WWE’s biggest event, WrestleMania 40, was held as a two-night event at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 6 and 7, 2024. Professional wrestlers from the RAW and SmackDown brand divisions were witnessed fighting in the ring for the respected titles. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes was the main attraction of the event this year with the addition of WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker.
WrestleMania XL is the final WrestleMania that was live-streamed on the WWE Network, and it has been known that by January 2025, the WWE content will be moving to Netflix. Fans were very thrilled and excited for WrestleMania 40, especially for the main event, but have now expressed their one complaint about the event.
Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns to ‘finish the story’
On the first night of WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins teamed up to fight against Roman Reigns and The Rock in a tag team match, which the former team lost. As a result, the main event, i.e., Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, for the title of WWE Universal Champion, was held according to Bloodline Rules.
Fans already had a lot of expectations with the Bloodline Rules match, along with speculations about Stone Cold Steven Austin and John Cena coming in to help Rhodes win. After the two wrestlers entered the ring, the crowd started chanting their names, and an interesting match between the two took place. At one point, John Cena entered the ring to help Cody Rhodes and hit Solo Sikoa with an AA in addition to hitting Reigns with an AA.
Forbes reported that The Rock saw this as an opportunity to help his Tribal Chief and entered the ring, which led to the showdown between The Rock and Cena, rekindling the match moments of WrestleMania 29 and 30. It didn’t take much time for The Rock to put Cena down. But it was WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker’s surprise entry that not only shook the audience but The Rock too.
The Undertaker took down The Rock with a choke slam. Finally, Cody Rhodes managed to defeat Roman Reigns and end his streak and finish his story.
The most noteworthy match between The Undertaker and the Great One is from 1999 when Rock issued a challenge against The Undertaker after he had cost him a match against Triple H. The Rock at the time went ahead to compare Undertaker to a demon in an Exorcist movie, including a few more insults, which led to the WWE Hall of Famer accepting the challenge. (via Sportster)
The Rock defeated The Undertaker and Triple H in a triple threat after they attacked each other. The win against Undertaker and Triple H earned The Rock the WWF title match at that year’s King of the Rings PPV. Fans have noted that the chemistry between Rock and Undertaker never really sits well, which is why they have never really faced each other in the ring for a long time.
Fans expected Stone Cold to show up instead of The Undertaker at WrestleMania 40
Despite an amazing event held on night two of WrestleMania 40, fans have one complaint: instead of The Undertaker, it should have been Stone Cold Steve Austin who should have shown up against The Rock and assisted Cody Rhodes. Fans enjoyed the fact that the Dead Man showed up and choke-slammed the Great One, but Stone Cold and The Rock’s rivalry has been one of the highlights of WWWEl for decades, which is why they expected to see him in the ring.
The Sportster reported that one of the reasons for their feud has been a bit personal, as Stone Cold’s wife at the time, Debra, was standing by The Rock’s side as his manager, as assigned by Vince McMahon. The rivalry and the feud between the two of them defined a generation and an era of wrestling. The feud between the two widely celebrated and admired professional wrestlers has been one of the most memorable parts of the Attitude Era.
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Stone Cold’s missing WrestleMania40. ‘It’s obvious The Undertaker’s part was supposed to go to Stone Cold’, adding that it sucks that a deal couldn’t be made to bring Stone Cold back.
Stone Cold was expected after Cena came out to Solo, the Dong from Taker's intro was not expected at all, he's above Austin within the Wrestlemania environment
— éric salinas 💜✝️ (@ericsalinas) April 8, 2024
Only thing that would of made this better pic.twitter.com/BO4rUGQzsD
— WastedTalent (@PodWasted) April 8, 2024
I was absolutely thinking this. After everything they went through back in the Attitude era, it made perfect sense.
— Alex Lillyart (@AlexLillyart) April 8, 2024
A user wrote, ‘Stone cold was expected after Cena came out to Solo; the Dong from Taker’s intro was not expected at all; he’s above Austin within the Wrestlemania environment.’ Another one mentioned, ‘After everything they went through back in the Attitude Era, it made perfect sense.’ A user mentioned, ‘It would have been awesome if Stone Cold had come out to confront The Rock with their history. Undertaker didn’t fit.’
Was 100% expecting too see Stone Cold show up. pic.twitter.com/D1pgXKyNyJ
— Sick Ranchez 🤮 (@man__George) April 8, 2024
I told my friend earlier atone cold should be in this match and after that I completely agree. Can you imagine the pop Austin would have gotten 👀👀
— Zackattack-ack-ack-ack (@chitownzack) April 8, 2024
It would have been awesome if Stone Cold had come out to confront The Rock with their history. Undertaker didn't fit.
— DBhaird Ⓥ 🌱 (@DBhaird) April 8, 2024
After it was speculated that Stone Cold Steve Austin might show up, fans kept waiting for him to get in the ring and face The Rock. WrestleMania40 can be streamed on Peakcock.
