WrestleMania 40 was a wild ride. Some storylines were wrapped up, while others took twists and turns. And through it all, multiple championship belts changed hands.
Of course, the wins and losses are quickly forgotten as the highlights of an amazing weekend of professional wrestling begin circulating throughout social media.
Nevertheless, this past weekend has changed the WWE landscape. New champions are everywhere, and with them, a host of new challengers, redemption arcs and potential storylines.
In what was arguably the best match of the weekend outside of the main events, Zayn defeated "The Ring General" Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
The build-up to the contest saw Zayn being trained by Chad Gable. Zayn owes him a favor. We're already seeing the start of a potential storyline there.
THAT'S HOW WINNING IS DONE!!! ❤️@SamiZayn pulls off the miracle in Philadelphia and it's a celebration at #WrestleMania XL! pic.twitter.com/DrZlw7OnDe
— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2024
It was always going to be difficult. On the first night of WrestleMania, The Judgement Day faced five other tag teams in a fun and enthralling ladder match. DIY, Awesome Truth, A-Town Down Under, New Catch Republic and The New Day were the challengers.
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller won the SmackDown belts. The Miz and R-Truth secured the Raw championships. As such, The Judgement Day took a heavy blow in terms of its championship collection.
The truth is… these two are awesome. A well-deserved victory for @mikethemiz and @RonKillings at #WrestleMania XL. pic.twitter.com/wvbStIM8YL
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 7, 2024
After being stabbed in the back by Damage CTRL, Bayley exacted her revenge with a hard-fought win over Iyo Sky. In a shocking turn, the match was fought without any interruptions from either side, making it a completely fair fight.
Bayley secured the win with a perfectly executed Rose Plant shortly after Sky had countered her original attempt.
DING DONG! #Bayley WINS!#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/R2V17JQoAK
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
Seth Rollins fell short in defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre during the opening match of Night 2. His knee injury, which had been exploited by The Rock in the main event of Night 1, hindered his ability to stave off "The Scottish Warrior."
However, shortly after McIntyre won the championship, he got into it with CM Punk, who then attacked him outside of the ring. Being the opportunist that he is, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinned McIntyre to leave WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion.
DAMIAN PRIEST CASHES IN AND IS YOUR NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.
— theScore (@theScore) April 7, 2024
(: @WWE)pic.twitter.com/V7ctZ1FHSx
In a wild match that saw John Cena and The Undertaker make cameo appearances, Cody Rhodes secured a win over Roman Reigns to become The Undisputed Champion, ending the 1,316-day reign of his predecessor.
While many believe Rhodes has finally finished his story, the truth is that his story is just beginning, especially now that he has signed a new contract with the company.
Love the support for the NEW Undisputed @WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/7fgzmZScsp
— USA Network (@USANetwork) April 8, 2024
It's going to be fun seeing how WWE navigates all of these changes in the coming weeks, and following along to see how the storylines adjust to the results of this past weekend.
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