WrestleMania 40 Night 2 - Star ratings for every match
Night Two of WrestleMania 40 has ensured that this year's edition of WWE's biggest event is one of the best of all time. It was a huge improvement on Saturday's offering, with every match delivering something fun.
While we may know the biggest moment on the show, was it also the best match? How did everything else compare to it? Let's look at all six of them from WrestleMania 40 Sunday and rate them out of five.
#1. Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre - World Heavyweight Championship
The first match of WrestleMania 40 Sunday started with an epic nearfall, as Drew McIntyre immediately hit a Claymore. He dominated early, even sending a tweet during the match. What a man! However, Seth Rollins would come back strong, leading to a highly competitive affair.
The two laid into each other with their biggest moves early on, with The Visionary hitting multiple Pedigrees and Stomps. The Scottish Warrior eventually put Rollins down after a few more Claymores. This was an explosive match from start to finish, the perfect way to kick off the show. McIntyre finally got his moment, even if it was short-lived.
While Damian Priest's Money in the Bank cash-in won't be counted towards the rating for this match, we have to mention it. The Judgment Day member won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 after CM Punk attacked a cocky Drew McIntyre. A lot happened, with most of it being great!
Rating: ****1/2
#2. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. The Final Testament - Philadelphia Street Fight
Something at WrestleMania 40 Sunday had to follow that hot opener, with WWE holding an all-action Street Fight in the spot. All six men did their best to craft a fun brawl, as did B-Fab and Scarlett.
Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits got a nice moment alongside Bubba Ray Dudley and Snoop Dogg following a solid win.
The final moments saw the three batter Karrion Kross with some classic Dudley Boyz offence before Montez Ford hit a beautiful Frog Splash through a table. AOP was nowhere to be seen at the end. The match was entertaining for what it was, serving as a good palette cleanser between bigger matches.
Hopefully, Lashley and The Street Profits are booked better following WrestleMania 40.
Rating: ***1/2
#3. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles - WrestleMania 40
Just like the previous two matches, this started on fire. AJ Styles wasted no time and rushed to the ring to attack LA Knight, only for The Megastar to get the upper hand. The two went on to have a pretty solid contest. It felt like a grudge match, especially following the last few weeks.
Among the highlights was a German Suplex off the top rope from The Phenomenal One. Styles also sent Knight back-first onto the exposed concrete outside the ring. However, it was the babyface who came out on top. He countered a Phenomenal Forearm into the BFT to end a gritty contest.
This was among LA Knight's best matches in WWE, while AJ Styles returned to form at WrestleMania 40. He did a great job in putting his opponent over.
Rating: ****
#4. Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens - WWE United States Championship
The chaos on Night Two of WrestleMania 40 continued, as what started as a quasi-handicap match turned into a compelling triple threat for the United States Championship. Logan Paul performed well, hitting a Swanton Bomb-Frog Splash combo on Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.
The two allies had good in-ring chemistry, with some seamless exchanges. However, Paul would lay out Orton and Owens with his brass knuckles but couldn't put either man away. We also got some comedy, as popular streamer IShowSpeed was dressed in a Prime bottle like KSI last year. He took an RKO on the announce table.
Meanwhile, Randy Orton hit an RKO from a Pop-up Powerbomb attempt before Logan Paul took him out and hit a Frog Splash to pin Kevin Owens.
This was a pure sports entertainment showcase from WWE, with many great moments and spots throughout its 18-minute length. It was another epic match to grace WrestleMania 40.
Rating: ****1/2
#5. IYO SKY vs. Bayley - WWE Women's Championship
The momentum continued with another banger on Night Two of WrestleMania 40. Bayley recovered from a couple of weirdly-booked months with the ultimate feel-good performance of her WWE main roster career. The Role Model brought the fight to IYO SKY, who was flawless as always.
The former Damage CTRL teammates went back and forth, with the defending WWE Women's Champion targeting Bayley's leg. IYO was aggressive in her approach, which got the crowd even more behind the challenger. She fought back with some lovely counters, including a side suplex in mid-air. SKY had some reversals of her own too.
The Joshi Judas impressively survived one Rose Plant and hit the Over The Moonsault, only for Bayley to kick out. The end was near then, with emotions running high. She hit another Rose Plant to end a near-perfect match. This was the best thing on the undercard of WrestleMania 40 Sunday, which is saying something.
Rating: *****
#6. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes - Bloodline Rules Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Oh, where do we begin?
From start to finish, WWE delivered one of the most epic and satisfying matches in history. It had everything fans would want from a main event between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. The in-ring action at WrestleMania 40 was as good as, if not better than their match last year.
Besides their usual movesets, Cody hit a Cross Rhodes, and Reigns hit a Spear. We got several near falls following that before the interference began. Jey Uso stopped Jimmy, and John Cena took care of Solo Sikoa before The Rock attacked the returning 16-time world champion. Seth Rollins even came out in Shield gear, although The Tribal Chief immediately attacked him.
WWE made this match even more bonkers when The Undertaker chokeslammed The Final Boss, which left Cody Rhodes one step away from his destiny. The American Nightmare hit the Cross Rhodes thrice to finally pin Roman Reigns and win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40.
What a match and what a moment! There's nothing much more that can be said. One could argue that it was a tad bit overbooked, but it had to be. That's what it took to put Reigns down finally.
Several current WWE stars and family members hit the ring to celebrate with Rhodes, in what was one of the most emotional scenes in wrestling history.
From an in-ring and historical standpoint, the main event of WrestleMania 40 was one of the greatest matches WWE has ever booked. Five stars aren't enough!
Rating: ******