WWE WrestleMania 40 results, grades: Cody Rhodes finishes the story, ends Roman Reigns' epic run as WWE champ

Rhodes had backup for the Bloodline on Sunday night with help coming from Jey Uso, John Cena, Seth Rollins and The Undertaker

Cody Rhodes finally finished the story at WrestleMania 40. Rhodes, with the assistance of Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, John Cena and The Undertaker, managed to defeat Roman Reigns to win the undisputed WWE universal championship.

Rhodes had been on a mission since leaving WWE in 2016 to prove himself on the independent scene -- and creating All Elite Wrestling in the process. Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38 and quickly called his shot, wanting to win the world championship that consistently eluded his legendary father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

Rhodes had the deck stacke against him from the get-go, as his match with Reigns was conducted under "Bloodline Rules," meaning no disqualification and gave Reigns' Bloodline faction the freedom to interfere without consequence. Luckily, Rhodes had his own group of friends and legends backing him up to keep things from getting out of hand.  

Rhodes came up short in his first attempt to "finish the story," losing to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39. Rhodes, just as he'd done in 2023, won this year's Royal Rumble to earn his second shot and made good on the opportunity, ending Reigns' run as world champion at 1,317 days.

Elsewhere on the card, Damian Priest is no longer Senor Money in the Bank. He is now Senor World Heavyweight Champion. Priest took advantage of a weakened Drew McIntyre after the Scotsman defeated Seth Rollins and began taunting CM Punk at ringside. Punk removed his armbrace and battered McIntyre with it before Priest came in and delivered a massive chokeslam to secure the title.

CBS Sports was with you the entire way through the historic Night 2 of WrestleMania 40, providing full recaps, results and grades which can be read below.

World Heavyweight Championship -- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre: McIntyre hit a Claymore as soon as the bell rang, leading to a quick near fall. McIntyre took the fight to Rollins on the floor with a belly-to-belly suplex before driving him into the ring post but Rollins came back with a pedigree before a stomp as McIntyre reentered the ring. Rollins countered another Claymore with a second Pedigree and then a second stomp for a two-count. Rollins' injured knee repeatedly troubled him throughout the match, including when he missed a stomp from the top rope, allowing McIntyre to hit a Future Shock DDT for his own near fall. McIntyre taunted CM Punk on commentary by signaling for the Go To Sleep but Rollins escaped only to be struck by another Claymore for yet another near fall. Rollins delivered yet another stomp, this time on the commentary desk and moments later McIntyre hit yet another Claymore but again was unable to get the pin. Another Claymore followed, however, and McIntyre scored the pin to win the championship. These two packed a lot in here, hitting finishers at an exceptionally high rate before McIntyre finally picked up the win, getting a world title win at WrestleMania in front of fans, something he did not get to experience when winning the title at WrestleMania in 2020. Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins via pinfall to win the title. Grade: B+

World Heavyweight Championship -- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Damian Priest: After the match, McIntyre went to the commentary desk and celebrated while jawing at CM Punk. After some back and forth, Punk swept McIntyre's legs out, causing him to fall on the desk. Punk took off the brace on his arm and smashed McIntyre in the face with it. This brought Priest running out from the back with his Money in the Bank briefcase. After smashing the briefcase on McIntyre's head, Priest cashed in, hit the South of Heaven chokeslam and pinned McIntyre to win the championship. Not much of a match to "grade" here, but the way this will fuel McIntyre's issues with Punk is certainly intriguing. Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre via pinfall to win the title. Grade: B

The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & Authors of Pain) vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (Philadelphia Street Fight): Final Testament quickly took out The Street Profits allowing them to triple team Lashley with kendo sticks. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins tried to get back in the action only to take their own beatings from the AOP.. After B-Fab and Scarlett both got involved, The Pride made their comeback with Lashley eventually locking in the Hurt Lock on Kross only for Scarlett to interfere again to make the save. Kross drove Lashley into a chair with a DDT but only got a two-count from special guest referee Bubba Ray Dudley, leading Kross to shove Dudley. Kross was then speared by Lashley. Dudley then instructed Lashley and the Profits on how to finish off the match, eventually leading to them getting tables -- the first of which broke as soon as Kross was placed on it -- and a Ford frogsplash to put Kross through the second finished things off. The match was a mess, and not in a fun way. Snoop Dogg on commentary was an active distraction and everything was clunky and did not work at all. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits def. The Final Testament via pinfall. Grade: D

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles: Styles went after Knight's knee from the early moments of the match, grounding him and slowing things down. Knight quickly turned things around with some clotheslines and kicks before a superplex was countered, allowing Styles to take things back over. Knight hit a German suplex from the top rope but shortly after, Styles was back in control, again working over Knight's knee, including wrapping it around the ring post. After Knight fought back, he removed some of the ringside padding but Styles reversed a piledriver into a backdrop and nearly won by countout. Knight countered a springboard 450 by getting his knees up, Styles countered a BFT, nearly hitting a Styles Clash but Knight had a counter of his own. Moments later, Knight countered Styles again, this time setting up the match-winning BFT. The match was nothing special but was, at the same time, perfectly fine as a wrestling match. Knight was the right guy to get the win since he needed the boost and Styles is in the club of WWE's "made guys." LA Knight def. AJ Styles via pinfall. Grade: B-

United States Championship -- Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton: Paul immediately slid out of the ring, telling Owens and Orton to fight. Instead, the challengers followed him outside and delivered punches and chops before taking turns bouncing his head bouncing Paul's head off the ring apron. Orton and Owens continued the double teaming until finally realizing it would have to break down into a fight when both tried to pin Paul. Orton tried to sneak in an RKO on Owens but was fought off and they agreed to "do it now" and started to brawl. Paul took advantage with a double clothesline and the match fully picked up into a standard triple threat flow. Paul eventually tried for a top rope superplex but was countered by Owens into a huge power slam for a two-count.Owens tried to follow up with a stunner on Orton but Orton countered into an RKO for a two-count. Paul reentered the ring with the brass knuckles but Orton avoiding the first attempt to use the weapon before landing his second shot. Despite using the brass knuckles, Paul could only keep Orton down for a two count. Paul then tagged Owens with the knux before trying to hit Orton again, only to be hit with an RKO. Orton took the knux but chose to give them to the referee instead of using them and set up for the punt but streamer IShowSpeed, inside the Prime mascot costume pulled Paul from the ring. Orton hit IShowSpeed with an RKO on the commentary desk. The chaos led to Paul hitting Owens with a huge frog splash for the three count. Overbooked in the right way, the match did what it needed to do, though Paul involving streamers the bulk of the audience -- outside of the youngest demographic -- are unlikely to know will always kind of miss the level of impact they're going for. Logan Paul def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton to retain the title. Grade: B

WWE Women's Championship -- Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley: Bayley hit a dive on Sky early in the match and began to limp. Moments later, Sky took advantage, ramming Bayley's leg into the ring post and locking her in a modified single crab hanging off the ring apron. Sky continued to keep the pressure on Bayley and her injured leg, at one point knocking her from the top rope where her leg was caught between the top and middle turnbuckles. This led to Sky hitting a top-rope moonsault onto Bayley, who was standing outside the ring. Bayley had to fight off some still offense from Sky, including a German suplex that landed Bayley very high on her neck. Bayley then blocked a moonsault by getting her injured leg up for the counter. Sky locked in a crossface before transitioning to an STF to again put pressure on Bayley's leg but Bayley survived before hitting the Bayley-to-Belly for a two-count. The two brawled before a big backbreaker and moonsault from Sky, but Bayley kicked out before the referee counted three. Sky hit another moonsault and went for another but Bayley rolled out of the way before Sky countered a Rose Plant. Bayley came back with a back suplex and an elbow drop before finally hitting the Rose Plant for the three count. Really, really good stuff in this one, telling a story throughout the match before Bayley finally got her much-deserved WrestleMania moment. Bayley def. Iyo Sky to win the title. Grade: A-

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Bloodline Rules Match): As the arena filled with "Cody" chants, the two men slowly looked around before meeting in the center of the ring for a staredown. Rhodes locked Reigns up  from behind but ate an elbow and was dropped seconds later by a shoulder block. Rhodes got rolling a bit before moving out of the way of a Reigns spear in the corner, sending Reigns shoulder-first into the ring post. Rhodes slid a table into the ring but Reigns hit a drive-by and slid the table back under the ring. Reigns continued to slide away when Rhodes had an advantage, eventually leading to Reigns grabbing a kendo stick and delivering several shots. Reigns continued to exploit the lack of disqualifications, digging into Rhodes' eyes to break a figure-four.

The fight spilled out into the crowd, with the pair brawling before Rhodes hit a suplex on an equipment platform. After getting back into the ring, Reigns countered a Disaster Kick into a powerbomb. From there, the match slowed a bit, with Reigns largely taking over the cation in the ring until both men were simultaneously dropped by clotheslines. Rhodes made a big comeback culminating in a powerslam and a Disaster Kick for a two-count. Rhodes came back by hitting Rhodes with his own Cross Rhodes for a near fall. As they went back outside the ring, Reigns hit a low blow and a powerbomb through the commentary desk, throwing Rhodes back into the ring and connecting with a Superman punch for another near fall. A Cody Cutter moments later got Rhodes his own two-count. Rhodes also hit a spear for another two-count.

After the spear, Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes before going for a second only to be superkicked by Jimmy Uso. Reigns hit a Superman punch but Jey Uso ran down, battling with his twin brother before spearing him off the entrance ramp. Back in the ring, Reigns hit a spear but Rhodes managed to kick out. Rhodes drove Reigns out of the ring to break a guillotine choke and speared Reigns through the ringside barricade. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes twice but was hit by a Samoan Spike from Solo Sikoa as he went for a third. Sikoa dragged Reigns on top of Rhodes but Rhodes again managed to kick out. Reigns and Sikoa hit a combination spear and Samoan Spike but Rhodes managed to kick out yet again before John Cena's music hit and he ran to the ring, knocking Sikoa from the ring and hitting Reigns with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena then put Sikoa through the Spanish commentary desk, which brought out The Rock.

Rock ducked a Cena punch and delivered a Rock Bottom. As Rock took a weight belt off and waited to hit Rhodes, The Shield music hit and Seth Rollins attempted to slide in the ring with a chair but was hit by a Reigns Superman punch. Before Rock could do anything further, The Undertaker's gong sounded and the lights cut out. When they came back on, Undertaker was standing behind Rock and delivered a chokeslam before disappearing after the lights went back out. Rather than attacking Rhodes, Reigns struck Rollins in the back with a chair. Rhodes countered a spear with a kick and delivered a trio of Cross Rhodes before a three count to win the championship.

The match was insanely overbooked but in the best way. The opening stretch felt a bit plodding, in a lot of ways that was because everyone knew the mess of interference was coming and it felt like there was no way anything too meaningful could happen before we saw Jimmy Uso, Sikoa and The Rock. Rhodes getting help from Jey Uso, Cena, Rollins and The Undertaker was the kind of wild mess that only makes sense at WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns to win the title. Grade: A

[Apr 7, 2024 at 10:36 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Bloodline Rules Match): As the arena filled with "Cody" chants, the two men slowly looked around before meeting in the center of the ring for a staredown. Rhodes locked Reigns up from behind but ate an elbow and was dropped seconds later by a shoulder block. Rhodes got rolling a bit before moving out of the way of a Reigns spear in the corner, sending Reigns shoulder-first into the ring post. Rhodes slid a table into the ring but Reigns hit a drive-by and slid the table back under the ring. Reigns continued to slide away when Rhodes had an advantage, eventually leading to Reigns grabbing a kendo stick and delivering several shots. Reigns continued to exploit the lack of disqualifications, digging into Rhodes' eyes to break a figure-four.

The fight spilled out into the crowd, with the pair brawling before Rhodes hit a suplex on an equipment platform. After getting back into the ring, Reigns countered a Disaster Kick into a powerbomb. From there, the match slowed a bit, with Reigns largely taking over the cation in the ring until both men were simultaneously dropped by clotheslines. Rhodes made a big comeback culminating in a powerslam and a Disaster Kick for a two-count. Rhodes came back by hitting Rhodes with his own Cross Rhodes for a near fall. As they went back outside the ring, Reigns hit a low blow and a powerbomb through the commentary desk, throwing Rhodes back into the ring and connecting with a Superman punch for another near fall. A Cody Cutter moments later got Rhodes his own two-count. Rhodes also hit a spear for another two-count.

After the spear, Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes before going for a second only to be superkicked by Jimmy Uso. Reigns hit a Superman punch but Jey Uso ran down, battling with his twin brother before spearing him off the entrance ramp. Back in the ring, Reigns hit a spear but Rhodes managed to kick out. Rhodes drove Reigns out of the ring to break a guillotine choke and speared Reigns through the ringside barricade. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes twice but was hit by a Samoan Spike from Solo Sikoa as he went for a third. Sikoa dragged Reigns on top of Rhodes but Rhodes again managed to kick out. Reigns and Sikoa hit a combination spear and Samoan Spike but Rhodes managed to kick out yet again before John Cena's music hit and he ran to the ring, knocking Sikoa from the ring and hitting Reigns with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena then put Sikoa through the Spanish commentary desk, which brought out The Rock.

Rock ducked a Cena punch and delivered a Rock Bottom. As Rock took a weight belt off and waited to hit Rhodes, The Shield music hit and Seth Rollins attempted to slide in the ring with a chair but was hit by a Reigns Superman punch. Before Rock could do anything further, The Undertaker's gong sounded and the lights cut out. When they came back on, Undertaker was standing behind Rock and delivered a chokeslam before disappearing after the lights went back out. Rather than attacking Rhodes, Reigns struck Rollins in the back with a chair. Rhodes countered a spear with a kick and delivered a trio of Cross Rhodes before a three-count to win the championship.

The match was insanely overbooked but in the best way. The opening stretch felt a bit plodding, in a lot of ways that was because everyone knew the mess of interference was coming and it felt like there was no way anything too meaningful could happen before we saw Jimmy Uso, Sikoa and The Rock. Rhodes getting help from Jey Uso, Cena, Rollins and The Undertaker was the kind of wild mess that only makes sense at WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns to win the title. Grade: A