Cody Rhodes celebrates after winning the Undisputed WWE universal championship match during WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. (Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
MANILA, Philippines—It took him several tries but on Monday (Manila time) at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Cody Rhodes finally finished the story at the conclusion of WWE WrestleMania XL.
Rhodes dethroned one of the longest world champions in history as he defeated Roman Reigns, who held the title for 1,316 days, for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the monumental main event.
The 2024 Royal Rumble, though, didn’t do it alone as numerous WWE legends went out to help and support Rhodes en route to “finishing the story.”
READ: WrestleMania: Rhodes, Reigns run it back in main event
FINISHED. THE. STORY. ❤️#CodyRhodes earned that #WrestleMania moment. pic.twitter.com/U5IAnBimgv
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
With “Bloodline Rules” in effect, no holds were barred which allowed Reigns’ cohorts to interfere with Rhodes’ quest of winning the title his father Dusty never held.
When Solo Sikoa appeared to help Reigns take down Rhodes, legendary wrestler John Cena popped up to exact revenge over Sikoa, who defeated him a few months ago in WWE Crown Jewel.
The 16-time world champion, though, was immediately interrupted by Hall of Famer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who went out to side with his cousin Roman.
The face-off between Rock and Cena transported fans and spectators alike to the early 2010s when both competitors headlined WrestleMania 28 and 29.
The surprises didn’t end there. After Rock disposed of Cena, the Undertaker turned up to fully take out “The Bloodline,” allowing Rhodes to hit three straight Crossrhodes and pin the Tribal Chief to win the undisputed strap.
UNDERTAKER!!!!!!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/zUlo3bItZu
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
The show opened with the World Heavyweight Championship being passed around like a hot potato with Damian Priest shocking the fans in the end.
Originally, it was Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre, who dethroned Rollins and became the World Heavyweight Champion.
But as McIntyre was celebrating his victory, CM Punk, who was in the commentary booth, attacked McIntyre, allowing Priest to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and end McIntyre’s reign that lasted just five minutes.
The WWE Women’s Championship also changed hands after Bayley, the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner, defeated her former Damage CTRL teammate Iyo Sky in a scintillating affair.
In the United States title match, Logan Paul successfully defended his title by defeating both Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.
The triple threat match had the most comedic moments with famous streamer IShowSpeed, who made an appearance midway through the match, taking an RKO from Orton much to the delight of over 72,755 spectators.
LA Knight, meanwhile, emerged victorious over fellow Total Nonstop Action (TNA) alumni AJ Styles. The team of Street Profits Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford, on the other hand, defeated The Final Testament Karrion Kross and Authors of Pain in a six-man tag match.
READ: WrestleMania: The Bloodline headlines Night 1
THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM
Before Rhodes could finish his story, though, he had to absorb a stinging loss on the first night of the “Grandest Stage of them All.”
The team of Reigns and Rock successfully disposed of Reigns and Rhodes in the main event of Night 1.
The tag match, though, didn’t run out of special moments as the fans saw Reigns accidentally spear Rock and the latter bringing back the iconic “People’s Elbow” and “Rock Bottom” for the win that prompted Monday’s event to be under “Bloodline Rules.”
Prior to the main event, the fans were treated to a classic barnburner between Gunther and Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship.
Zayn successfully defeated Gunther to break his 666-day reign as the Intercontinental strap-holder, which was the longest in the hardware’s storied lineage.
Night 1 also saw the “Undisputed Tag Team Championships” split after a disastrous six-team tag ladder match.
The team of “A-Town Down Under” consisting of Austin Theory and Grayson Waller won the Smackdown Tag Team Championships while the “Awesome Truth” duo of R-Truth and The Miz won the Raw iteration of the tag straps.
Rhea Ripley opened the annual show with Becky Lynch for the Women’s World title and successfully defended her prized title.
In the Usos’ civil war, younger brother Jey defeated older brother Jimmy in a short-lived match.
The three-women squad of Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair and Naomi, on the other hand, defeated Damage CTRL which was represented by Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane.