The good and bad of WrestleMania 40
WrestleMania 40 is in the books, and the two-night event delivered wild moments that wrestling fans will be talking about for years to come. We look at the good and the bad of the massive event, which had a combined 145,298 wrestling fans from around the world in attendance at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. WrestleMania 40 is available to stream on-demand on Peacock right now here.
The good
Sami Zayn vs Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship
On paper, Sami Zayn vs Gunther looked like a hard-hitting battle, and the match delivered big time with Zayn being the ultimate underdog. Many people will still argue that Chad Gable should've been the one to dethrone Gunther, but Zayn has been THE underdog for their entire career. This is the second Mania in a row where Zayn walked away with championship gold following last year's historic tag team match against then-Tag Team Champions The Usos.
Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Tag Team Championships
The six-pack tag team ladder match brought the exact kind of madness one would expect from six sensational tag teams. Just like we predicted, The Awesome Truth (R-Truth and The Miz) and A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) both walked away with tag titles. With each show having tag team champions, it'll be exciting to see a slew of new storylines surrounding belts.
Damien Priest cashing in MITB briefcase
We predicted Priest would cash in their Money In The Bank briefcase on Drew McIntyre, and the superstar did just that with a sold-out Philly crowd losing their minds. Since winning Money In The Bank last year, Priest attempted to cash in on several occasions, but they were forced to reevaluate their plans. Priest's cash-in is the second time someone used their MITB briefcase at Wrestlemania following Rollins' surprise cash-in during the main event of WrestleMania 31. Priest’s win makes them the first Puerto Rican world champion since Pedro Morales.
Cody finishing the story
Cody finally finished the story, and their match against Roman Reigns is one of the most entertaining WrestleMania main events ever. We expected surprise run-ins, and we got them with John Cena, Seth Rollins in their Shield attire, and The Undertaker jumping in to aid Rhodes toward their win. While Reigns lost the championship, the Tribal Chief walked away with arguably the most memorable world championship run since Hulk Hogan's run from 1984 to 1988.
The bad
Jimmy Uso vs Jey Uso
Jimmy vs Jey was destined to happen at Wrestlemania, but the match was a bit flat for fans. A bevy of superkicks is the only thing most people remember from the match, which was rightfully won by Jimmy.
Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
The match itself wasn't bad; all four competitors delivered an exciting display of wrestling for a passionate crowd. The problem stems from Rey and Dominik not getting a proper rematch from last year's WrestleMania. The tag team match could've had a big boost with a stipulation where Rey would have to unmask if they lost.
The Women's Tag Championship not being on the line….again
For the second year in a row, the Women's Tag Champions competed at WrestleMania but didn't put their belts on the line. Moments like this make it hard for people to take this championship seriously. Last year, the titles hit speedbumps with unfortunate injuries from Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville. We're hoping Triple H has actual plans for these belts in the following year.