7 bold predictions for Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, will Sami Zayn make history?

7. Rhea Ripley retains her Woman’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40

After winning the then-SmackDown Women’s Championship in the penultimate match of WrestleMania 39, Rhea Ripley has officially been the WWE Woman’s World Champion for one year, which is a pretty incredible accomplishment that less than a half-dozen women in the promotion’s history can boast.

Could that reign come to an end at WrestleMania 40? Sure, if anyone can win an underdog match, it would be Becky Lynch, but why? Why end Ripley’s reign now when she’s crushing it in terms of popularity and in the ring and has the potential to keep that train going for the remainder of 2024? Considering the optionality of SmackDown moving forward with Jade Cargill now in the mix, this belt feels like Ripley’s to retain.

6. The Judgment Day lose their Undisputed Tag Team Championships

Could Judgment Day’s duo of Finn Balor and Damian Priest win their Six-Pac Tag Team Ladder match at the “Showcase of the Immortals?” Sure, but why? Why keep the belts on a duo who rarely defend them – and aren’t a “real” tag team – when Priest should be focused on cashing in his Money in the Bank contract? After months of making fun of Priest for being a “dumb” MitB winner, it’s time for the “Archer of Infamy” to drop one the belt to shoot his shot at another.

5. Rey Mysterio remains undefeated against “Dirty” Dom

When it comes to televised WWE matches, Rey Mysterio is currently 1-0 in singles matches against his son “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, with his spank-fest at WrestleMania 39 serving as one of the true highlights of the Los Angeles-based show.

At WrestleMania 40, why not make that record 2-0? Sure, Andrade could end up being a double agent, and sure, there could be complications that arise from so many different factions working together, but in the end, as long as Dom gets his complaints, WWE fans will go home from Night 1 happy.

4. Jey Uso wins the Usos Civil War

After spending the better part of the last year gearing up for the great Usos Civil War, Jimmy and Jey Uso finally get to shake it up with a set of bells to decide on a definitive winner and considering Solo Sikoa will likely be gearing up for the main event with new WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman, it might actually be fair fight.

But who should win? Older brother Jimmy? Or the “Main Eventer?” Well, based on the reaction from fans on SmackDown, it’s safe to say the WWE Universe wants to elevate Jey and give him the biggest win of his life against his brother. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta give the people what they want.

3. The Big 3 live up to their new nickname

When Jade Cargill named her group with Naomi and Bianca Belair the Big 3, it immediately caught on with fans online who know the phrase from basketball roster construction and/or O’shea Jackson Jr’s father’s Ice Cube’s basketball league.

Could the faction, which features a former AEW, TNA, and WWE Champion, lose their first match against the side players of Damage CTRL? Nope, not gonna happen.

That’s right, for the second year in a row, Damage CTRL takes the L to a thrown together trio and frankly, it’s the right call once more.

2. Sami Zayn unseats Gunther as the Intercontinental Champion

It would be really easy to keep Gunther as the Intercontinental Champion and allow the WWE Universe to see how long he can go with the title, but with Clash at the Castle and Bash in Berlin rapidly approaching, those feel like chances for the “Ring General” to challenge for the top titles, especially if Cody Rhodes ends up with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, as their 2023 Royal Rumble moment proved there’s an angle there just waiting to be run.

And as for Zayn? Well, call him the “Streak Breaker” moving forward because he has a chance to make history once more and establish himself as the ultimate WrestleMania upset specialist.

1. The Bloodline pick the rule on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40

Some matches are about who wins, like, well, every other match on this list, but the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 has a stipulation that decides the stipulation of Night 2, which could be the deciding factor between Cody Rhodes becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and the Roman Reigns challenging for Hulk Hogan’s spot at the forth-longest reign in the promotion’s history.

Should Rhodes and Seth Rollins go for the win and hope for the momentum on Night 2? Or does Bloodline Rules actually have the potential for some positive interference that could help Rhodes? In the end, it feels like we’re destined for Bloodline Rules, and if The Rock has something interesting up his sleeve, there’s a chance Night 1’s main event could set fans up for an all-time great sequel on Night 2.