WrestleMania XL Review: WrestleMania XL stood at the ultimate crossroads of WWE history, delivering a monumental two-night spectacle in Philadelphia that permanently altered the company’s creative landscape. Looking back at the two-day extravaganza at Lincoln Financial Field, the event was less about raw, modern workrate and far more about masterclass payoffs, long-term storytelling, and the birth of the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era in full force.
Table of Contents for WrestleMania XL Review
WrestleMania XL Review: Night 1 Breakdown
Match 1: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch (Women’s World Championship)
Opening a cold, windy Philadelphia night with this match set an extraordinary standard. The story centered on veteran ring craft against unstoppable physical dominance. Becky Lynch focused heavily on Ripley’s left arm early, attempting to negate the champion’s raw power and pave a path for the Dis-arm-her. Ripley’s selling was top-tier, never losing her heel composition while portraying a champion pushed to her absolute limit.
The finishing sequence: Ripley driving Lynch spine-first into the turnbuckle pad before landing a thunderous second Riptide was brutal and decisive. It protected Lynch’s veteran grit while establishing Ripley as a generational anchor for the women’s division.
Rating: 4.00 / 5.00
Match 2: Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship)
Judgment Day (c) vs. Awesome Truth vs. A-Town Down Under vs. DIY vs. The New Day vs. New Catch Republic
Unifying or splitting titles in multi-team ladder matches often results in spot-fest chaos with zero structural discipline. However, WWE used the multi-ladder format to solve a long-standing booking headache by uncoupling the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller snatching the SmackDown titles mid-match provided a clever heel surprise. The emotional centerpiece, however, belonged to R-Truth and The Miz. Truth’s comedic timing balanced the heavy bumps from DIY and New Catch Republic, making his eventual retrieval of the Raw Tag Team belts one of the most heartwarming moments of the weekend.
Rating: 3.75 / 5.00
Match 3: Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
This match served as an ideal palette-cleanser between high-intensity title bouts. Andrade slotted into the spot seamlessly following the storyline injury to Dragon Lee, looking sharper than he had in years.
The match was structured around classic lucha libre pacing, keeping the crowd engaged through slick counter-wrestling. The run-in by Philadelphia Eagles stars Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson was a fun local cameo that didn’t detract from the ring action. It did its job: progressing the LWO storyline without overstaying its welcome.
Rating: 3.00 / 5.00
Match 4: Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Looking back, this was easily the most disappointing match across the entire weekend. The brother-versus-brother dynamic had a year of personal animosity behind it, yet the match felt strangely flat and hollow from the opening bell.
Instead of an intense, fast-paced brawl born out of deep family betrayal, the structural layout devolved into an unending parade of superkicks and dramatic yelling. The crowd was ready to explode for “Main Event” Jey, but the sluggish pacing killed the arena’s heat long before the finish.
Rating: 2.00 / 5.00
Match 5: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill & Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane)
This match was built with a singular purpose: to establish Jade Cargill as a premier force on the WWE main roster. Damage CTRL provided the veteran foundation, bumping aggressively and working the ring tags to make the babyface hot tag land with impact.
Belair and Naomi handled the heavy lifting during the match’s midsection, allowing Cargill to enter late, clean house, and display star power. Fast, protective, and effective booking.
Rating: 2.50 / 5.00
Match 6: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
A masterclass in classic babyface underdog storytelling. Gunther’s historic 666-day reign had turned the Intercontinental Championship into a world-class title, and Sami Zayn was positioned as the last desperate challenger.
The pre-match backstage walk with Chad Gable and Zayn’s emotional interaction with his wife and finally Kevin Owens meeting him in the hallway for a dose of pure tough love: a rough shove, a tight embrace, and a quick push to go handle business, set the dramatic stakes before the bell even rank.
Inside the ring, Gunther systematically dismantled Zayn with vicious chops and powerbombs. However, Gunther’s decision to mock Zayn’s wife at ringside proved to be his psychological undoing. Fueled by the crowd, Zayn staged a fiery comeback, paying homage to his past with a top-rope Brainbustaa followed by consecutive Helluva Kicks to blow the roof off the stadium and end the Ring General’s historic reign.
Rating: 4.50 / 5.00
Match 7: The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Clocking in at over 44 minutes, the Night 1 main event was pure heavy-budget cinematic wrestling. The Rock returned to the ring in his “Final Boss” heel persona, manipulating referees, threatening WWE officials, and abusing the rules with ruthless authority.
Seth Rollins played the ultimate sacrificial warrior, selling his compromised knee to build sympathy and lay the groundwork for Night 2. While the middle section dragged slightly as they brawled into the stadium crowd, the final ten minutes delivered huge drama. Roman accidentally spearing The Rock, followed by Rock pinning Cody Rhodes with the People’s Elbow, ensured Night 2’s main event would take place under chaotic “Bloodline Rules”.
Rating: 4.00 / 5.00
Also Read: WWE SummerSlam 2026 Review: Night 1 & Night 2
WrestleMania XL Review: Night 2 Breakdown
Match 1: Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (World Heavyweight Championship)
Followed by Damian Priest’s Money in the Bank Cash-In
Night 2 opened with high-octane action. McIntyre struck immediately with a Claymore Kick in the opening seconds, setting the tempo for a move-for-move sprint. Rollins, battered from the Night 1 main event, fought on sheer instinct, but McIntyre’s physical power ultimately proved insurmountable.
McIntyre finally captured the World Heavyweight Title in front of a live crowd, only to immediately throw it away due to his obsession with CM Punk at the commentary desk. McIntyre’s gloating prompted Punk to attack him with his arm brace, paving the way for Damian Priest to dash down the ramp, cash in his briefcase, and steal the title. Incredible, multi-layered long-term booking.
Overall Rating: 4.25 / 5.00
Match 2: The Pride vs. The Final Testament (Philadelphia Street Fight)
Positioned as a wild brawl to keep the energy high, this street fight brought back classic ECW flair with Bubba Ray Dudley serving as the special guest referee. Karrion Kross and Bobby Lashley anchored the physical exchanges, but Montez Ford stole the show with a sky-high Frog Splash through a table. Harmless fun that gave the Philadelphia fans a nostalgia fix.
Rating: 2.50 / 5.00
Match 3: LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
A tight, hard-hitting grudge match born out of personal animosity. AJ Styles wrestled with an aggressive edge, targeting Knight’s back and even removing the ring padding on the outside.
LA Knight showed great babyface resilience, matching Styles’ technical precision with raw power and striking.
The finish: Knight countering Styles to hit the Blunt Force Trauma was clean and decisive, solidifying Knight as a top-tier singles threat.
Rating: 3.50 / 5.00
Match 4: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens (WWE United States Championship)
This triple threat match was built on outstanding character dynamics. The early partnership between Orton and Owens teaming up to abuse Logan Paul before inevitably turning on each other provided great comedy and physical ring work.
Logan Paul once again proved his elite athletic intuition inside the ring. The highlight came when streamer IShowSpeed, dressed as the Prime mascot, took a brutal RKO onto the announce table from Randy Orton. Paul capitalized on Orton’s late RKO to Owens, stealing the pinfall to retain his championship.
Rating: 3.75 / 5.00
Match 5: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)
The culmination of Damage CTRL’s betrayal was one of the most emotionally resonant matches of the weekend. Iyo Sky gave a masterclass performance, targeting Bayley’s surgically repaired knee with relentless high-flying attacks and submission holds.
Bayley played the fighting babyface to perfection, selling the limb damage while digging deep into her veteran arsenal. The crowd rallied heavily behind Bayley as she kicked out of the Over the Moonsault and landed the Rose Plant to capture the championship, completing her long-overdue babyface arc.
Rating: 4.25 / 5.00
Match 6: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship – Bloodline Rules)
A legendary main event that will stand for decades. Under “Bloodline Rules,” this match transformed into an over-the-top, emotional finale to Roman Reigns’ historic 1,316-day championship reign.
The early wrestling between Reigns and Rhodes was tense, physical, and loaded with psychological callback spots. Once the interference began, the match escalated into an unforgettable spectacle:
- Jimmy Uso interfered, only to be neutralized by Jey Uso with a spear off the ramp.
- Solo Sikoa arrived for the Samoan Spike spot, prompting John Cena to make a surprise return to take out Solo.
- The Rock confronted Cena, dropping him with a Rock Bottom.
- Seth Rollins emerged in his old Shield gear, absorbing a chair shot meant for Cody.
- The Undertaker made a shock appearance, taking out The Rock with a Chokeslam in the dark.
The match came down to a brilliant character decision: Roman Reigns had a chair in hand and could have hit Cody Rhodes, but his lingering hatred for Seth Rollins’ 2014 Shield betrayal caused him to strike Rollins instead. That momentary lapse in judgment allowed Cody to recover, hit three consecutive Cross Rhodes, and finally “finish the story” to win the title.
Rating: 5.00 / 5.00
Post-Show Editorial Breakdown of WrestleMania XL
BEST MATCH OF THE WEEKEND
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (Night 2)
It was a masterclass in professional wrestling storytelling. Combining high-stakes ring work with an emotional parade of legends, every single run-in served the narrative without feeling cheap or unearned.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso (Night 1)
A match that suffered from poor structural layout, sluggish pacing, and an over-reliance on repetitive superkicks. Given the long-term family narrative, it fell far short of expectations.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Rollins was the workhorse MVP of WrestleMania XL. He wrestled two back-to-back main-event level matches, took huge bumps, sold his knee injury relentlessly, and acted as the glue that tied the Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns saga together.
MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT
Cody Rhodes Pinning Roman Reigns
The referee’s hand hitting the three-count ended Roman Reigns’ 1,316-day reign and marked the official arrival of WWE’s new era under Triple H.
BEST BOOKING DECISION
Damian Priest’s MITB Cash-In on Drew McIntyre
Splitting the emotional climax of Night 2’s opening match into an instant title change protected Seth Rollins, crowned McIntyre in front of fans, and catapulted Priest into main-event status all in one sequence.
WORST BOOKING DECISION
Structuring Jimmy vs. Jey as a Slow Brawler
The brother-vs-brother match should have been a fast-paced, fiery fight rather than a slow, dramatic exchange that derailed the midcard momentum of Night 1.
How The Event Has Aged & Its Historical Legacy
Looking back, WrestleMania XL stands as one of the most important events in professional wrestling history. It proved that WWE could successfully pay off multi-year storytelling arcs without frustrating its audience.
The event cemented Cody Rhodes as the undisputed face of the company while allowing Roman Reigns to transition out of his dominant title reign with maximum dignity. WrestleMania XL proved that wrestling is at its absolute best when long-term continuity, high-stakes emotion, and respect for fan investment drive creative decisions.
Final Verdict
WrestleMania XL delivered on virtually every promise. With an all-time classic main event, emotional championship crowning moments, clever title splits, and seamless long-term payoffs, it remains a gold standard for multi-night events.
OVERALL PLE RATING: 4.50 / 5.00
