First though, let's bow our heads slightly to recognize two unofficial heroes of 'Mania Weekend. The first? Well, that's easy. Head Like a Hog. The Swine Begins to Blur. Terrible Sty. March of the... Pigs, okay that works as is. Piggy. Okay, that one just has it right in the name.
Anyhow...it's NINE INCH NAILS PEPPA PIG!
The second uncrowned champion from 'Mania 40?
Announcer Samantha Irvin. Who may just be the best announcer the company's ever seen. Not only did we get to be right in the ring with her as she announced the title matches with passionate professionalism and effortless enthusiasm, but we got to hear her legitimately choke up announcing Cody as the winner at the end, as Irvin purposefully doesn't get told the match results ahead of time so that she can dish out genuine emotions when called upon.
That said, on to the 10 Best Moments from WrestleMania 40...
10. Bayley's Big Win
Carried to the ring (by at least one person who will probably be a world champion in five years), Bayley dressed up as the Egyptian goddess Isis, symbolizing healing, rebirth, and kicking the s*** out of your former best friend.
Bayley capitalized fully on her big Rumble win by toppling Iyo Sky and becoming the new WWE Women's Champion. While Corey Graves spent what seemed like half the match trying to google the San Jose park that has Egypt s***, Bayley cracked Iyo's head into the mat and got the 1-2-3!
9. Rock and Roman Walk Tall on Night 1
You couldn't tease a Bloodline Rules match on Night 2 without delivering, which means that the heroes, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, had to fall on Night 1.
And since Seth would wind up being a double (triple, even?) loser over the weekend, it was Cody who took the pin after a hellacious bout, a People's Elbow, and 30 minutes of entrances. And it was The Rock who made the pin, which now makes us all wonder if Roman's about to get booted out of his own group and relegated to the kiddie table.
8. Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi's Entrance
As per usual, WrestleMania was filled, top to bottom, with iconic entrances. But on a show that featured Motionless in White playing Rhea Ripley to the ring, Seth Rollins' Mummers Parade, and The Rock's Brahma Bull fire ring, it was seeing Bianca, Jade, and Naomi up on that pedestal, with some rad X-Men coding, that took the prize.
True, the three of them didn't get individual entrances, and that could have been to shave time off a show that was going to have a main event that ran longer than an hour, but the compromise here wound up making this trio feel even more legendary.
7. Undertaker's Shortest WrestleMania Entrance Ever
The fans who theorized that John Cena and Stone Cold would help save Cody at WrestleMania (due to the placement of a Raw production truck with their faces on it during the Cody beatdown from two weeks ago) can take solace in the fact that they were half right. Cena showed up to dispose of Solo Sikoa and then Undertaker -- not Steve Austin -- arrived on the scene to pummel The Rock.
Now, Stone obviously would have made more sense. Jey Uso took out Jimmy. Cena handled Solo (who he had a feud, and a losing match, with last year), and The Rock's ultimate nemesis, his reflection, would be Austin. But even though Taker never had a notable storyline or feud with The Rock, it was still awesome to hear that "GONG!" and see him arrive in the ring (having presumedly spent the previous hour under there).
6. Crazy Pills
Toward the end of the Bloodline Rules match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, the Shield's old entrance music hit! The freakin Shield!
But Roman... was in the ring. And Seth... well, he'd lost earlier in the night (and the night before). Surely this couldn't be...
Yes, for about 30 seconds we all thought that somehow, some way, Dead Ambrose (currently signed to AEW) was about to walk through the entire WrestleMania 40 stadium crowd. Yup, we all went collectively insane. Not a madness of two. A folie à deux. But like a folie à 70 theusaund.
5. Human Shield
Turns out the Shield's music WAS Seth Rollins, pulling triple duty. And also getting his ass kicked thrice.
At first this seemed like a dud. Not only did we not get to see Seth walk to the ring in his old Shield attire but he got put down as soon as he stepped through the ropes with that chair. It almost felt like an awkward fan run-in.
But then, Seth's "best laid plans" came in to play. During this entire "Road to WrestleMania," Seth has been all about stopping Roman and the Bloodline. Even when he knew he was stretched too thin. Even when Drew McIntyre said that having a tag match on Night 1, before he faced Drew, was nuts. And so Seth lost that tag match. And then he lost to Drew. But, in the end, Seth was THE one who drove the nail into Roman's coffin. The champ, filled with hatred over his old running buddy, took his eyes off Cody to reenact the famous Chairshot Heard Round the World and that was the break Cody needed to get the pin and win!
4. Mami Tops Becky
Even though Becky Lynch came out dressed up like her own New York Times Best Seller (which was kind of a dingus move), Rhea Ripley wound up with the clean, dominant win. Becky, according to the announcers, was battling strep throat and a 103-degree temperature (though it felt like 46), so that will definitely be part of the story going forward -- though it would be low-key hilare if Becky fell ill because of her dear, sweet daughter who she was supposedly fighting the match for.
Regardless, Rhea grounded Becky and has now held the Women's World Championship for an entire WrestleMania cycle, defying what would be the usual tradition for a heel. Though an argument could be made that Rhea's no heel as she and Damien Priest seem to be not only the pinnacles of The Judgement Day but also the bleak bastions of integrity among the group.
3. Drew for a Day
Drew McIntyre got what he wanted. What he hoped for. What he prayed for. He won a world championship at WrestleMania... with a full attendance. A packed stadium. Not an empty studio during 2020's pandemic lockdown. He didn't have to mouth "Thank you" to everyone watching the show from their homes.
Not only did he get the big win over Seth Rollins but he also got to be kayfabe right about Seth burning the candle at both ends. About Seth being too distracted by the Bloodline and too unfocused regarding Drew.
But, in a perfect Monkey's Paw flip, Drew's moment of glory would be a fleeting one...
2. The First Omen
After gloating too much, and for too long, in front of CM Punk, Drew got attacked by Punk and then...
...defeated by Damien Priest, who used Drew's window of vulnerability to cash in his MITB contract and walk out as WWE World Champion. Just when you think The Judgement Day might be wrapping things up as a stable, they just get bigger and stronger and now Priest, and his crew, will continue to remain on top as the main heel (tweener?) stable on Raw. Unless, you know, Finn finds himself the jealous type and does what he did to Edge two years ago.
1. "The Story" Cody Rhodes
Cody getting pinned by The Rock on Night 1 all but sealed the deal for a big, redemptive Cody victory on Night 2. But that didn't make it feel any less special. In the crowing moment of his career; Cody ended Roman Reigns' record-breaking title run and became the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion -- a title that has, within its complicated mosaic, the WWF Heavyweight Championship that Cody's father was never able to capture.
It was a moment massive enough to even bring wife Brandi Rhodes out in front of WWE cameras, making her canon now! What's in store for Cody now that he's "finished his story?" We'll all have to find out on this week's Raw!
