The 9 Biggest Hits and Misses from WWE WrestleMania 40 Weekend

Chris Roling

WWE WrestleMania 40 hit some historic highs and rather interesting lows over the course of another captivating weekend for the sport of pro wrestling.

Some of the high points are obvious. Specific title changes and individual performances stand out, sure, but there were some less-obvious details that slot right alongside those.

As for the lows, none did irreparable damage. Hitting a low over the course of WrestleMania weekend isn't as terrible as it sounds considering just how stacked the multi-night card and surrounding events were, top to bottom.

Exiting 'Mania and into what again feels like a brand new season of WWE, here's a look at the biggest hits and misses from WrestleMania 40 Weekend

Hit: The Rock

Let's just get this out of the way first: The Rock can still go with the best of them.

Rock showed up for the main event on Night 1 with a fantastic entrance and look, then proceeded to stand out the most amongst the four Superstars involved in the 40-plus minute match.

So much for those jokes on social media about him looking gassed from cutting promos.

It wasn't just good wrestling from Rock, either. Along the way, he played an executive heel well, hitting timed beats and going as far as threatening the job security of referees who didn't play by his rules.

There's potential for so much more with this version of The Great One, to the point this high from 'Mania weekend should have fans hoping he's back for big summer events and next year's WrestleMania, too.

Miss: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

The dream match for The Usos, unfortunately, just didn't feel right from the jump.

Part of the issue for the Jimmy vs. Jey showdown was that the storytelling just wasn't there on the buildup to the match. Jimmy was never really given a role besides lackey to Roman Reigns while costing Jey multiple "big wins." And Jey never did much to silence doubters who suggested he was a flashy, fan-involved entrance and little else.

Then there was the match itself, which was a superkick frenzy that exposed how (understandably) similar each Sueprstar's moveset is.

Neither guy really gains anything from the match or result and it was fair to wonder if the two shouldn't have remained more closely intertwined to the Bloodline.

Hit: Sami Zayn Gets His Moment

What a night for Sami Zayn.

Sure, the build to his match with Gunther felt a little slapped together, but it felt like plans remained in flux for 'Mania quite a bit longer than usual due to outside circumstances (ie: Gunther's opponent).

But Zayn entered 'Mania as a Superstar with an uncertain standing in the hierarchy of WWE outright after a long time in tag and stable action.

He exits it as the guy who ended a 660-plus day reign for what one could argue is the most important title in WWE not held by Roman Reigns himself. The match was fantastic and while Gunther himself might be headed for much bigger things, it's Zayn who will take a prominent spot and get to write his own epic in the coming months.

Miss: Damian Priest Ending Drew Mcintyre's Moment

Quietly, Damian Priest had been a downright baffling Money in the Bank briefcase holder.

It's not so much the number of days Priest has held the briefcase without cashing in on a top champion. It's more the ways he had been thwarted. At one point, he had even left a PLE early to go party, among notable excuses to prevent his cashing in on the likes of Seth Rollins, who have had entire storylines revolving around just how broken down his body is and how vulnerable he remains to opponents.

Tack Night 1 on as the latest example. Priest lost a tag title early in the card, then no-showed the main event to get after Rollins, who took yet another beating and visibly grabbing at his knee after nearly every move in the 40-plus-minute epic.

Then on Night 2, Priest finally cashes in and ruins Drew McIntyre's moment in a nine-second match to steal the title.

And hey, some of this was McIntyre's own fault for goading CM Punk into an attack and getting what he deserved. It works to further the storyline there. But it felt like a much worse callback to that time Rollins cashed-in at 'Mania and it would have been nice to see it occur on a night that wasn't all about McIntyre's big moment.

Hit: Production Values Go Hollywood

Dude, can we just gush about the production values for a second?

Look at what a bit of experimentation with new ideas can do. That buildup to the Intercontinental title match between Gunther and Zayn was jaw-dropping.

Following Zayn from backstage moments with his family, friends and even Kevin Owens right through guerrilla position was stunning and, frankly, probably did more to sell fans on Zayn than any promo or match buildup prior.

That's not the only example, but it's by far the one that sticks out the most. Different camera angles, backstage promos, things the live mic picked up—WWE has leveled up its game in more ways than one during this new era that continues to flirt with descriptors like golden.

Fitting, really, because as fans saw with Zayn, there's much to be gained for fans and Superstars alike from the new production.

Miss: Logan Paul Retains

Logan Paul exiting a match victorious over future Hall of Famers Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, retaining his United States Championship in the process, sort of stinks.

That's not to hate on Paul. As far as non-full-timer appearances go, 'Mania has had much, much worse than iShowSpeed over the course of its history.

But the win does seem to signal that the title isn't coming off Paul's waist for a very long time. The honeymoon phase of his better-than-expected (and maybe better than a lot of the locker room) debut has worn off, and it would be nice to see the U.S. title get the same treatment Gunther gave the Intercontinental title.

Still, it was really fun to see Owens and Orton team up on Paul for a while before shrugging and finally turning against each other, too.

Hit: Bayley Gets Her Moment

Earlier in the weekend, it almost felt like the Four Horsewomen era of the women's division was on its way out the door when Rhea Ripley convincingly took down Becky Lynch.

Bayley had something to say about that, though.

The women's Royal Rumble winner this year went on second-to-last against Iyo Sky and won the WWE Women's Championship. It was a well-deseved moment for The Role Model and added another all-timer of a match for the women's side of the roster into 'Mania lore.

It serves as a bit of table-setting, too, with Bayley now at the controls of the division as her own sort of final boss, which should be can't-miss television in its own right.

Miss: Main Event Interferences (with One Exception)

It's OK to say it—the Undertaker interference in the Reigns vs. Rhodes main event on Night 2 was a bit of a clunker.

Yes, it was fun to hear that gong and the lights go out. But it felt pretty random and was over in what, 20 seconds?

By comparison, Jimmy and Jey had plenty of reason to be there. Solo Sikoa and John Cena had major issues with one another. But in that 'Taker slot against The Rock...most fans expected "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and it's impossible to blame them.

It doesn't help that Cena's appearance was limited. And it most certainly doesn't help that the epic fight on the ramp between Jimmy and Jey was better than their entire match the night prior.

The only exception was the Seth Rollins interference, which used fantastic Shield-based storytelling well to impact the end result of the match massively.

Hit: The End Result

The end result of Cody Rhodes finishing his story with a win over Reigns?

A new era in more ways than one, as evidenced by that blurred-lines celebration that looped in Triple H and other Superstars.

Now, Rhodes gets to move on as a traditional fighting champion into new feuds. This course isn't without major potholes as the title itself transitions away from being an every-now-and-then major event. But it's an encouraging one for Superstar and the company.

And the end result of Reigns' loss? That careful storytelling that had the Tribal Chief attack Rollins instead of Rhodes at the key moment speaks volumes to the old Shield wounds that have never fully healed. Rest assured we're not done seeing those two feud, nor have we sorted out anything with the Rock and the title of Tribal Chief.

   

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