WrestleMania 40 is a month away from going down in Philadelphia. The sports entertainment spectacle takes place over the course of April’s first weekend. WWE has already announced the closing act for Night 2 (Sunday).
For those unaware, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns will headline the show on Sunday, April 7. This rematch has been a year in the making. Reigns had defeated Rhodes to retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. The American Nightmare earned his rematch by winning the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble.
With the main event for Night 2 already set, let’s explore the potential headliner for Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 from these four matches.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley
Many fans wanted Rhea Ripley versus Charlotte Flair to main event WrestleMania 39, Night 1. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match would end up closing the night. Putting the debate “who should’ve headlined” debate aside, both matches rank up as the best WWE PLE matches of 2023.
Ripley is once again set for a high-profile match-up one year after she and Flair tore the house down at WWE WrestleMania. The Eradicator will put her Women’s World Championship on the line against Becky Lynch. The Man’s win at Elimination Chamber 2024 got her the ticket to this potential WrestleMania XL main event.
Lynch is a former WrestleMania headliner and another main event would add to her already stacked resume. Ripley, on the other hand, is one of the most popular stars on the main roster. She’s no stranger to handling the pressure of headlining a PLE. Check Elimination Chamber: Perth for reference.
Both women have come a long way since their first and only singles match-up in 2019. One could argue that the WrestleMania 40 match-up has been five years in the making. WWE has a huge opportunity to put two of their most popular stars front and center by giving them the opportunity to close out Night 1 of WrestleMania XL.
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
The whole Drew McIntyre anti-hero arc has been nothing but brilliant. The Scottish Warrior has always been consistent when it comes to his in-ring work rate, but this is probably the first time he’s getting recognition for his character work. It’s been reported that McIntyre hasn’t re-signed yet, but his current spot shows Triple H’s faith in the former two-time WWE Champion.
McIntyre has spent the last few months in an endless pursuit for the World Heavyweight Championship. He came incredibly close to beating Seth Rollins for the title at Crown Jewel 2023. Damian Priest would cost him the rematch at RAW: Day 1. His third shot at the championship could be his last.
WrestleMania 40 seems to be the right time to put the title on the RAW superstar. McIntyre was robbed of his title win in front of a live crowd at WrestleMania 36. WWE should strike while the iron is red hot and book the real-life Andrew Galloway to dethrone Rollins for the title in the main event of WrestleMania 40, Night 1.
Plus, this would give Seth Rollins his first singles WrestleMania main event match. The former Architect was originally supposed to face CM Punk for the title, but Punk’s injury drastically altered those plans. Or was it McIntyre’s prayer?
Bayley vs. IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship
The arrival of Damage CTRL was one of the main storylines to come out of SummerSlam 2022. Bayley, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai showed up following the amazing rematch between Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Bayley spent months chasing after the title while the rest of Damage CTRL ran roughshod over the women’s division. The Role Model would take loss after loss in her quest to dethrone Belair.
Where Bayley failed, IYO thrived. The Genius of the Sky would successfully cash-in her Money in the Bank contract on the EST for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2023. The seeds had been planted for a showdown between the two Damage CTRL members.
After taking the bullet for her team at Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, Bayley would defy the odds at the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match. In a subtle yet brilliant retelling of the Batista-Evolution angle, the former Hugger would pick IYO as her WrestleMania XL opponent.
The whole build has been nothing but exceptional and deserves its rightful spot in the main event of WrestleMania 40.
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
The WWE Universe deserves much of the credit for everything that’s been going on with The Bloodline storyline. It goes to show the Triple H regime isn’t tone-deaf and would do what’s truly “best for business.” Moreover, few can adjust as quickly to fan reception as The Rock.
We’ve head over the course of the last few weeks that it was The Great One’s idea to put the spotlight back on Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns II for WrestleMania 40, Night 2. However, he has promised to jeopardize the American’s Nightmare quest should he fail to win a blockbuster tag team match.
The Rock wants Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins to face him and Roman Reigns in a tag team match in the main event of WrestleMania 40, Night 1. Any match involving The Rock is bound to become a headlining act. The star power alone in this highly-anticipated tag team outing makes it worthy of a WrestleMania main event.
Fans can expect a confirmation for this match this Friday on SmackDown. The Rock’s return to wrestle feels like it should be the easy answer to close night one. Will it go down that way?
Also read: The Rock Acknowledges Roman Reigns On 3/1 WWE SmackDown
