WrestleMania XL is upon us! What many are already claiming to be the best WrestleMania in recent memory, it helps to have a little bit of a refresher on storylines, the match card, and the Superstars about to kick ass and take names at the Showcase of the Immortals. However, there’s so much to get through, it’s going to take a few articles to get through the entire card. We’re splitting up the articles to build hype and not overload you all with information. So, without further ado, let’s get into the card!
WrestleMania XL Basics
WrestleMania is WWE’s premiere Pay-Per-View/Premium Live Event that has been held annually for the last 40 years. Often considered the Professional Wrestling equivalent to the Super Bowl, WrestleMania is held in stadiums around the continental United States, with this year’s edition being held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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However, this WrestleMania will be majorly different than any previous show as this year’s edition of the Showcase of the Immortals is the first to ever be without the control or guidance of WWE’s co-founder and ex-co-owner Vince McMahon following the allegations lobbied against him earlier this year. Instead, the show will be overseen by TKO Holdings and the current Chief Operating Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque. So, with that out of the way, let’s introduce the card.
NOTE: THE CURRENT CARD IS UNCONFIRMED AND CAN CHANGE FROM THE WAY ITS PRESENTED IN THIS ARTICLE.
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. “The Man” Becky Lynch
In the last decade, Women’s Wrestling has seen a sharp increase in popularity due to the avid campaigning of fans around the world on social media. Only a few years ago, WWE held the first women’s main event at WrestleMania 35, a match that Becky Lynch won.
Now, with Women’s Wrestling receiving the amount of attention and love that it deserves, we have wonderful characters to both root for and against in this showstopping match that is sure to elevate the heights of Women’s Wrestling beyond even WrestleMania 35’s highest peaks as Rhea Ripley looks to continue her reign on Raw.
Becky, who won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match back in February to qualify for this match, has a long history of title reigns and defenses at many PPVs, including her aforementioned bout against Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Mone in AEW). Looking to clinch another title, she challenged Rhea, who has been dominating the RAW Women’s Roster since winning the Women’s World title back at last year’s WrestleMania against Charlotte Flair.
Rhea and Becky have been strong competitors and heroes within the Women’s Wrestling movement in the last decade, so it was only a matter of time before they came head-to-head.
Intercontinental Champion Gunther vs. Sami Zayn
At the time of this article’s writing, Gunther has held the illustrious Intercontinental Championship for a whopping 721 days, making him the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in the history of the WWE. For reference, the Honky Tonk Man reigned for a combined 454 days so Gunther’s reign is certainly one for the history books.
A dominant competitor on Raw, Gunther has faced many challenges from the likes of The Miz, Ricochet, and Chad Gable. But now, he has a target on his back from last year’s most prolific babyface, Sami Zayn. Zayn’s recent history has been a bit of a struggle as his storyline with the Bloodline whittled down after he and Kevin Owens beat the Usos at last year’s WrestleMania to secure the Tag Team Championships. However, after losing them to Judgement Day, Sami and Kevin go their separate ways, with Sami aiming for new gold with Gunther.
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Sami is still a popular babyface, but with Gunther being Raw’s incarnation of Roman Reigns, its hard to pinpoint who will win the match and reign as Intercontinental Champion shortly.
Undisputed Tag Team Champions Judgment Day vs. #DiY vs. The Awesome Truth vs. The New Day vs. A-Town Down-Under vs. New Catch Republic
And now we get to what is sure to be one hell of a tag match! The return of the Six-Pack Challenge but with a twist: A Ladder Match where both sets of RAW and SmackDown Tag Titles will be available for grab! For the first time in almost two years, the Unified Tag Championships can be split once more, and now we have six teams and twelve men vying for a piece of that Gold!
First, we have the current champions, The Judgment Day members Damian Priest and Finn Balor. After dominating the Tag division on RAW for the last year, The Judgment Day looks to retain their gold and their status at the top of the food chain. However, dissension within the ranks could lead to the failure to retain, allowing any of the other teams!
This includes The Miz and R-Truth! In a shocking turn of events, The Miz has turned face to assist R-Truth, who returned at last year’s Survivor Series PLE, in getting revenge against the Judgment Day after he was savagely beaten and excommunicated from the group following weeks of hilarious matches and moments. A return of the fan-favorite heel faction from the early 2010s in a heroic fashion has been welcomed. All that’s left is their chance at the gold.
Next, we have NXT’s greatest Tag Team and greatest story since they premiered on the scene in the mid-2010s: Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa! These two have held numerous NXT championships between them, and often fought each other for them at some of NXT’s most renowned PLEs in recent memory. Now back as a new incarnation of #DiY, Gargano and Ciampa are looking to obtain the gold in their first opportunity to achieve a title on the main roster!
Moving over to SmackDown’s teams, we have the longest reigning and arguably the greatest tag team of all time, THE NEW DAY with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Kofi’s seen his fair share of WrestleMania bouts, even winning the coveted WWE World Heavyweight Championship a few years back at #KofiMania. Xavier, for his work, has only obtained tag titles and won King of the Ring a few years ago but has yet to achieve a singles title. Now, the duo are looking to finally regain their championships after losing them years ago.
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Next, we have the first of the newest tag teams on SmackDown with A-Town Down-Under featuring Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Both are notable competitors in their own right, with Austin winning the Money in the Bank briefcase a few years ago and subsequently winning the U.S. Title after cashing in on Bobby Lashley. Waller is noted for his talk-show segments and his history in NXT. With Theory’s history with Gargano and Ciampa, will we see some cool WrestleMania moments this Saturday?
Lastly, we have New Catch Republic with Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate. Dunne, who recently was teamed within Sheamus’ stable “Brawling Brutes” until their break-up a few months back, has been working the NXT and SmackDown scenes with recent NXT Callup Tyler Bate, a man known for his strength and charisma in the ring. This will be Bate’s first WrestleMania event, so he’s one to watch out for.
Coming Soon…
That’s a wrap for now. Check back tomorrow as we catch up on the rest of Night 1’s card, including the highly anticipated Jimmy vs. Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes/Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Roman Reigns/The Rock, the LWO vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominick Mysterio, and the debut of Jade Cargill as she teams with Bianca Belair and Naomi against Damage CTRL!
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