop.

I actually wanted more of that from this match. This is a feud that put one man in jail after all. While I liked what we got I didn’t love it and that’s why. More physicality, more brutality, and just more punishing each other.

But I do agree with the decision. LA got the W with a clean pin after a BFT.

Ocean Prime

\When Logan Paul enters a match with a Prime mascot, you know chicanery is afoot. IShowSpeed not only disrupted a perfectly good match but he also made me feel old. I have no idea who that man is but I also don’t watch streamers. And I’m not that old!

Anyway, I predicted that this match hinged on Kevin Owens and Randy Orton breaking their alliance and Logan taking advantage. Yeah, well, I was wrong. Dead wrong. Now, that said, Randy and KO did break their alliance, but it happened early and it was still relatively peaceful. In fact, it felt like a buddy cop comedy where they both anticipated the fight. KO even asked, “So we’re doing this now?” Before that, they beat up on Logan, who did his best to avoid all static and “let them fight.” What I thought might remain a handicap match for a bit longer became a traditional triple threat rather quickly, and the match was better for it. Props to KO and Randy for having a bit more aggression when any exchange involved Logan.

Like I said, this eventually turned into shenanigans. IShowSpeed got involved, Randy dealt him a hellacious RKO on the commentator table, but he did his job. The distraction put Logan out of harms way just long enough for KO and Randy to get back to each other. Randy hit KO with an RKO, Logan threw the Viper out of the ring, and finished the match with an insane Frog Splash. The dude’s hops are, not literally, out of this world.

Very fun match even though I still have questions about this IShowSpeed cat.

Final Destination

Bayley vs. IYO SKY was a basic wrestling story that I loved so much. It started with IYO putting a bullseye on Bayley’s injured knee and continued that way for most of its run. IYO came out aggressive hoping that an early flurry might send Bayley home before breaking a sweat.

Within the story, these two know each other so well, so it makes sense that IYO went after her leg and tried ending it quickly. IYO trapped her knee in the ropes, executed a Dragon Screw, and even stomped on her knees. That meant Bayley played the simple role of babyface gritting it out for the big comeback.

In a sense, the match mirrored the storyline with Damage CTRL. The group took her out and kept applying pressure. Despite how much it hurt her emotionally, Bayley found the guts to fight back. So when Bayley barely kicked out of IYO’s Over the Moonsault, or hobbled on one leg to apply a Roseplant that IYO basically somersaulted out of, that went hand-in-hand with the overall tale. How tough is Bayley and how much can she withstand?

Bayley gutted it out for one last big elbow from the top, followed by another Roseplant that IYO didn’t avoid.

Bayley found her vindication and victory. Dope match that possibly elevated Bayley even more, if that’s possible.

Table for 3

Let’s cut to the chase with this Philly Street Fight between The Pride and Final Testament: Bubba Ray Dudley dawned his old glasses and gave The Pride an emotional assist.

Bubba played guest ref in the home of Extreme. Karrion Kross got in his face and, yeah, that was a mistake. I got a kick out of seeing Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, and even Bobby Lashley do the old Dudley Boyz gimmicks. One of the tables didn’t quite work the way they intended, which made me cackle, but alls well that ends well.

The good guys triumph over evil and hopefully they can move forward. This match hit at the right time in the show after the high that was Seth vs. Drew, which led to Damian cashing in his briefcase. And the Philly crowd adores any and everyone ECW, so they made the right moves.

What a night. I enjoyed Night one quite a bit but it had its lulls. Night two felt more consistent, more deliberate, and more emotionally satisfying. The ending alone catapults it beyond anything from WrestleMania weekend, but it helps that everything before that delivered like an 80 pound baby.

WrestleMania represented the ending and beginning of something. It hopefully portends an exciting Raw and SmackDown because the entire landscape is different.

Grade: A +

What say you, Cagesiders? Is this Bloodline saga the greatest WWE story ever told? What do you think of Cody’s upcoming reign? And what of Damian’s incredible heist?

Sound off!