WrestleMania 40 is approaching, with Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns set to headline each night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Reigns defeated Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 with help from The Bloodline. Since then, significant changes have occurred in WWE, with various competitors from last year now in different positions. Austin Theory will team up with Grayson Waller in a tag-team championship match. John Cena last appeared at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia and was a special referee at SummerSlam. Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford of The Street Profits have moved from Raw to SmackDown and will team up with Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 40. Braun Strowman has been absent since teaming with Ricochet on “Monday Night Raw,” and Ricochet has moved from SmackDown to Raw and feuded with Logan Paul.
Chad Gable has become a fan favorite and will not have a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship against Gunther at WrestleMania 40. Otis is also a fan favorite who has been unable to win any gold despite tagging with his Alpha Academy stablemates. Erik and Ivar, the Viking Raiders, were dominating as a tag team until Erik got injured in September; Ivar has been competing as a singles competitor but hasn’t won in over a month. Valhalla, who is in Viking Raiders’ corner, has made sporadic appearances in WWE, including in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Seth Rollins, the first World Heavyweight Champion, will defend his title against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 40. Logan Paul, a novelty in WWE, won the U.S. Championship from Rey Mysterio and will defend his title in a triple-threat match against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.
Trish Stratus turned on Becky Lynch after their feud, culminating in Lynch winning with help from Zoey Stark at WWE Payback. Lita was involved in an injury angle post-WrestleMania Night 1 and has not been seen on TV since. Becky Lynch had a busy year, feuding with various wrestlers and helping her team win a War Games match. Bayley, a Royal Rumble winner, turned on her Damage CTRL stablemates, leading to a match against Iyo Sky for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40. Dakota Kai, who was sidelined after tearing her ACL, will team up with Kairi Sane and Asuka in a six-woman tag-team match. Iyo Sky, the women’s champion, will defend her title against Bayley at WrestleMania 40 after leading the turn on her. Rey Mysterio was the U.S. champion for a few months until losing the title to Logan Paul; he will team up with Dragon Lee to face Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar at WrestleMania 40.
Rhea Ripley, who has held the women’s championship for over a year, will face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40. Charlotte Flair tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus, requiring a nine-month recovery, and has been out since December. Pat McAfee, after an impromptu match against The Miz, returned as a guest commentator and eventually became the co-lead with Michael Cole for “Monday Night Raw.” The Miz, engaged in a feud with LA Knight and a tag-team bout with R-Truth, will be in a six-pack ladder match at WrestleMania 40 for the tag-team championships. George Kittle, who appeared briefly at WrestleMania 39, has been focusing on his football career. Kevin Owens, now in a three-way U.S. title match at WrestleMania 40 against Logan Paul and Randy Orton, held the tag-team championship with Sami Zayn until losing at Payback.
Sami Zayn, transitioning from a tag-team champion to pursuing singles titles, will face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40. Jey Uso, after leaving The Bloodline for Raw, is set to face his brother, Jimmy Uso, at WrestleMania 40. Jimmy Uso, loyal to The Bloodline, has been in an ongoing feud with his brother since embarking on his singles journey on Raw. Brock Lesnar, who started a feud with Cody Rhodes after WrestleMania 39, has not been seen on TV after losing to Rhodes at SummerSlam. Omos, who had a match against Seth Rollins at Backlash, hasn’t been featured on TV since the battle royale at SummerSlam. Ronda Rousey concluded her WWE run at SummerSlam, losing to Shayna Baszler in an MMA rules match. Shayna Baszler, after a winning streak and new tag-team partnership, will battle Zoey Stark in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 40.
