Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns on the grandest stage of them all to become the undisputed WWE universal champion.
With the help of John Cena, Seth Rollins and The Undertaker, there was backup for the American Nightmare to face up to Bloodline; and plenty of nostalgia for fans of sports entertainment.
The two-night spectacle took place at Lincoln Financial Field in front of a combined crowd of over 140 000 members of the WWE universe, with every punch in the script drawing roars from the crowd.
Saturday’s action began with Rhea Ripley beating Becky Lynch to retain her women’s world championship before The Rock rolled back the clock to ensure Bloodline rules for Sunday’s main event as he and Reigns defeated Rhodes and Rollins in the main event.
On night two, Drew McIntyre finally got his crowning moment in front of the fans after four long years as he beat Rollins to get his hands on the world heavyweight championship.
His moment would be rather short-lived, though, with Damian Priest cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to steal the headlines in Sunday’s opener and walk out as the champ.
Head of creative and chief content officer Triple H highlighted the writing behind the new championship, crediting Rollins who took quite the beating throughout the weekend.
“How do I get the new championship to make it where everybody should want to win it? I gave it to Seth freaking Rollins. You saw tonight what he did with it,” he said in a press conference following the event.
“For everyone who thought he (Priest) is stupid for not cashing in, he cashed in at the biggest WrestleMania ever.”
The writers would have even more surprises in store as the night progressed, with H’s new era in professional wrestling showcasing modern-day digital stars in a different light.
Logan Paul’s intercontinental match against veteran Randy Orton and fired-up Kevin Owens saw the Prime Drink founder winning against all odds.
Aid came from fellow YouTube sensation I Show Speed, who took an RKO from Orton, leaving spectators flabbergasted at the turn of events.
The main event sprung the biggest surprises, with Cena and Rock reigniting their rivalry while the Undertaker had his say with a spectacular chokeslam.
Ultimately the night would be all about Reigns and Rhodes, though, as the American Nightmare completed his story with legends of past and present shouldering him on as the fireworks went off.
Roman’s historic 1316-day Reign as champion was finally brought to an end, but Rhodes was quick to acknowledge the tribal chief once the sun had come up on a truly remarkable weekend.
“That’s the greatest championship reign in sports. I still hope I can be half the champion he was,” he told the media post-match.
“I wanted to be the champion because my father wasn’t. When he passed away, I failed, I didn’t hand it to him. Even if I didn’t believe, people believed. I had to do it, it resonated because it’s real.”
Pictured above: Cody Rhodes and Triple H
Image source: @wwe
