WWE Wrestlemania XL Review
There’s only one way to describe the events of this past week: incredible!
The anticipation for Wrestlemania XL was huge. Being the 40th edition of this spectacle, it was to be expected that there was going to be a lot of chatter about what we were in for this year. I just knew it was going to be brilliant, and I was not let down at all. Let’s cover some of my favourite moments from the few days of excellence that was Wrestlemania XL.
Image courtesy of WWE
To start, I just gotta say, the set and production was incredible. The massive XL on stage looked so good. Obviously the crowd was bound to be big, but the 145,000 plus attendance over the two nights was completely record-breaking. Philly is known for being a passionate fanbase, and although night one was fairly tame, the energy they brought on night two was phenomenal. Special props to Samantha Irvin for her incredible announcing, because she really brought out the best in everyone and was the ultimate hype woman for the matches.
At my place, the crowd was pretty pumped, too! We were all up bright and early in Western Australia for the live broadcast on both days, and then got to enjoy some American BBQ and cupcakes for breakfast on the second day as we watched the event. There are worse ways to spend a Monday in the Southern Hemisphere!
Image courtesy of WWE
Image courtesy of WWE
My first major highlight, for sure, was seeing Bayley take the Women’s Championship title in her match against Iyo Sky. I’ve been following her for ages, and I am super proud of how far she’s come. Definitely a deserving winner, and I can’t wait to see where she goes next in her career.
The next highlight was due to a bit of a strange moment between Roman Reigns and The Rock. In their match against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, Roman ‘accidentally’ speared The Rock, and the look on both of their faces was really interesting - it makes me wonder if there’s a seed being planted there for a future rivalry between the two members of the bloodline. Will we see them battle it out in Wrestlemania 41? We shall see.
Another highlight was the LA Knight vs AJ Styles match, which was just a super interesting battle between two wrestlers where no-one could seem to get the upper hand for a while. It had me on my feet yelling at the TV, and as an LA Knight fanboy, I was pretty stoked to see him take the win.
Image courtesy of WWE
Image courtesy of WWE
I can’t not mention the drama after Drew McIntyre beat Seth Rollins. Drew got awfully cocky when he won, decided to taunt CM Punk who was commentating, and then CM decided to use his arm brace as a weapon and whoop Drew’s behind while dressed like a total gentleman. Pretty satisfying to watch given their recent history. It was at this moment that Damian Priest decided to cash in his money in the bank and take the belt off of Drew’s hands with a super fast pin to become the World Heavyweight champion. That had to hurt Drew’s ego something fierce.
Now, my highlight of the whole event was, understandably, Cody ‘finishing the story’. For those that don’t know, Cody comes from a long line of wrestlers, but one that had yet to successfully win the Universal belt at Mania. As a result, the man had a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he came through and finished the story for the whole Rhodes family. Now, to be honest, they may say that he finished the story, but it’s clear he’s just closing a chapter, and that a new chapter is about to begin. But, I digress. The match itself was absolutely insane. Roman Reigns was definitely a fierce contender, and there were so many close calls throughout the entire thing that it had the whole crowd super tense. You can only imagine the excitement when John Cena’s theme started playing, and he came out to give Rhodes some backup - absolutely iconic. Then, when The Rock came out, it was pretty stressful - but it was also like being back 20 years ago when these guys were the main fixtures of these kinds of events. It was a brilliant throwback moment. The Rock’s presence was short-lived, though, because The Undertaker appeared suddenly from the darkness, and took him out in one fell swoop, then disappeared just as quickly. This moment put an end to the meddling of outside sources and the throwbacks. When it came down to the final moments, Cody pulled out his classic Cross Rhodes move to pin Roman and take the long awaited win. It was an incredible moment to witness, and everyone in the room lost it with excitement and celebration. He really worked hard for and deserved that victory. I mean, it would have been great to see him reach the same heights during his AEW career, but to be honest, it’s just great to see him get the recognition and respect that he deserves one way or another. I’m glad Triple H and the team have believed in him so much, and that he’s had the support of so many great fellow wrestlers to achieve this huge dream.
The post-show press conference on both nights was great because hearing the satisfaction and pride in the champions’ voices as they celebrated their wins was the cherry on top of everything. Cody and Bayley especially made me super happy, and it was also pretty cool seeing how emotional Triple H got because of his pride in how great everything went, and also how well his wife Stephanie McMahon did welcoming everyone to the event. It’s clear there’s big love across the board for everyone, which made XL feel that much more special.
Image courtesy of WWE
Image courtesy of WWE
How do we top Wrestlemania XL? No idea, but I’m excited to see what the wrestling world throws our way next!
I give this event 5 out of 5 stars:
