Top 5 Matches We’re Most Excited For at WrestleMania XL
Between the return of The Rock and grudge matches born in blood, there is a ton to look forward to at WrestleMania XL. Here are our top matches, plus how to order the 2-night PPV on Sling.
The NFL has the Super Bowl. Baseball has the World Series. Competitive eating has Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. And in the world of wrestling, nothing tops the showcase of the immortals, WrestleMania. This year’s event is so large, it spans two action-packed nights at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. If you are going to pick one wrestling event to tune-in to (to be clear, we advise picking more than one), this is it. The spectacle, the storylines, the superstars, they all crescendo in front of 60,000+ ravenous fans in the city of Brotherly Love.
WrestleMania starts at 7:00 P.M. ET on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7. You can stream both nights for $59.99 on Sling. To order, click “Rentals” under the “On Demand” tab in the Sling app and look for WrestleMania, or simply follow the link below to order now.
Rest assured, there will be no love lost between foes as superstars aim to bury the hatchet or bury each other in the following contests:
(c) = reigning champion
- Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns
- Universal Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (c)
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Drew Mcintyre vs. Seth Rollins (c)
- WWE Women's Championship Match: Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (c)
- WWE Women’s World Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (c)
- WWE United States Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (c)
- Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso
- AJ Styles vs. LA Knight
- Philadelphia Street Fight: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. The Final Testament
- Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio
- Damage Cntrlvs. Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi
- Six Pack Ladder Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day (c) vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. The New Day vs. A-Town Down Under vs. New Catch Republic
With two nights of clashes, it was nearly impossible to narrow this list down to the five best matches (in reality, we cheated by adding an honorable mention section, so it really was impossible). After all, we have the freakin’ Rock involved in possibly two of the matches! It really feels like WWE is hitting a peak in the Triple H era, and we imagine after all is said and done, the whole stadium will be able to smell what The Rock is cooking.
Match #1 - Universal Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (c)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FQ3MVLpw1PA?si=jWqxXnelKDp3x_RB
The story - No, this isn’t a typo; this match has headlined our list two years in a row. That doesn’t mean the story has stagnated, however. On one side, you have Cody Rhodes returning from a hellacious rehabilitated pectoral to win the Royal Rumble and call his shot at finishing the story once again. Enter The Rock, who for a hot minute looked like he was going to be facing Roman Reigns for the title before he aligned himself with the Tribal Chief, creating a formidable barrier for Cody (and leaving him bloody and bruised after one of the most vicious attacks on WWE TV since the height of the attitude era). Outnumbered, Seth Rollins emerged as Cody’s unlikely ally, the same man Cody feuded with to kick off his WWE return (the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I suppose). Wrestling does have a way of making strange bedfellows. But will Cody be able to turn out the lights on Roman’s historic reign, or will the Bloodline continue to hold sway over the WWE universe?
Why we’re excited - There is star power, and then there is this match. Cody vs. Roman could have been an epic rematch on its own (see: Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker), but WWE has really raised the stakes and truthfully, we have no idea what is going to happen. The Rock seems to have his Attitude Era swagger back, and has established himself as a dominant power player in the WWE once again. The question is, will he continue to support Roman, or raise Cody’s hand by the end of the night. WrestleMania is the venue for some famous betrayals, after all. Add in Seth’s involvement, and the potential chaos of this match is off the charts. Tip of the hat to WWE with this one: the storylines could have easily grown stale with such a long build. Instead, the injection of The Rock has only brought this feud to the precipice of boiling over, and we are ready for someone to get scalded.
Match #2 - Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hg-V75MCJQE?si=PiKV4v6Mwpb1VWTU
The story - We gave an introduction to this story above, but this match is crucial enough to earn its own section. The premise is simple: if Cody and Seth win, the Bloodline (who have aided Roman’s title defenses on countless occasions) are banned from ringside during the Universal Championship match. If Roman and The Rock win, it is Bloodline rules during the match – and you can bet they will make their presence felt. This is a critical tipping point that could go a long way to determining if we have a title change, but can either side truly trust their partner?
Why we’re excited - See the storyline implications above. But beyond just physical prowess (and there is plenty of that), these are four of the most charismatic performers in the ring, and four of the best to do it. We implore you to watch how they tell a story between the ropes; it is an epilogue that will surely carry over into night two. Also, we are suckers for seeing The Rock back in the ring. Give us one more People’s Elbow, Rock. We will gladly take it to the chest.
Match #3 - Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (c)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FZCUDG7tegY?si=ttQ5CeNBR25autlo
The story - It doesn’t feel like that long ago that Bayley had it all lined up. She had just capped off a glorious Royal Rumble win and was about to call her shot against Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Championship. With her stablemates in Damage Cntrl behind her, the former hugger was poised to wrap her arms around a title. That may still be the case, but instead of Rhea’s title, she will be gunning for Iyo Sky. The tipping point was Bayley becoming aware of the group’s plans to stab her in the back and kick her out, leading her to set her sights on her former teammates title instead. Will this match end with Sky falling? Or will Iyo do more damage to their fractured relationship?
Why we’re excited - It must be tough work leading a wrestling stable. Yes, you get a lot of mic time and in theory, have plenty of muscle to back you up. But you always seem to get the rug pulled out from under you by your supposed friends (“With friends like these who needs enemies” could honestly be the tagline for WrestleMania XL). That being said, we are happy Bayley was able to sniff out the treachery that had been building in her team before it boiled over. Now we are on the edge of our seat to see if Bayley can successfully pull off the reversal. We have a feeling that Iyo and her teammates won’t go quietly.
Match #4 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Drew Mcintyre vs. Seth Rollins (c)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_cPZVa-x8I?si=4FiHnJ8pxC90rGRG
The story - We all know that feeling of trying to juggle too many things at once. Maybe it is a job, a hobby, family, whatever; over time it can really wear on you. That is exactly Drew Mcintyre’s “concern” for Seth Rollins, taunting him about investing too much time in the Bloodline and not enough time focused on the challenge ahead: the Scottish Psychopath gunning for Seth’s title. Not that Drew will be too concerned once the bell rings. That being said, Drew may struggle to focus as well, as both men have history with (and an extensive history of trolling) guest commentator CM Punk. Punk’s tricep may be torn, but we’d bet his mouth works just fine, and we’d bet the Second City Saint gets involved. Will Drew finally be able to win a title in front of a crowd (after carrying the company during the pandemic era), or will Seth be able to pull it together in time to extend his reign?
Why we’re excited - This is a battle between two standard-bearers in the wrestling world. Drew’s work during the empty arenas of the COVID era was truly masterful, so we’d love to see him get a WrestleMania moment seizing a title. Seth is no stranger to chasing WrestleMania moments, and we wouldn’t put it past the former Monday Night Messiah to be able to refocus and fend off Drew. If anything, Drew feeling disrespected by Seth’s lack of attention towards him could end up undermining the Scotsman. Then there is the presence of one CM Punk. He is the true wildcard of this match, with an ability to get under both men’s skin in entertaining fashion. While the competitors in the ring may struggle to focus, we certainly won’t have any problem with doing that.
Match #5 - Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso
https://www.youtube.com/embed/poHpLGtF5bM?si=y0UStSsVW9_eVQaf
The story - Brett Hart vs. Owen Hart. The Undertaker vs. Kane. Brother vs. Brother. It just means a little more to be fighting your own blood. Nevermind that your opponent is the brother you’ve won multiple tag team championships with. The Usos will go down as one of the greatest teams in WWE history, but we wouldn’t expect them to be friendly in this match. After all, Jimmy cost Jey a world title by aiding Roman in the Tribal Combat match. Now Jey gets a chance for revenge. We have a feeling that growing up together gave them some additional scores to settle as well.
Why we’re excited - Family feuds in wrestling just hit different. Anyone with a sibling close in age can relate to that primal feeling of just wanting to settle things with your brother or sister. Few of us can relate to having a twin brother whom you were a champion with (and who cost you a singles championship) standing across from you, ready to lock horns. It is a relatively simple story on paper, but one that cuts to so many emotional levels (and may cut through some skin before all is said and done.)
Honorable Mentions
WWE Women’s World Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (c) - Can “the Man” stave off the unstoppable Riptide?
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (c) - Sami Zayn becomes the latest to take a shot at ending the Ring General’s historic IC title streak.
WWE United States Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (c) - The “Maverick” has his hands full against two potential hall of famers.
AJ Styles vs. LA Knight - A personal favorite of ours, AJ Styles, takes on the charismatic megastar, LA Knight (yeah). Not to mention, AJ Styles literally flew to Australia to cost LA Knight in the elimination chamber. This one cuts deep.