TJRWrestling WWE WrestleMania 40 Preview
It’s the biggest show of the year as WWE presents WrestleMania 40 with 13 big matches over two nights featuring Roman Reigns, The Rock, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins and more.
WrestleMania 40 takes place on April 6th and April 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. If you have been reading my content regularly then you know I’ll be there too. It’s my first WrestleMania since WM32 in Dallas in 2016 and I’m very much looking forward to it. I think the card is awesome. There are several champions that have had long title reigns that could see those reigns end, so it will be interesting some of the match results.
I think doing seven matches on Saturday and six matches on Sunday is a good idea. Every match is going to get time. They aren’t going to rush through anything, so there should be plenty of matches in that four star range or above similar to last year. I loved last year’s WrestleMania and thought it really was one of the best WMs of all time while this year’s lineup could top it.
What’s tough about WrestleMania is that even with 13 matches over two nights, there are dozens of men and women on the WWE roster who won’t be in a match on the show. Honestly, if it was me I would put the Women’s Battle Royal for 15 minutes on the Kickoff Show on Saturday and the Men’s Andre The Giant Battle Royal on the Kickoff Show for 15 minutes on Sunday. It’s not going to hurt anybody else to have those matches on the Kickoff Show instead of doing the Men’s Battle Royal on Smackdown.
This past Monday on Raw, WWE announced the full lineup for Saturday & Sunday. I wrote it out in my Raw review, so I’m going to write this preview in that same order.
The WrestleMania 40 Saturday Matches
WWE Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
This match has been obvious for about a year because they were kept apart throughout 2023 despite being the top two women on Raw. After Lynch didn’t win the Royal Rumble, it was obvious she would win Elimination Chamber and she did, which set up this match. Over the last two weeks of Raw, Lynch & Ripley have been brawling a lot more, so I have enjoyed that increase in physicality. Promos talking about how you respect somebody is fine, but we want to see people fight and these two are really good at what they do.
Last year’s Ripley win over Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania was one of the best women’s matches at WM or any WWE show ever. I loved that match. In this case, I think they can have a match as good or even better than that one. They should get 20+ minutes and have a grueling match that could go either way. I assume the story will be about Lynch working over Ripley’s left arm throughout the match so then the story is about if Ripley will be strong enough to hit her Riptide slam. I think eventually Ripley will be able to hit her Riptide and get the win. If Ripley loses then that’s cool, but I just think she’s going to keep her title reign going.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Intercontinental Championship: GUNTHER (c) vs. Sami Zayn
A matchup between two of my favorites in all of WWE featuring two guys who have likely crossed paths prior to WWE due to their long, successful careers before they got to WWE. I think Gunther’s 600+ day title reign has been a lot of fun since he has had so many clean wins rather than being a traditional heel that cheats to win. It has made Gunther look unbeatable throughout his title reign. Zayn won a tough Gauntlet Match to win and become a fresh opponent for Gunther even though I know some people wanted Chad Gable in this spot due to his history with Gunther.
While I would love a Zayn title win, I think I’m going with Gunther winning. Raw is in Montreal on April 15th, so I feel like maybe there’s some controversial finish to this match where Zayn nearly gets the win, the referee is bumped and Gunther comes back to win. That could necessitate the rematch, so then I would have Zayn win the title from Gunther when they do the rematch on Raw in Montreal. If it happens here then that’s certainly fine with me. I just feel like WWE is going to wait on this a bit. I
n terms of match quality, this might be the best match of the weekend because they should get around 20 minutes with Gunther beating on Zayn a bunch, Zayn is amazing at doing comebacks and Zayn should come close to winning a few times. Both guys had epic matches at WrestleMania, but neither one of those was a singles match, so I think they’ll have an incredible singles match this time around. I’m excited about it.
Winner: GUNTHER
Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso
I think it was obvious this was happening since last summer at SummerSlam when Jimmy cost Jey the Undisputed WWE Universal Title when Jey wrestled Roman Reigns. After Jimmy interfered in Jey’s matches a few weeks back, that set the stage for the match officially. My issue with this one is Jimmy hasn’t won a singles match since September (I believe that’s when it was) while Jey has done fairly well as a singles guy. I think WWE should have tried to build up Jimmy more as a singles wrestler in the last couple of months knowing that they had this match coming.
I’m happy for the brothers getting to have this match because they have both said it was adream match of theirs, so to be able to do this one year after main event WM Saturday is pretty damn cool for these guys. These last three or four years has been the best run of their legendary careers and they continue to deliver on the big stage, so I’m genuinely happy for them.
Jey should get the win here since he is pushed more as a singles guy. This might be the year where Jey wins the IC or US Title depending on where things end up after the WWE Draft assuming they do it again in May. Something in the range of 15-20 minutes seems likely here.
Winner: Jey Uso
Jade Cargill, Naomi & Bianca Belair vs. Damage CTRL’s Asuka, Kairi Sane & Dakota Kai
The most obvious match result of them all. There’s no way WWE is going to wait eight months to officially debut Jade Cargill in a match (not counting the Royal Rumble) and have her lose that match. Cargill will probably win every match she has for several months. Belair and Naomi are popular stars who the fans like, so it’s good for Cargill to be with them.
I think Cargill will get the win for her team. The team of Asuka, Sane & Kai are all good workers who will put on a strong performance, but they are there to take the loss. They will probably get around 10-12 minutes at least, but I doubt there are any spots that will make anybody think that Cargill’s team will lose.
Winners by pinfall: Jade Cargill, Naomi & Bianca Belair
Six-Pack Ladder Match For WWE Tag Team Championships: Damian Priest & Finn Balor vs. #DIY – Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano vs. Awesome Truth – The Miz & R-Truth vs. The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. A-Town Down Under – Austin Theory & Grayson Waller vs. New Catch Republic – Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate
On Monday’s Raw, Michael Cole just announced that BOTH the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Titles will be on the line in the WrestleMania Ladder Match. It was stated that once one set of belts has been pulled down, the match will continue until the other set has been pulled down too. That would suggest this is a way for WWE to split the Tag Team Titles and make them brand exclusive again. I think that’s better than having one set of Tag Team Titles on both brands because each brand can certainly have 6-8 competitive teams and when you have that, it’s enough for brand exclusive divisions. I would be in favor of WWE changing the looks of both sets of tag team titles too.
My prediction is that there will be two new teams as Tag Team Champions. I think #DIY’s Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano will win the Raw Tag Team Titles and then there will be a battle for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. I see those ones going to New Catch Republic’s Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate. Those four guys I mentioned (Ciampa, Gargano, Dunne & Bate) are among Triple H’s favorite wrestlers from his days running NXT, so I see this as a big match for Triple H guys. It’s not like others are non-Triple H guys, but I think those four really are going to stand out on this match. I think Priest & Balor leaving without the titles is fine for them because they’re going to be regulars on TV with or without titles.
There hasn’t been a 6-team Ladder Match on the main roster in a long time, so it will feel fresh to see these guys doing some crazy stuff using ladders. I hope they don’t overdo it and that they are smart throughout the match. I’m not going to call this a sleeper match or anything like that, but I do think they could have one of the best matches at WrestleMania.
Winners of Raw Tag Team Titles: #DIY – Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano
Winners of Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Catch Republic – Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate
LWO – Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
It will be cool for Rey and Dominik to be in a WrestleMania match together again for the third straight year. They were allies two years ago, they were opponents last year and now they are tag team opponents. This certainly could have been a Rey-Santos singles match considering the turn by Santos back in November, but we know WWE is high on Dragon Lee as a future star and having Dragon Lee team with Rey is a way for WWE to try to elevate Lee by putting him with a Hall of Famer.
I think it’s a tough match to predict because it could go either way. Since Rey beat Dominik last year and Rey doesn’t “need” wins at this point in his career, I think the heel side should probably win, so I’ll go with Dominik beating his dad Rey as something that Dominik can brag about for years to come. A heel win would be okay in this situation.
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth “Freakin” Rollins
This one has been built up very well and the final segment on Raw was very effective in terms of getting heat on Rock & Reigns for the way they destroyed Cody and Rollins using a leather strap. Does that mean Cody & Seth will find a way to win here? I don’t think so.
This will be a regular tag team match as far as we know. However, the stipulation is that if Rock & Reigns win then the Reigns-Rhodes match at WrestleMania 40 Sunday will be Bloodline Rules meaning that interference will be allowed. If Cody & Seth win then it’s free of The Bloodline, according to The Rock, which may or may not be truthful. I think it’s better for the story if it’s Bloodline Rules on Sunday because then the odds are stacked against Cody and he has to find a way to overcome (and get help) to get the win, which I think Cody should do.
I expect them to get all the time they want and they will probably go 30 minutes plus get really long entrances as well. The Rock will get to stand on the apron at times when he might be tired due to not wrestling that often (I’m sure he’s been training for the last three months), so that’s a good thing for him. In the end, I think Rock will get the win by pinning Rollins. I don’t think Cody should get pinned here.
Winners: The Rock & Roman Reigns
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The WrestleMania 40 Sunday Matches
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
If this match opens night two then it would be an interesting move since Rollins is headlining night one and then would have to open night two. Going into this match, my prediction has always been a McIntyre win because I just feel like Rollins has held the title for over ten months and it feels like the right time for a title change. McIntyre also feels like the right guy to be the new champion since he’s challenged for this title twice, lost both of those matches and now McIntyre is solidified as the top heel.
It should be an outstanding match from Seth & Drew. I think they’ll tell the story that Seth is exhausted and Drew takes advantage to win. I’m looking forward to this moment for Drew for sure.
I know people might be predicting a Damian Priest Money in the Bank cash-in, but I really don’t see that happening. I guess it’s possible. It’s just not an official prediction for me.
Winner AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Drew McIntyre
WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY (c) vs. Bayley
This is another one of those matches where a title change seems very likely. I think Bayley beating her buddy Sky is pretty much a lock. When Sky won the title last summer I didn’t think she would hold it this long, but we know Triple H loves booking long title runs. Bayley won the Rumble match after losing so many matches in 2023, so now she goes into this match with some momentum. I think they could have booked this better as a story, but they do have the 18 months or so as allies in Damage CTRL as history between them, so that’s enough of a story.
I think they’ll have a good, competitive match that has some moments where it looks like Sky might win, but it should be Bayley leaving as the winner. If there isn’t a title change here then I would be very surprised.
Winner AND NEW WWE Women’s Champion: Bayley
Philadelphia Street Fight: The Pride – Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament – Karrion Kross & Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
This one has been building for several months and I think they can have a very entertaining match since it’s a Street Fight. They can brawl all around the arena, break some tables, use some weapons and get the crowd into it that way. I’m happy because Lashley and The Street Profits have been together for a while, yet haven’t really had that many impactful feuds since they have been together. Lashley wasn’t on the WrestleMania card last year, which was a shame, and the Profits really haven’t had that much to do for a few years, so I’m happy for them especially. It’s also good to see Kross on the big WrestleMania stage with AOP too.
I think in terms of the winners, having The Pride getting the win is the right call. They have been the victims of multiple cheap attacks, so as the babyfaces, they should get revenge and get the win here. I think there could be some great spots for Montez Ford in this match since he’s an incredible athlete so hopefully they come up with something cool for him.
Winners: The Pride – Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
United States Championship: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
It has been nice to see Logan Paul appearing more and working more since winning the US Title. He’s not wrestling all the time or anything like that, but he is more of a regular on Smackdown, so that’s good to see. Paul got by Owens in their last match with a disqualification finish, so it makes sense to keep KO in the title picture. Since Paul cost Orton in the Elimination Chamber, Orton wants his revenge.
A title change is certainly possible, but I’ve said for months that I think the person that should take the US Title from Paul is LA Knight since it would be Knight’s first title win in WWE. If this match was Paul against Knight then I’d probably pick Knight to win. It should be a very entertaining match that gets around 15-20 minutes. I think the finish will see Orton hitting an RKO on Owens and then Paul shoves Orton out of the ring and Paul covers Owens to win.
Winner: Logan Paul
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
This one has been built up for several months since LA Knight challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title after The Bloodline took Styles out. Styles came back angry months later and as a heel, so that has led to issues for these two guys. Since Styles is a former two-time WWE Champion and Knight is a guy who is coming off the best year of his career, I think it’s important for the popular Knight to get the win. That should set up Knight for a US Title shot against Logan Paul soon.
I think it’s a match that will probably get 10-15 minutes and the crowd should care about it because they like Knight while Styles knows how to work as a heel.
Winner: AJ Styles
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
It’s time for a title change. When I think back to WrestleMania 39 a year ago I thought the same thing and I thought it was going to happen, but it did not due to The Bloodline interfering. I didn’t predict Roman losing to anybody else after that match because I figured when Cody lost to him that the plan was for Cody to win it one later at WrestleMania 40 and here we are.
Some people think that Roman will win or should win because WWE wants him to pass Hulk Hogan’s number of days as WWE Champion, which means Reigns would have to hold the championship for another five months or so. I really don’t think that matters. That title reign of Hogan’s is not a record of any kind. It’s just a number. I think Roman should lose when it’s the right time and when it’s the right story. I think Cody is the right guy, it’s the right story and it’s the right time too.
Since I pick Rock & Reigns to win at WrestleMania Saturday then that means this would be Bloodline Rules. What I anticipate is a chaotic scene with Roman’s family making their presence felt throughout the match, which includes The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and perhaps others. I think Cody Rhodes is going to have help from others like Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, maybe Sami Zayn and I think a couple of surprises in the form of Steve Austin & John Cena. Remember when The Rock beat up Cody Rhodes in Chicago outside and there was that truck with Austin & Cena on it? I don’t think that was an accident, my friends. I think there are going to be a lot of people showing up at ringside in this chaotic match before it eventually goes back to a one-on-one match. I also think something might happen that causes Reigns to blame Rock for losing, so that would set up the Rock-Reigns feud for the future.
I think Cody Rhodes is going to win. I think Cody will finish his story by becoming WWE Champion for the first time. It might take three straight Cross Rhodes moves from Cody to make it happen, but I think it will happen. This will probably be 30-40 minutes of in-ring action and if you count the introductions as well as the post-match, it might go over an hour. It should be a special moment.
Winner AND NEW Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
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BONUS TOPICS!
The Match I’m Looking Forward To The Most
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. I could pick a few, but I’m going with that because I want to see if Cody can get that big win.
The Match I Care About The Least
Cargill, Naomi & Belair vs. Damage CTRL. I like all the performers. It’s just very predictable.
Longest Match
I think Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes is going about 40 minutes.
Shortest Match
Cargill, Naomi & Belair vs. Damage CTRL around 12 minutes.
Excitement Level on a Scale of 1-10 (1 being low, 10 being high)
It’s a 9 out of 10 from me. I think last year’s WrestleMania was one of the best ever and I think this one will top it. There are so many matches that I think are probably going to be around four stars or so, which makes it a very stacked lineup from top to bottom. Last year we got a few Match of the Year contenders and I think we’ll get a few more of those this year too. I’m excited about Cody’s story the most, but most importantly I want there to be memorable moments because that’s what makes WrestleMania special.
Since I am going to be at WrestleMania 40 both nights and flying home on Monday morning, I don’t know when I’ll do a detailed review on TJRWrestling.net, so check in the days after the show and I hope to get it up soon. You can also tweet me on X/Twitter at @johnreport as well.
If you want to send an email, send it to me at mrjohncanton@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.