WrestleMania XL Preview – Day 1 events

WWE this weekend will be putting on the 40th edition of WrestleMania, the biggest premium live event the company has to offer. This year, WWE presents a stacked match card with fresh new match-ups. The two-day format taking place on Saturday and Sunday will allow WWE to showcase two quality events without stacking the event into one day. This year’s event will emanate from “The City of Brotherly Love” and home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles — Lincoln Financial Field.

The biggest names in wrestling headline this amazing match card, with a familiar superstar headlining the main event. Without further ado, I give you WrestleMania Saturday predictions scheduled for April 6th, 2024.

Match 1: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch – WWE Women’s World Championship Match

Rhea Ripley is in the prime of her career. She dominated the women’s division in 2023. She is arguably the best female performer in the world. Becky Lynch, on the other hand, is now a seasoned veteran. Surprisingly, these two superstars have not had a one-on-one match. This match-up is interesting as they have contrasting styles. Ripley has a powerhouse style of wrestling. She can lift you up with ease due to her powerlifting background. Lynch is a grappler and has great endurance. If Rhea can beat Lynch, she will cement herself as one of the greatest women’s champions of the modern era. I predict a 20-30 minute wrestling clinic with fans cheering for both at the end.

Winner: AND STILL Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley

Match 2: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Known as the workhorse title, the Intercontinental Championship has a prestigious legacy in WWE. It is the championship to acquire before making the jump to the main event title scene. Gunther has been a great intercontinental champion. Gunther is the prototypical European-style wrestler with stiff shots, hard grapples, and multiple submission holds. Zayn is the underdog whom the fans can rally behind. Zayn has lost his inspiration since he is no longer affiliated with the Bloodline and his best friend, Kevin Owens. Sami needs this win more than ever, so he enlisted the help of former Olympian, Chad Gable. This is a classic “David vs Goliath” type of match. But be on the lookout for a Gable heel turn to continue the storyline.

Winner: AND STILL Intercontinental Champion, Gunther

Match 3: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate)
Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

This is a match that features six teams for a shot at tag-team gold. Rumor has it that this match will have two separate winners. Each team had to qualify for a shot at the championship. The one notable fact that WWE keeps mentioning is that R-Truth has never won a WrestleMania match. Keep an eye out for Miz and R-Truth capturing one of the tag titles. Also be on the lookout for The New Catch Republic showcasing their skills in front of the rowdy Philly crowd. The current champions have a statistical disadvantage, and I don’t see them winning this ladder match.

Winners: The Miz and R-Truth win the Raw Tag Team Championship. DIY win the Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Match 4: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso (Brother vs Brother)

Coincidentally, a brother vs. brother match happens at WrestleMania every 15 years. At WrestleMania 10, it was Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart. At WrestleMania 25, it was Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy. Now at WrestleMania XL, the WWE is presenting Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso.

The Usos have split, and Main Event Jey Uso is doing really well as a singles competitor. In every tag-team, there’s always a standout superstar who breaks out and has success on their own. That person is Jey Uso. This will be an emotional fight with Jey standing tall. Jimmy might have to resort to Bloodline tactics, and Solo Sikoa is the X-factor in this match.

Winner: Jey Uso

Match 5 Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane)

A six women’s match is starting to become a tradition at WrestleMania. This match features the three dominant former champions. On the other side, Damage CTRL has the team chemistry to compete against three individuals. Dakota, Asuka, and Kairi can compete with the best, but not against these opponents. Jade Cargill made her WWE debut this past January at the Royal Rumble. She looks like a star and has the potential to be great. Joining her team is Bianca Belair, who is quite frankly the best pure athlete in all of WWE. To round out the team, Naomi is a veteran who can fly and showcase her skillset. This match will show that three strong individuals can beat a cohesive team. After the match, we can potentially see a feud between Belair and Cargill, which is a WrestleMania match ready to happen.

Winners: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi

Match 6: Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio

This is a high-flying tag match that can potentially steal the show. Dominik Mysterio’s work the last year has been very underrated. He is the most hated person on the roster. The fans love to boo him for his dirty tactics. He is once again feuding with his father, the legendary Rey Mysterio. This tag-team match features two new luchadors, Dragon Lee and Santos Escobar. All four men have a great Lucha Libre background, and the WWE audience will be captivated by their high-flying offense. This match will have a swerve/outside interference.

Winners: Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio

Match 7 Main Event: The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins

This match is labeled as the biggest tag-team main event match of all time. You have the most dominant undisputed universal champion, Roman Reigns, teaming up with his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Both are huge stars going against the babyface team of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Since the re-debut of Rhodes at WrestleMania 38, he has had a main event run like no other. He is a full-time main eventer and person the crowd can get behind.

Rhodes’ dream of winning the WWE championship was shattered when he did not beat Reigns last year at WrestleMania. Now Rhodes, Rollins, and the champion Reigns are working matches on Saturday and Sunday. This match will have the Philly crowd cheering for both teams. One thing is for certain: the Philadelphia fans will tell you if the competitors are working hard, or putting on a dull performance. Overall, this will impact Sunday’s main event. If the Bloodline wins, there are no rules in the main event between Reigns and Rhodes. Rollins and Cody have to win on Saturday to ensure that there is no outside interference.

Winners: Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins