WWE fans from around the world tuned in on April 6th and 7th for the biggest event in the wrestling world. WrestleMania 40 which took place in Philadelphia, became one of the most-watched sporting events with many major players fighting it out in the ring for ultimate glory.
Among the marquee celebrities, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson sent fans into raptures with his appearance after a long hiatus. The event also saw many athletes ending their reigns as champions. While some of the stars enjoyed a long run of success before giving up their titles, one WWE wrestler was only able to hold on to his title belt for a mere 5 minutes.
6 WWE Stars Who Lost Their Titles In WrestleMania 40
1. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is seen as one of the legends of WWE and rightly so. The wrestler has held on to his title of world champion for a staggering 1316 days before finally losing to Cody Rhodes on WWE’s big night according to a report in Fox Sports.
The match which was conducted under the ‘Bloodline’ rules which refers to a ‘no disqualification’ policy, saw a lot of interference from Rhodes’ camp that ultimately allowed the wrestler to deliver his famous Cross Rhodes Move to take down his rival.
2. Gunther
Giving the Americans a run for their money in the WWE is Austrian wrestler Gunther whose dominance saw him hold on to his Intercontinental World championship title for a total of 666 days. But the athlete’s reign finally came to an end in WrestleMania 40.
According to a report in Forbes, Gunther was defeated by Canadian wrestler Sami Zayn in a surprisingly easy bout considering the fact that Zayn had always been pitted as the underdog in this fight. This was also a shock to many fans who believed that the Austrian champion was one of the most invincible fighters.
3. Seth Rollins
Another prominent wrestler whose reign ended in WrestleMania 40 is Seth Rollins. The athlete first competed with Cody Rhodes in a hyped encounter against none other than Dwayne Johnson and Roman Reigns which saw The Rock coming out on top.
Lady Luck continued to evade Rollins on night two when he was defeated by Scottish wrestler Drew McIntyre. This defeat saw him getting stripped of his world championship title after holding on to it for 316 days according to a report in EWN.
But as it turned out, Rollins got his revenge indirectly when the newly crowned McIntyre had to give up his title almost as soon as he laid hands on it.
4. Drew McIntyre
The saying goes that all good things must come to an end. But for WWE star Drew McIntyre, this ‘good thing’ disappeared even before he was given a chance to enjoy it. The Scottish athlete who defeated Seth Rollins to win on WWE’s big night, saw it being snatched away in a flash.
In a recap of the events on EWN, McIntyre defeated Rollins and immediately walked over to provoke CM Punk who was sitting in the commentators’ booth. The wrestler waved his title and proceeded to give Punk a warning regarding their next encounter in the future.
Punk responded by tripping McIntyre off the table and brutally stomping him. This presented Damian Priest with an opportunity to chase glory, which he made use of fully by overcoming a vulnerable McIntyre to win the title. Therefore, the Scottish wrestler’s short stint as world champion ended after a mere 5 minutes.
5. IYO Sky
Over the years, Japanese wrestler IYO Sky has been a dominant force in women’s wrestling in the WWE. But on night 2 of WrestleMania 40, the world champion was taken down by her former Damage CTRL teammate Bayley after 245 days at the top.
According to Wrestling Inc, Bayley fought an intense duel with Sky which saw the American wrestler come out on top by incorporating some excellent manoeuvres including a flying elbow and a brilliant Rose Plant that sealed the deal.
With this win against the Japanese athlete, Bayley secured her fourth championship title amidst a crowd that was fully behind her every step of the way.
6. Judgement Day
Damian Priest who ended Drew McIntyre’s world championship reign in 5 minutes, is part of a team popularly known as Judgement Day along with Finn Bálor, Rhea Ripley, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio.
While different members of the group competed individually and in pairs in WrestleMania 40, the team of Bálor and Priest lost out in the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. This ended their successful run of 171 days on the top.
