WrestleMania 40 continues the captivating storyline of Cody Rhodes attempting — and eventually failing — to end the historic championship run of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
An expected raucous crowd at Philadelphia will witness one of the most anticipated ‘Manias of all time, with a likely four-hour run time for each of the two nights stuffing plenty of memorable moments into the live spectacle.
The marketing says this is primarily a one- or two-match event on the back of the ongoing Bloodline vs. Cody/Seth storyline. However, this two-night event is stacked, and I’ll charge forward to predict each match.
And we’ll track whether DraftKings will bring back its WWE predictions pool for this year’s WrestleMania.
When is WWE WrestleMania 40?
WrestleMania 40 will take place on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7. WWE’s premier PPV will be a two-night event for the fifth straight year.
Where is WWE WrestleMania 40 taking place?
WrestleMania 40 will take place in Philadelphia, Penn., at Lincoln Financial Field, the outdoor stadium home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
WrestleMania 40 Match Card
WrestleMania Night 1 Card: Saturday, April 6
- Roman Reigns & The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins *likely main event
- Night 2 Main Event is Bloodline Rules (No DQ, etc.) if Reigns & Rock win.
- If Rhodes and Rollins win, The Bloodline is barred from ringside.
WrestleMania Night 2 Card: Sunday, April 7
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Cody Rhodes
WrestleMania Card: Night TBD
- World Heavyweight Championship match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
- WWE Women’s Championship match: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
- Women’s World Championship match: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
- WWE Intercontinental Championship match: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
- WWE United State Championship match: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
- 6-Pack Ladder Match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: Finn Balor & Damian Priest (c) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. TBD vs. TBD
- Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
- L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles
WrestleMania 40 Match Predictions
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match
Does Triple H dare stretch out Roman Reigns’ … well … reign? Maybe I’m setting myself up to be swerved, but I’m going to say no.
WWE’s attempt to distract from the horrific Vince McMahon allegations saw them bring back The Rock and set up a Roman vs. Rock main event.
The fans, suffice to say, did not smell what they were cookin’.
In a repeat of WrestleMania 30 (… and 20 … and 10), fans revolted and, in the most social-media-era fashion, took to the online airwaves with the #WeWantCody campaign.
To be fair, WWE’s pivot to their current setup of The Rock being aligned with Roman (we think) has proven to be a brilliant maneuver to make nearly everyone happy.
Roman Reigns recently passed 1,300 days as WWE Universal Champion. In what has turned into the finest work of his career (even beyond his seminal days in The Shield), the Head of the Table has etched himself into WWE history as an unforgettable monster heel and holder of one of the longest world champion reigns in history.
The temptation for having Reigns surpass Hulk Hogan’s stretch with the top strap might be difficult to resist. Had Paul Levesque and the creative team not positioned Rhodes as the WrestleMania 40 co-headliner, I would’ve welcomed Reigns holding up the title once again as the closing WWE logo pops up.
But now that they’ve booked The American Nightmare to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles and earn top billing on consecutive Grandaddies of Them All, they’re basically backed into what should be an enjoyable and fulfilling corner. He can’t lose twice in a row. Right?
… On that note … let me back up …
Roman Reigns & The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
The tag team match set up by the drama to close Night 1 should finish in favor of The Bloodline.
Seth Rollins will take the pin from Roman Reigns, who’ll get his win back after a DQ loss to Rollins at Royal Rumble 2022.
Ergo, we’ll get basically a No Holds Barred setup for Sunday’s final clash.
- PREDICTION: Roman Reigns & The Rock def. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Now, back to the final match of the weekend:
How Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes Will End At WrestleMania 40
Bloodline Rules will wind up contributing to the end of Roman’s reign.
The typical mid-to-late-match shenanigans — ref bumps, diversions, etc. — will pop up for Reigns, with Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa attempting to foil Rhodes’ chances at winning.
After a few near-falls that are ended by dramatic Cody kickouts, Roman will look to his cousin, who recently acknowledged him, to clean up any mess that his typical henchmen couldn’t handle. Paul Heyman hands Rocky a lead pipe (or some other foreign object).
This is when The Rock acknowledges his real motive: Stop Roman’s Reign of Terror and reveal himself as Cody’s backup plan.
Rock stops Roman from cheating (blocking a chair shot or something similar) and receives a nuclear pop. ‘Hollywood Rock’ was a ruse.
An infuriated Reigns stares down his cousin and tries to attack him, but Rock sidesteps him and sees Roman stumble into the corner.
The People’s Champion will then deliver a Rock Bottom to an onrushing Jimmy Uso. He’ll attempt to hit a People’s Elbow before Solo attacks and fights with him out of the ring.
With the ring now empty besides the two main-eventers, Cody powers up and starts writing his final chapter.
Rhodes and Roman share a quick but awe-inspiring sequence, reversing finishers numerous times. Cody squeezes in a quick Bionic Elbow to call back to his daddy Dusty.
As they eventually collapse into opposing corners of the ring, we see Heyman, Solo, and Jimmy distract Cody again.
Roman low-blows Cody and whips him into the corner while choking him with his Ula Fala lei. Cody scraps away to knock Roman down.
Solo and Jimmy look to sneak-attack Cody again, but the Rock intervenes and drags them to the floor.
As teased on the March 22 SmackDown, Seth Rollins and Jey Uso help Rhodes fend off the outsiders.
Then, out of the crowd sprint Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, LA Knight, and TRIPLE GOSHDARN H HIMSELF to form a barrier between the ring and the Bloodline/Heyman.
They’re keeping this thing 1-on-1. “Enough is enough," screams Hunter at Roman’s interlopers.
The Rock turns around and taunts a furious Reigns. “Acknowledge us," he says. “Acknowledge HIM," as he points to Cody, who then stands up in the corner dramatically, performing the Rock’s “Just Bring It" taunt.
Panicking and realizing he has no help, Reigns tries to power up and charges at Cody to attempt a spear.
But Rhodes catches Roman and spins him into a triple Cross Rhodes in the center of the ring.
1 … 2 … 3.
Cody Rhodes finishes his story and ends Roman’s storybook reign.
The new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion gets a handshake and arm raise from The Rock (a la what he did for Roman Reigns in the 2015 Royal Rumble).
Rock then drapes the Ula Fala around Cody’s neck and berates his cousin, who’s lying without moving in the middle of the ring.
Heyman, Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso initially walk toward the ring to help Roman up. Heyman and Solo go to drag Reigns out, but Jimmy retreats up the ramp without them.
As the Bloodline finally clears the ring, Rhodes’ allies and more babyface superstars come out to lift Cody on their shoulders, a la Bret Hart after WrestleMania 10.
We see the on-camera pairing of Rhodes lifting the titles and the tron showing the 1977 photo of Dusty Rhodes lifting the WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden, which Cody teased on his Raw return in 2022.
Brandi Rhodes, Pharaoh the Dog, and daughter Liberty hit the ring to celebrate as the confetti drops and we fade to black.
- PREDICTION: Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns to win the WWE Universal Championship.
- BOLD PREDICTION: Damian Priest successfully cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Rhodes either during the celebration or on Monday Night Raw. After all, the babyface’s money’s in the chase.
…
We will predict the rest of the WM40 matches this coming week.
WrestleMania DraftKings Betting Pool Picks
In previous years, DraftKings Sportsbook has held WWE contests, including for major premium live events, where competitors would predict outcomes of matches, segments, and other micro-events within the show.
However, they haven’t hosted a game for any of the recent events, and as of March 23, nothing is listed in their lobby.
Of course, WrestleMania is THE sports entertainment happening, so they might bring it back.
For example, in 2023, DraftKings hosted a FREE $25K WrestleMania Pool, featuring the main event of WrestleMania 39: Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes. A picks contest for the main event of WrestleMania Night 2 was featured in a WWE DraftKings Betting Pool.
This pool was free to enter (1 entry per player) and was a perfect game to play when you sign up for DraftKings.
The prize pool gave out a total of $25,000 with this distribution breakdown, based on finish:
| Place | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,000 |
| 2nd-3rd | $500 |
| 4th-8th | $100 |
| 9th-58th | $50 |
| 59th-258th | $25 |
| 259th-958th | $10 |
| 959th-1958th | $5 |
| 1959th-4958th | $1 |
Check back here to see whether we’ll get a chance to play another Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes DraftKings picks pool.
