1 reason why each Superstar in the WWE WrestleMania XL Night 1 main event should "take the pin"
WrestleMania XL Saturday is here, and the wait is almost finally over for fans to find out what WWE has in store for them on an epic Night 1. Seven matches are booked for the first night of "The Biggest WrestleMania Of All Time", headlined by "The Biggest Tag Team Match Of All Time".
The Rock and Roman Reigns face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, with massive stakes on the line for Night 2's main event. A win for The Final Boss and Tribal Chief means Bloodline rules for Rhodes vs Reigns II, while a win for their opponents will see the dominant family banned from ringside.
There has been great debate about which team should win, with good points being made on either side. There's an arguably more intriguing debate to be had, however, about who of the four megastars should "eat the pin" and why.
Here is one reason why each man in the WWE WrestleMania XL Saturday main event should be the one to take the pin
#4: Seth Rollins taking the pin on WWE WrestleMania XL Night One could sow the seeds for an epic heel turn
Seth Rollins is, in many ways, the wildcard in the WWE WrestleMania XL main event storyline. For one, the World Heavyweight Champion has had a strained history with each of the three other men in the storyline. Additionally, he has a whole other feud at the iconic show that could affect his actions on either night.
If The Visionary were to get pinned in the main event of Night 1 and then lose his title on Night 2, it could send him into a spiral, causing a huge heel turn in the Sunday main event. If the creative team wants The Visionary to cost Cody Rhodes in favor of Shield brother Roman Reigns or attack Rhodes AFTER the latter finishes his story, having him eat the pin on Night 1 is the way to go.
Either way, Rollins will have a ready-made feud with whoever he helps or prevents from walking out of Philadelphia as Undisputed champion.
#3: Roman Reigns taking the pin on Night 1 could help engineer a number of post-WrestleMania XL storylines
Roman Reigns is arguably the Superstar most in need of protection in the WrestleMania XL Night 1 main event. The Undisputed WWE Universal champion has been pinned once in the past four-and-a-half years, and with good reason. The honor of pinning The Tribal Chief gets more and more diminished the more it happens, and as such, it should be preserved until he is finally dethroned.
However, as seen at Money In The Bank 2023 with Jey Uso, it can create an epic moment and drive storylines if done right. On Night 1 of The Show Of Shows, The Head Of The Table being pinned could set up several post-Mania storylines. For example, him eating the pin due to miscommunication with The Rock could be the beginning of dissension between them, leading to a feud later on.
Alternatively, if the plan is for Reigns to retain on Sunday, Cody Rhodes or Seth Rollins could claim future title shots by having pinned him on The Grandest Stage Of Them All.
#2: The Rock getting pinned at WWE WrestleMania XL makes sense in multiple ways
If there was ever a WWE Superstar who could be labeled as a "made man", The Rock is it. The Great One is such a big, entertaining, popular, and awe-inspiring star that him being pinned would not harm his persona in any way. Additionally, he is the oldest performer in the WrestleMania XL Night 1 main event, and thus the one in the best position to "put over" his opponents.
We may never get singles feuds between The People's Champion and Cody Rhodes or Seth Rollins, so one of them getting to pin him in tag action may be the best chance to pass on that star power. One single feud we will most probably get with The Brahma Bull is against Roman Reigns, and the seeds could be sown for this if the former gets pinned and thereafter blamed by the latter.
Time will only tell if The Final Boss will be the one to lie down for the count, but if he does, there are plenty of good reasons why.
#1: Cody Rhodes being pinned on WWE WrestleMania XL Night 1 could set up an epic redemption story on Night 2
Cody Rhodes is arguably the Superstar with the most to lose in the WrestleMania XL main event feud. Should The American Nightmare and Seth Rollins lose on Night 1, he will be up against seemingly insurmountable odds on Night 2 under Bloodline Rules. However, this outcome could be a blessing in disguise for him in the grand scheme of the event.
In storytelling, more adversity usually leads to sweeter redemption, and this could ring true for Rhodes in Philadelphia. The American Nightmare getting pinned on Saturday only to triumph on Sunday would only sweeten the latter victory even more. Additionally, if he were to be pinned by Roman Reigns on Night 1, it would protect The Tribal Chief a little bit more in his eventual defeat.
Will The Grandson Of A Plumber face the lights at the end of Night 1? Only time will tell!