WrestleMania XL will take place Saturday and Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This year’s highly anticipated event could showcase historic moments in sports entertainment for years to come.
As we prepare for what WWE annually calls “the biggest stage of them all,” a few questions linger. Could we see a champion finally lose after 1,300 days of holding a title? Will there be any unexpected heel turns or babyface turns? (Will the good wrestler turn bad…or vice versa?) And what about the expectations and end results of new WrestleMania entrants?
For longtime wrestling fans: Could Philadelphia be the last time we see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson compete in the ring?
The 40th edition of WrestleMania marks the first time the event has been held in Philadelphia since 1999. Fans will be treated to Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Rhea Ripley and other WWE Superstars. They will also see The Rock compete in the ring for the first time in eight years – and his final appearance. only lasted six seconds.
AthleticismChris Vannini, Jason Jones and Eric Koreen teamed up for a roundtable discussion to discuss WrestleMania XL and what they expect this weekend.
WrestleMania returns to Philadelphia for the first time in 25 years. How do you think the city will react?
Jones: This is the perfect city with WWE leaning more into their “Attitude Era” style of promos. The shows leading up to this weekend had an edge. Philly is going to eat up all the Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins/CM Punk/Drew McIntyre/Bloodline shenanigans. There is no better city to experience this kind of “Mania”. Plus, Paul Heyman enters the Hall of Fame. When he is introduced to the Hall of Fame class, this crowd is going to go crazy. Heyman created an unbreakable bond with the city through ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling was based in Philadelphia).
To grow: Philadelphia has one of the “smartest” crowds in the world, but I’m not sure you could fill a football stadium with just those types of fans. There will be boos and cheers against the booking, but I don’t think it will be anything… extreme. Either way, WWE should probably be happy that an April snowstorm isn’t in the forecast, because snowballs would be thrown.
Vannini: I just wonder how Philly-centric it’s going to become. We know rapper Meek Mill will be there. Will recently retired Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce get involved in anything? (It has to happen, right?) And what about Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone? You know WWE would love it if Stallone raised someone’s hand in victory or threw a punch to knock someone out.
Which wrestler(s) would you most like to see this weekend?
Vannini: Is it cheating if I say The Rock? He hasn’t played in a match in eight years. He will compete in a tag team match Saturday night, so he won’t have to carry the full load. He also seems a little skinnier than the last time we saw him. But also, he’s The Rock, and his new villain persona was a breath of fresh air. It’s legitimately his best work in over two decades – and I include “Fast Five.”
To grow: It has to be The Rock, but I’m particularly interested in the impact of his presence on Roman Reigns. This is Reigns’ fourth consecutive WrestleMania holding the Universal Championship, but it also feels almost incidental in the build-up to this storyline. With or without the title, he should come away from this weekend feeling more central to the Bloodline story than he has since The Rock arrived.
Jones: Jade Cargill is first on my list. WWE was very strategic in how it was presented. She was impressive at the Royal Rumble, and pairing Cargill with Bianca Belair and Naomi has already created a iconic photo and the moment. Cargill has the makings of a crossover superstar, and I want to see how she performs in her first WrestleMania. Of course, I also want to see how The Rock performs in the ring. I love his “Final Boss” character. And finally, CM Punk will be in the building. He’s going to do something to disrupt things, isn’t he?
It is common for sports figures to be part of WrestleMania. Which athlete would you like to see involved?
Jones: Since there is no chance of an injured Joel Embiid participating in anything in the ring, I’m looking at the NFL. Who could piss off a Philly fan base on any given night? Give me Dak Prescott. Yes, I would be in favor of an absolute eruption of boos. That would be hilarious. I am here for this.
Vannini: My choice is Jason Kelce. He just retired from the NFL and is more famous than ever. He also has wore a Kansas City Chiefs luchador mask during the Super Bowl festivities. Man was built for this moment. Remove the shirt and perform a “Tush Push” wrestling move.
To grow: If they want to dig deeper into Philadelphia’s well, Bryce Harper is one of the few baseball players whose personality is powerful enough to work in the ring. I doubt the Phillies can ensure his contract includes much physicality (not to mention his team is playing in Washington this weekend), but maybe he’ll come with Chad Gable to take down Imperium and even the odds in the Intercontinental Championship match between Gunther and Sami Zayn. Give this man a bat and let him take BP on Ludwig Kaiser.
Which wrestler watches over a heel or babyface?
Vannini: Randy Orton. The Viper is back and getting cheers since Survivor Series, but he’s always been a more natural villain. It’s been a while since we’ve had a heel Orton. I think Logan Paul retains the US Title and Orton turns on Kevin Owens, perhaps creating something between them or making Orton a main villain on “SmackDown”, someone to come after Cody Rhodes.
Jones: Seth Rollins. He begged Rhodes to be his opponent. Rhodes chose Roman Reigns. But then, what if CM Punk cost Rollins his World Heavyweight Championship? Or better yet, what if Rollins beats Drew McIntyre, but Damian Priest cashes in his Money In The Bank contract? You have wrestlers in promos saying that Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch, runs the family. There’s plenty of material there for Rollins to go after, take on Rhodes or Punk and go on another run as a heel.
To grow: Roman reign. He’s been so good in his heel role for so long, but how long can we see the same match format: Reigns on the verge of losing his title before The Bloodline helps him keep the title in the family ? The thing that’s barely been said in this story: There’s money in a Reigns-The Rock match. You get there with The Rock excommunicating Reigns from The Bloodline after a loss, then Reigns getting hoisted by his own petard in several matches in the second half of 2024 against family members until WrestleMania 41 – when he finally puts hand on The Rock.
What is your favorite WrestleMania moment of all time?
To grow: Give me a good underdog story. Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston each climbing the mountain in WrestleMania 30 and WrestleMania 35, respectively, top the list for me. As a proud Canadian, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens winning the tag team title belts at the end of last year’s first night after ending the Usos’ record-breaking run was pretty special for me too .
Vannini: The Rock vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 (18). I still think it’s the greatest wrestling match of all time. It’s obviously not the best fight, but the moments, the crowd, the energy and the Hogan Hulk-up until arrival were absolutely electric.
Jones: The moment between Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks right before their match at WrestleMania 37 was special. Never before had two black women been the main event, and it was as if both wrestlers – and the crowd as a whole – were simultaneously recognizing that history was being made. I loved that Kofi Kingston’s run to the championship at WrestleMania 35 was 100% fan driven. I still don’t think anything tops the electricity of The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X8.
What’s your bold WrestleMania XL prediction?
Vannini: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin returns to deliver The Rock a stunner in the main event on Sunday night. Maybe I’ve talked too much about it in my head, but damn. The Rock and Roman Reigns win on Saturday, setting up all hell to break loose on Sunday in the Reigns-Cody Rhodes main event. Jey Uso eliminates Jimmy Uso. John Cena returns to eliminate Solo Sikoa (they have a story). Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins face off. And then the the glass breaks and out comes Austin, delivering an amazing product and The Rock’s patented freaking sell. Everything paves the way for Cody to win, “Avengers: Endgame” style.
To grow: I’ll stay out of the main events here. I will say that Damian Priest wins the Intercontinental Championship after Gunther and Sami Zayn tear the house down, and he leaves WrestleMania with two belts (he and Finn Bálor are the tag team champions, defending in a six-team TLC match). I also think Rhea Ripley beats Becky Lynch and, hell, Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar beat Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee to make it a perfect Judgment Day weekend.
Jones: Rhea Ripley goes babyface but still women’s world champion, setting up a heel turn for Becky Lynch. (With husband Seth Rollins?) Ripley’s star is so bright that I don’t think anyone wants to boo her (unless Dominik Mysterio is with her, but those boos are strictly for him). Plus, Damian Priest cashes in his briefcase on the second night. Against who, I have no idea, but I think Priest walks away with a singles title.
(Photo by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Louis Grasse / PXimages / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)