WWE’s WrestleMania XL is steaming on Peacock this weekend (April 6th and 7th) at 6 p.m. CT and this year looks to be bigger than ever! This is the 40th anniversary of the biggest event in pro wrestling, and as such, WWE is going all out by bringing in the most talented superstars of all time, present and past. If you are currently, were once, or even if you are completely new to the world of professional wrestling, you should consider tuning in due to WrestleMania’s famous history as a show full of drama and spectacle. Plus, now that the event is being hosted in Philadelphia (Rocky anyone?!), there are sure to be plenty of heartwarming stories of David vs. Goliath. Before you tune in, however, here’s our breakdown of both nights for backstory, context, and predictions!
Night One Line-up:
Roman Reigns & The Rock of The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth “Freakin” Rollins – Following The Rock’s return to the WWE and Cody Rhodes winning the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble Match for his second year in a row, the WWE universe took to the internet to fiercely debate who should face Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship. To the utter delight of fans, when it was decided that Cody would be the one to face Roman, The Rock quickly struck back, joining his family in The Bloodline and antagonizing Rhodes ever since. Fortunately, Seth “Freakin” Rollins stepped up and came to Rhodes’s aid, leading to this match, widely considered the biggest Tag Team Match ever, and its important stipulation. If The Bloodline wins the match, the entire Bloodline will be free to interfere in the main event between Rhodes and Reigns on Night 2, and Cody will never be able to challenge Roman again. If Rhodes and Rollins win this match, however, The Bloodline will be banned from participating in the championship match in any way. Due to the intense drama that has been Cody Rhodes’s Story, we expect him to lose this match to The Rock and Reigns, leading to a chaotic climax in the main event of Night 2.
Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship – Since winning the Women’s World Championship at last year’s WrestleMania, Rhea Ripley’s championship reign can only be described as dominant. She has flattened nearly every woman in WWE’s roster in the time since, most recently taking down the seemingly unstoppable Nia Jax in her home country of Australia at Elimination Chamber. Her challenger, Becky Lynch, is a former Women’s Champion herself and after winning the Women’s Elimination Chamber match, looks to do so again. We predict that Becky Lynch will manage to finally overcome Rhea Ripley and win the Women’s World Championship, leading to further drama between Ripley and her faction, The Judgment Day.
Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship – Gunther’s time as Intercontinental Champion can only be described as legendary. The Ring General has held the belt for almost two years, making his reign the longest the title has ever seen. Sami Zayn, however, has been on a losing streak recently, even with coaching from Chad Gable, one of Gunther’s most formidable opponents. Even though Philadelphia loves a good underdog story, expect Gunther to just barely outlast a surprisingly dangerous Sami Zayn and retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso – Brothers Jey and Jimmy Uso have been on a collision course since SummerSlam 2023. The main event of the SummerSlam saw Jey attempt to win the WWE Championship from his cousin and former ally Roman Reigns, only to fall short after being attacked by his brother and long-time tag partner, Jimmy. The brothers have had limited interaction since, but recently Jimmy has committed to preventing Jey from acquiring any championship gold. We here at The Nest could see the match going either way but have a hunch that Jimmy will end up winning with some typical Bloodline interference.
6-Pack Ladder Match for the Raw & Smackdown Tag Team Championships – This match is absolutely packed with rising and established WWE Talent including current champions Finn Bálor and Damien Priest of the Judgement Day, The Miz and R-Truth as the newly reunited Awesome Truth, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa as DIY, Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate as the New Catch Republic, and Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of the New Day. We expect WWE to separate the tag titles by having Awesome Truth win the Raw Tag Team Championships and having the New Catch Republic win the Smackdown Tag Team Championships.
Jade Cargill, Naomi, & Bianca Belair vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane & Dakota Kai of Damage CTRL – This match features most of Damage CTRL (Asuka, Sane, and Kai) taking on some of the Smackdown Women’s division that they’ve interfered with throughout the past year. This match is noteworthy because it is only the second match featuring the much anticipated Jade Cargill, who has only previously wrestled in the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match. For that reason, expect the team of Cargill, Naomi, and Belair to defeat Damage CTRL, further building up the reputation of Cargill and displaying an increasingly vicious side of Belair.
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee of the Latino World Order (LWO) vs. Santos Escobar of Legado del Fantasma & “Dirty” Dominic Mysterio – The LWO and Legado del Fantasma have been at war since the dissension of Santos Escobar from the LWO’s ranks and formation of Legado del Fantasma. As such, this mania match is no surprise, but the inclusion of the widely hated and disowned son of the legendary Rey Mysterio, “Dirty” Dominic. Our prediction? Santos Escobar and Dominic Mysterio will walk out of WrestleMania more despised than ever but still the winners, potentially following a betrayal from LWO ally Carlito.
Night Two Line-up:
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship – This is the second year in a row that this specific match has headlined WrestleMania. The road to WrestleMania 39 followed Cody Rhodes swearing to win the Championship that his father, famous wrestler Dusty Rhodes, never did. He fell short at WM 39, however, and spent the rest of 2023 working his way back to the top. He won the 2024 Royal Rumble (his second Royal Rumble win in a row) and despite initially allowing The Rock to challenge Roman Reigns, later took on the tall order himself. Our Prediction? Cody Rhodes gets the win over Roman Reigns, with interruptions from The Rock and the rest of the Bloodline being dealt with by other superstars such as Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Jey Uso, and potentially a returning “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or John Cena.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Since failing to capture the WWE Championship due to interference from the Bloodline, Drew McIntyre has grown bitter and shifted his focus to the new belt on the scene, the World Heavyweight Championship, which he won the right to challenge for after winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match. Seth “Freakin” Rollins has held the World Heavyweight Championship since its introduction at Night of Champions 2023. However, expect Drew McIntyre to win this match following interference from either Damien Priest of The Judgment Day or The Bloodline.
Iyo Sky vs. Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship – Since winning the Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2023, Iyo Sky has been a proud member of Damage CTRL, a faction she formed with Bayley and Dakota Kai. However, once the group added Kairi Sane and Asuka, tension began to build, which eventually culminated in Bayley dramatically departing the faction after weeks of being secretly mocked by her now-former teammates. While either woman could walk out of Wrestlemania with the belt, we have a hunch that Iyo will retain it, despite more tension forming within the members of Damage CTRL.
Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton for the United States Championship – Current United States Champion Logan Paul sealed his fate by crossing wrestling veterans time and time again, leading to this triple threat match. Logan previously faced Kevin Owens in a match at the 2024 Royal Rumble, only winning because Kevin Owens was disqualified when the referee spotted him cheating with Logan Paul’s signature brass knuckles. Logan would use these same brass knuckles to cost Randy Orton the win in the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match. While the only certain outcome of this match is Logan losing, we think that the more recently returned Orton has a slight edge over Kevin Owens and will win the match and the U.S. Championship.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles – The feud between LA Knight and AJ Styles began following Styles’ return just before the 2024 Royal Rumble. Both Knight and Styles challenged Roman Reigns in a fatal four way match, with neither managing to defeat the WWE Champion. After the Rumble, both men decided to ruin each other’s chances of challenging for a title at WrestleMania, with LA Knight distracting Styles during an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, and Styles flying halfway around the world to attack Knight during the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match. We here at the Nest expect the breakout superstar of 2023 LA Knight to win in a match that fully completes AJ Styles’s transition into a phenomenal villain.
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain of The Final Testament in a street fight – Despite the program between Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits and The Final Testament is far and away the least interesting match on WrestleMania Night 2 Card, this match’s stipulation as a street fight should bring some decent action to an otherwise lackluster feud. Throughout limited time on TV, The Final Testament has repeatedly taken down the Street Profits. Expect that to change this coming Sunday, however, as we anticipate the underdog team of Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits to use every trick they can think of to walk out victorious.
