Here is a preview with predictions for Wrestlemania 40 – Night 2 (Sunday).
United States Championship: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
I, along with most WWE fans, would love to see Paul lose this match. However, neither Orton nor Owens need a title to be more loved. I expect a fun, exciting match with lots of RKOs and stunners, but I expect the champ to retain.
Winner and still U.S. Champion: Logan Paul
Bobby Lashley & Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins vs. Karrion Kross & Akam & Rezar
I’m surprised this match made the Wrestlemania card. I don’t doubt the in-ring ability of Lashley, Ford and Dawkins. I also like Kross, but his return to WWE has been a bad showing of poor booking and stale feuds. This is a massive stage for Kross and his partners. The Authors of Pain, Akam and Rezar, have had only a handful of matches since joining Smackdown at the start of 2024. I pray, for everyone’s sake, that they are up to the spectacle of Mania. However, I don’t see a reason why they should get the squash over The Street Profits.
Winners: Bobby Lashley & Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins
L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles
Led by Knight’s skills on the mic and Styles’ veteran talent, this Slim Jim-sponsored match has some decent excitement around it. Hard to say who will win. Knight already lost to Reigns at Crown Jewel, ending his title pursuit, and I think it’s unlikely that WWE is planning a late-career push for Styles. This could be a good spot to bring in a new or returning superstar to cause a no contest. Barring that result, I believe Knight will win because he is the one sponsored by Slim Jim.
Winner: L.A. Knight
WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
This pick is more personal than logical. Most people probably expect Bayley to win here, but I’m not done with the Genius of the Sky’s reign. Iyo, despite hardly speaking English, is a great champion for Smackdown. Her in-ring performances are spectacular. I’m not sure what it does for the Damage CTRL storyline, but I want to see Iyo win retain.
Winner and still WWE Women’s Champion: Iyo Sky
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre has carried this feud alone, as Seth has been busy building the tag team match for Mania Saturday. The Scottish Warrior had consistent feuds through 2023 and always gets the short end of the stick. I think his dreams will come true on Sunday. Rollins will be so beat up from his Saturday night tag team match that he will have an excuse to lose to McIntyre. However, how long McIntyre will hold the belt is debatable. With Damian Priest still carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase, we could be looking at another “Heist of the Century.” Priest could cash in on Wrestlemania Sunday. If so, to keep with McIntyre’s string of bad luck, McIntyre might only be champion for a few minutes.
Winner and new World Heavyweight Champion: Drew McIntyre
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
The big one. The rematch. Honestly, I want Reigns to win this. I can’t help that I love the guy. He has the best pageantry, the best in-ring persona and an aura that no other superstar can match. With that said, that’s not how it’s going to go down. It wouldn’t make much sense with WWE’s coveted plan of long-term booking. This is how it will go down on Sunday night:
On Night 1, I don’t know how but The Rock and Reigns will defeat Rhodes and Rollins in their tag team match. This will make the Reigns/Rhodes match Bloodline Rules, meaning anything goes. As such, there will be a great deal of illegal objects and outside interference. In the end, The Rock will come down and we’ll all think he’s going to put the Rock Bottom on a bruised and bloodied Cody and finish the job. But this won’t happen.
Instead, The Final Boss will turn on The Tribal Chief. He’ll take a surprised Reigns and smack him with a Rock Bottom. Exhausted, Cody will crawl over and get his arm over the champ. The beat-up ref will do a slow three count and the reign will be over. Cody will be our new champion.
This will set up The Rock vs. Roman Reigns for the Head of the Table at Summerslam. Once that’s through, Reigns will have to work his way back up, as Cody has done the past two years. Reigns will win the 2025 Royal Rumble and finally, at Wrestlemania 41, we will get the biggest main event of all time: Reigns vs. Rhodes III in a clean fight with no interference. The ultimate squash match and the match that will dictate the future of the company. I can’t wait for it.
Winner and new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
Of course, not all my predictions will be correct. Especially with WWE, a company that absolutely loves to push one narrative only to go in another direction, it is impossible to predict the outcome. However it goes down, this weekend is sure to be full of exhilarating action.
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