New Champions Crowned on Night 2 of Wrestlemania 40

Wrestlemania 40 Sunday Night 2 started with a bang and finished with a bang as Cody Rhodes completed his story, winning the WWE Championship. 

This is precisely how Wrestlemania had to end, with Cody Rhodes having his hands raised high to the sky. It was a two-year-long battle between him and Roman Reigns. Then throw in The Rock, and the main event for Wrestlemania 40 was spectacular. It was the perfect ending to a great show. Good triumphs over evil, and the locker room was happy about them.

The crowd was into this match the whole night. They were into the event. It was much better than Saturday, April 6th. This is not to say that the card was terrible; there were decent matches, but the pacing was better on Night 2 than on Night 1. There were several championship matches and anticipation of a new world champion being crowned.

On Night 2, we saw four new champions crowned. Drew McIntyre got his moment. However, Damien Priest took it away. More on that later. Bayley finally got her moment to shine. Again, more on that in another article. But Sunday night was about Cody Rhodes.

Cody needed to complete his story. He was up against the odds—there were many callbacks to old moments in Wrestlemania history, from the entrances to the finish. The Rock, Undertaker, and John Cena appeared in the main event, which was contested under Bloodline rules.

Roman Reigns held a long-term grudge. With the Undertaker taking out The Rock, and the ring cleared when the lights came on, Reigns had a chance to hit Rhodes with a chair. But instead, he hit Rollins, who was dressed in Shield gear. Rollins even told Cody he would be his Shield. Roman could have retained, but the moment to get Rollins back was too much.

Reigns tried for a spear, but a boot blocked it, and then three CrossRhodes later, a new champion was crowned. Again, the wrestlers filled the ring, giving Cody Rhodes his moment at Wrestlemania 40. What a way to close out Night 2.

Drew McIntyre Gets His Moment, Then Damien Priest Steals It

Drew McIntyre got his Wrestlemania Moment; he had been dreaming of it since Wrestlemania 36 when he won the WWE Championship in front of no fans. McIntyre had been playing it up with his feud with Seth Rollins about how it would be his time. Seth was too busy with the Bloodline, and McIntyre would take advantage of that. He wanted a 100 percent Seth Rollins but did not get it with Seth working double duty.

However, despite Drew wanting to win the championship 100 percent, McIntyre took advantage of the injured Rollins. A quick Claymore kick opened the match. From there, it was all McIntyre. He worked the injured knee of Rollins. Though Rollins got a couple of stomps in along with a Pedigree, the crowd wanted a new champion. Drew McIntyre had vibes of Sid in 1996 when he defeated Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series at MSG.

The crowd loves Rollins and his music, and what an entrance it would be if you didn’t see it. But Rollins had the belt for almost a year, and everyone wanted a new champion. The fight spilled to the outside, and of course, they went toward CM Punk, who was commentary. Punk did not interfere in the match. Rollins could convert a stomp on McIntyre on a table, but Drew hit a Claymore when both men entered the ring. McIntyre, in shock, hit a final Claymore to claim the World Heavyweight Championship.

When the ref handed him the title, he had the “Boyhood Dream” Moment Michaels had at Wrestlemania 12. Drew celebrated with his family before going over to CM Punk. Rollins told Drew not to lose focus, and he made it about Punk. This was McIntyre’s moment, but he made it about Punk and played up the story of where Punk used to work.

Well, CM Punk tripped McIntyre, making him fall on the table. He took his arm brace off and hit Drew with it. Priest’s music hit him as he ran down to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. He hit the South of Heaven on McIntyre and got the 1, 2, 3 to become the New World Heavyweight Champion. What a way to kickstart Wrestlemania 40 Sunday.

Results:

• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Drew McIntyre wins the World Championship from Seth Rollins.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match 2: Damien Priest Cashes In To Become New World Heavyweight Champion thanks to CM Punk
• Philadelphia Street Fight: The Pride defeat Final Testament
• LA Knight defeats AJ Styles
• United States Championship Match: Logan Paul retains US Title over Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
• Women’s Championship Match: Bayley defeats Iyo Sky to win the Women’s Championship
• WWE Undisputed Universal Championship Match: