Cody Rhodes reflects on his WrestleMania 40 match against Roman Reigns, acknowledging the presence of WWE legends like The Rock, John Cena, and The Undertaker. He appreciates the unique energy and impact each legend brought to the match, particularly highlighting John Cena's commitment to the audience and the nostalgic significance of The Undertaker's appearance. Rhodes emphasizes that despite the legends' involvement, the focus remained on the current era represented by himself, Reigns, and Seth Rollins, asserting the strength of the present wrestling era.
Dustin Rhodes expressed pride and emotion at his brother Cody winning the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 40, likening the experience to their father's past victories. He praised Cody's performance and evolution into a mega star, emphasizing the incredible feeling of watching him achieve such success.
Plans for a main event match during WWE WrestleMania 40 weekend have been revealed, with Trick Williams scoring a significant win over Carmelo Hayes at NXT's Stand & Deliver show. Following this, Williams challenged NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Championship at the upcoming NXT Spring Breakin’ event, with Dragunov accepting but adding the stipulation that Williams would leave NXT if he lost. Additionally, Hayes has challenged Williams to a Steel Cage match on the next episode of the show, and it's been revealed that the Steel Cage stipulation was originally considered for their match at Stand & Deliver.
The Raw after WrestleMania 40 featured Cody Rhodes celebrating his victory, Damian Priest facing his first challenger, and NXT champions Ilja Dragunov and Roxanne Perez making their debuts. WWE is urged to create fresh top heels to challenge Rhodes, book Dragunov and Perez as main eventers, build an undefeated streak for Jade Cargill, resolve the Drew McIntyre and CM Punk feud, and reconsider Damian Priest's first challenger.
Seth Rollins played a central role in WrestleMania 40, participating in two key matches and making a dramatic return during the main event to support Cody Rhodes, only to be swiftly incapacitated by Roman Reigns. An alternative view of his involvement has surfaced online, and his health status post-WrestleMania has been exclusively reported by Ringside News, with expectations of a month-long hiatus from WWE.
The April 8th 2024 edition of WWE RAW following Wrestlemania 40 drew 2.361 million viewers with a 0.83 rating in the 18-49 demo, marking the show's highest P18-49 rating since September 2019 and highest total viewership since February 2020, despite competing with the men's college basketball tournament final. The peak quarter hour with Cody and Rock drew 3.200 million viewers and a 1.10 rating in P18-49, making it the biggest "post-PPV bump" since post-Wrestlemania 2015.
Cody Rhodes set a new WWE merchandise sales record, generating over $1 million in sales during WrestleMania 40 weekend, surpassing his previous record set at WrestleMania 39. His victory over Roman Reigns also marked him as the newly-minted Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Additionally, Roman Reigns and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also made history at WrestleMania 40, with Reigns becoming the first WWE Champion to headline both nights of a WrestleMania event and The Rock becoming the second wrestler to headline a WrestleMania in four different decades.
WrestleMania 40 became Peacock's most-streamed entertainment event ever, with 1.3 billion minutes viewed over the weekend, marking the second biggest usage weekend for the platform. The event also set records for WWE, with increased gate and merchandise sales, and featured notable matches including the WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes on Night 2.
Cody Rhodes surprised Triple H and Bruce Prichard by calling them to the ring after winning the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40, a move that would have been vetoed by Vince McMahon. After the event, Rhodes was gifted a gold Rolex watch, identical to the one his late father pawned to fund his acting classes, by Triple H, Bruce Prichard, and WWE President Nick Khan, with Prichard being the one who found the watch and Khan coming up with the idea.
WrestleMania 40 sets viewership and attendance records for WWE, with a 41% increase in viewership from the previous year, and The Rock's return contributing to must-watch main events; UConn's NCAA Women's Tournament win impresses with a perfect record against the spread; other highlights include a thrilling inside-the-park home run in MLB and a powerful insight into the life of retired athletes from JJ Redick.
WWE fans in Philadelphia expressed explicit chants towards Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as he made a surprise appearance on "Monday Night Raw" with Cody Rhodes, who had just become the new WWE Undisputed Universal Champion. Despite the negative reception, The Rock hinted at a continuation of their storyline and handed Rhodes a mysterious item, likely foreshadowing a future match. The event marked a historic streak of televised sellouts for WWE, with Monday's show drawing the largest gate in its history.
WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia shattered WWE records with 145,298 fans attending over two nights, a 78% increase from the previous year, and Cody Rhodes winning the Undisputed Universal Championship. Viewership was up 41%, merchandise sales increased by 20%, and WWE World became the highest-grossing and most attended fan event in its history. The event also kick-started 17 consecutive sellouts for WWE’s televised events, with "Monday Night Raw" drawing the largest gate in its history. The company now looks ahead to WrestleMania Backlash in France on May 4.
WrestleMania 40 was likened to the Avengers: Endgame of WWE, with Cody Rhodes' victory over Roman Reigns and company being compared to the MCU blockbuster. The event marked the culmination of a storied feud and interwove multiple performers' storylines, delivering an emotionally satisfying ending for longtime fans. Rhodes' win also signifies a new phase for WWE, with other wrestlers vying for his belt and unresolved fallout from previous storylines.
WrestleMania 40 featured memorable moments and matches, with Cody Rhodes winning the main event in a "Bloodline Rules" match, while Seth Rollins had a disappointing appearance. Sami Zayn's victory and NXT 2.0's success were highlights, but The Rock's involvement was criticized. Drew McIntyre lost his title due to focusing on hating, and Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson made a fun surprise appearance.
Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 to become the Undisputed WWE Universal champion, ending Reigns' historic 1,316-day reign. The match featured cameos from WWE legends, culminating in Rhodes' victory and emotional celebration. Other highlights included Drew McIntyre's short-lived championship win, Bayley's victory, Logan Paul retaining his title, and LA Knight defeating A.J. Styles.
