WWE WrestleMania 39 Retro Review: Every Match Rated and Revisited

WrestleMania 39 took place over two nights, April 1 and April 2, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. WWE billed it as “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood”, a theme first planned for WrestleMania 37. WWE announced crowds of 80,497 on Night 1 and 81,395 on Night 2, and the reported $21.6 million gate made it the highest-grossing event in WWE history at the time. The Miz and Snoop Dogg were the hosts, and Kevin Hart did the cold open on both nights.

The stakes were high. This was the first WrestleMania not under the creative control of Vince McMahon, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque now running creative after McMahon's exit in July 2022. WWE was riding a wave of momentum driven mainly by the Bloodline saga, and both nights were built around it. Looking back, this weekend became a turning point for modern WWE. Below we go through all 15 matches, night by night, with the results only revealed as you reach each one.

The build

• Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes: Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022 and won the 2023 Royal Rumble to earn a shot at Reigns, who had been champion for more than 900 days. Paul Heyman made the rivalry personal.
• The Usos vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn: months of Bloodline drama and Zayn's shifting loyalties led to Zayn and his oldest friend Owens challenging for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
• Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley: Ripley won the women's Royal Rumble and chose Flair's SmackDown Women's Championship, a rematch of their WrestleMania 36 match.
• Bianca Belair vs. Asuka: Asuka won the Elimination Chamber match to earn a Raw Women's Championship shot.
• Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus: a fatal five-way match led to a triple threat for Gunther's Intercontinental Championship.
• Austin Theory vs. John Cena: Theory had been calling out Cena since April 2022. The Boston crowd's reaction convinced Cena to accept a United States Championship match.
• Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul: their issues started at the Royal Rumble and grew after Paul interfered at Elimination Chamber.
• Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio: Dominik's betrayal of his father with The Judgment Day led to only the second father-son match in WrestleMania history.
• Also on the card: Edge vs. Finn Bálor inside Hell in a Cell, Brock Lesnar vs. Omos, a six-woman tag with Trish Stratus and Lita alongside Becky Lynch against Damage CTRL, and two “Showcase” four-way tag matches.

Night 1: match by match

Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena (United States Championship)

Opening the show with John Cena was a smart choice to get the stadium buzzing early, but the match itself left a lot to be desired. The story WWE wanted to tell was clear: Theory was trying to prove the legend was finished, while Cena played his classic veteran role.

Cena caught Theory in the STF early, and Theory had to bite Cena's hand to escape. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but when he went for the Attitude Adjustment, Theory knocked the referee out. Cena then locked in the STF again and Theory tapped, but there was nobody there to see it. While Cena tried to wake the referee, Theory hit a low blow and the A-Town Down to retain the title in 11:20.

For us, the execution was slow and limited. Cena worked through his signature moves with visible caution, and Theory's control segments lacked urgency. The finish protected Cena, since he effectively won the match before the cheating, but it did little to make Theory a genuine star. It felt like an opportunistic win, not a coronation. Theory had spent a year chasing this match, and the payoff should have been the night he proved he belonged. Instead he needed a knocked-out referee and a low blow, which is fine for a heel, but it meant the crowd left the opener talking about Cena, not about the man who beat him.

Our rating: ★★¼

Men's WrestleMania Showcase: Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. The Viking Raiders

This four-team match had almost no build. Its only job was to inject high-energy athleticism into the middle of the card, and it delivered cleanly.

The Viking Raiders, with Valhalla at ringside, dominated the early multi-team exchanges. The highlight for us came when Chad Gable hit a rolling German suplex on Braun Strowman, a spot that always gets a reaction because of the size difference. Strowman answered with a top-rope splash and his “Strowman Express” run through the corner, which Angelo Dawkins derailed. Ricochet hit a Shooting Star Press to the floor, then went for another one in the ring on Dawkins, who got his knees up. Dawkins set Ricochet up, Montez Ford flew in with his From the Heavens frog splash, and Dawkins made the pin for The Street Profits in 8:30.

This is exactly what a showcase match should be. Nobody needed a long story here; eight athletes needed a few minutes to show what they could do in front of 80,000 people, and they did it. It was fast and crisp, every team got a moment, and the finish was clean and easy to follow. If we have a complaint, it is that a match this good on almost no build makes you wonder how much better it could have been with a real storyline behind it. As a palate cleanser after a flat opener, it worked very well.

Our rating: ★★★¾

Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

This was a masterpiece of sports entertainment spectacle. Logan Paul made his entrance on a zipline, shouting into a wireless microphone, in a nod to Shawn Michaels' WrestleMania XII entrance, and he was joined by a life-sized Prime energy drink bottle. Seth Rollins came out in a Hollywood-themed outfit that looked like a red carpet, and a conductor led the stadium in singing his theme song. It is one of the best entrance moments of the weekend.

Inside the ring, Paul again showed that his natural feel for pro wrestling is elite. Rollins stomped Paul's right hand on the steel steps, but Paul still knocked him down with a right hand for a near fall. Rollins answered with suicide dives and a sit-out powerbomb. When Rollins went for the Stomp, the Prime mascot pulled Paul out of the ring and was revealed to be KSI, Paul's business partner in Prime. Paul and KSI cleared an announce table and put Rollins on it, but Rollins pulled KSI onto the table at the last moment, and Paul frog-splashed his own partner through it.

Back in the ring, Rollins hit a Pedigree and Paul hit a frog splash, each for a near fall. Paul went for a Coast-to-Coast, but Rollins countered it with a superkick and finished with the Stomp at 16:15.

For us, this match did everything right. The KSI spot was a perfect comedy-action moment, Rollins made Paul look like a natural, and Paul took the loss without looking foolish. It is the rare celebrity match that works for hardcore fans and casual viewers at the same time.

Our rating: ★★★★¼

Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

This match relied heavily on Hall of Fame nostalgia, bringing together two generations of women's wrestling. All six women brawled before the bell, and then Damage CTRL worked as the cohesive unit, cornering and isolating Lita to build up the hot tags.

While Trish and Lita naturally showed some speed limitations compared to their prime years, their big spots were executed cleanly. Lita hit a Twist of Fate on Iyo Sky, and Trish hit the Chick Kick on Dakota Kai. Lita added a moonsault onto both Kai and Sky, and the babyface team paid tribute to Team Xtreme with a Poetry in Motion-style leg drop combination. Sky had her own moment with a moonsault to the outside. In the end, Bayley tried a Bayley-to-Bayley off the ropes on Lynch, but Lynch countered into the Manhandle Slam to win at 14:40.

This was a solid, fun nostalgia trip that rewarded the live crowd. It was never going to be a technical classic, and it was not trying to be. The Hall of Famers got their signature moments, Lynch got the win, and Damage CTRL did good work as the bullies in the middle. The weakness, for us, is that Damage CTRL came out of it looking like just another obstacle. Bayley, Kai and Sky were a strong act in 2023, and losing a six-woman tag to two part-timers and Lynch did not help them much. Still, the crowd loved it, and it did its job.

Our rating: ★★★¼

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

The emotional side of this father-versus-son rivalry was brilliant, and it started with the entrances. Dominik came out handcuffed with a police escort, leaning fully into his “prison” persona, and wore a replica of the mask his father wore at Halloween Havoc. Rey answered by riding to the ring in a lowrider with Snoop Dogg, to Eddie Guerrero's music, as a tribute to Eddie.

The psychology was built on Rey's reluctance to hurt his own son, while Dominik abused his father emotionally and physically. Rey sent Dominik into the ring post and spanked him with his own belt. Dominik taunted his mother and sister in the front row and threw a drink in his sister's face, and later got slapped by his mother for his trouble. Then the outside help arrived. Finn Bálor and Damian Priest came to ringside, and Priest shoved Rey off the top rope to stop a frog splash. Legado del Fantasma ran out to fight off The Judgment Day, and Dominik hit his own 619 and frog splash for a near fall.

The turning point came when Dominik took a steel chain from Priest's jacket. Before he could use it, Bad Bunny, who was a guest on the Spanish commentary team, snatched the chain out of his hands. Rey hit the 619 and the frog splash for the win at 14:55, and embraced his family in the ring afterwards.

For us, this was a deeply satisfying babyface win. The match was about the drama more than the wrestling, and the drama was excellent. Dominik was the most hated man in the stadium, the interference was frantic but easy to follow, and the Bad Bunny moment gave the crowd a big pop.

Our rating: ★★★★

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley (SmackDown Women's Championship)

This was not just one of the best matches of the night, it stands among the greatest women's matches in WWE history. From the opening bell, both women skipped the usual slow rhythm in favour of a stiff, heavy-hitting fight.

Flair reversed an early Riptide into a DDT for a near fall. Ripley hit an inverted German suplex off the top rope, and Flair answered with Natural Selection. The scariest moment came when Ripley suplexed Flair and Flair landed right on her face. Flair hit a moonsault to the floor, then nearly took out the referee when Ripley dodged her Spear. Ripley headbutted Flair and hit the Riptide for a near fall, and Flair came back with a Spear of her own for another.

The final minutes were breathtaking. Flair locked in the figure four, and Ripley dragged herself to the ropes. Flair climbed to the top rope for a fallaway slam, but Ripley slammed Flair's head into the top of the ring post and hit an avalanche Riptide off the top for the win and the title at 23:35. It made Ripley the first woman to beat Flair in a singles match at WrestleMania.

Flair wrestled with a chip on her shoulder, and Ripley matched her blow for blow while selling the damage. For us, this was a star-making coronation. It took a long journey for Ripley to get here, and this match made her look like the top woman in the company.

Our rating: ★★★★¾

Pat McAfee vs. The Miz

This one was not on the card. After the women's title match, hosts Snoop Dogg and The Miz announced the Night 1 crowd of 80,497. Snoop then said the only thing better than an attendance record would be seeing Miz in a match, and made it official, bringing out Pat McAfee as Miz's opponent.

McAfee dominated the early going. Miz tried to walk away from the fight and, at ringside, shoved George Kittle, who had been booing him. Kittle jumped the barricade and hit Miz with a clothesline while the referee was not looking. McAfee then hit a backflip off the top rope to his feet, a Swanton Bomb, and finally his Punt for the win at 3:40. McAfee and Kittle celebrated together afterwards.

We have added a rating here, because this match was not in our original review. For us, it is a fun, short surprise that played well to a stadium crowd. McAfee's athleticism is real, and he always looks more comfortable in the ring than a part-time performer should. Kittle's involvement got a big reaction, and it all happened fast enough that it never outstayed its welcome. The downside is placement. Putting a comedy match between Ripley vs. Flair and the main event meant the crowd had to switch moods twice in a short time. It also started a theme of Miz being used as a punchline all weekend. Judged as what it was, a quick piece of entertainment, it worked.

Our rating: ★★½

The Usos (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship)

For the first time in WrestleMania history, a tag team title match closed the show, and this match fully earned that spot. The story was built on months of Bloodline manipulation, testing the bond between longtime friends Owens and Zayn against the brotherhood of Jimmy and Jey Uso. Before the match, Lil Uzi Vert performed part of “Just Wanna Rock”.

Owens dominated early and hit a frog splash on Jey for a near fall, and Jimmy answered with an Uso Splash. Zayn hit a brainbuster on Jey on the apron, followed by an Owens Swanton for another near fall. The Usos hit Zayn with multiple superkicks, but Owens broke up the pin. When Owens tried to powerbomb Jimmy through an announce table, Jey stopped him, and the Usos double chokeslammed Owens through it instead. Back in the ring, the Usos hit the 1-D on Zayn, and he became the first wrestler ever to kick out of it.

The closing stretch was emotionally exhausting in the best way. Jey hit Zayn with his own Helluva Kick, Owens hit pop-up powerbombs on both brothers, and the near falls kept coming. Owens hit a Fisherman's Buster off the top rope, Zayn hit two Helluva Kicks on Jey, and Owens took Jimmy out with a Stunner. Then Zayn, alone with Jey, the brother who had trusted him most, hit one more Helluva Kick to win at 24:15 and end the Usos' 622-day reign. The crowd chanted “This is awesome” as it built.

For us, this is a perfect main event. It was a triumphant, tear-filled payoff to the best story WWE had told in years, and the match was good enough to stand on its own even without it.

Our rating: ★★★★★

Night 2: match by match

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (with MVP)

Night 2 opened with a classic attraction match. MVP had talked Lesnar into accepting Omos' challenge, and WWE kept the idea simple: two big men colliding to test raw power.

Omos dominated the early minutes. He blocked a takedown, threw Lesnar across the ring, trapped him in a bear hug and hit a chokeslam for a two count. When Lesnar first went for the F-5, Omos escaped. Lesnar then found his opening, hit three German suplexes on the giant, and finally got Omos up on his shoulders for the F-5 and the pin at 4:55.

Lesnar sold Omos' size convincingly, which made his comeback hit with extra impact. The sight of Lesnar lifting a man that big for the F-5 is exactly what people pay to see in this kind of match. For us, it was a perfect opening spectacle: short, loud and easy to understand. It is not a match anyone will rewatch for the wrestling, and Omos never threatened to win once Lesnar got going, but it got Night 2 started with energy and did not waste a minute. Given how slow the Night 1 opener was, starting with something this direct was the right call. Five minutes was the right length; any longer and the limits of the matchup would have shown.

Our rating: ★★★

Women's WrestleMania Showcase: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

Unlike the men's showcase on Night 1, this four-team match struggled to find a flow. Morgan and Green started, then the match broke down into a free-for-all on the floor. There were good individual moments: Natalya and Shotzi hit dives to the outside, Rodriguez threw people around and powerbombed Morgan onto the pile, and Natalya locked a double Sharpshooter on Green and Deville. Morgan hit her finisher on Shotzi, but Baszler made a blind tag to steal it away.

That set up the finish. Ronda Rousey, who had barely been in the match, came in while the others were down at ringside, walked over to Shotzi and applied the armbar for the submission win at 8:25.

There was a reason Rousey was kept out of the action. Reports after the show said she was wrestling with a broken forearm and chose to work the match anyway because it was WrestleMania. WWE protected her by keeping her role to the finish.

For us, the action felt disjointed. Eight women in eight minutes is a hard brief, and the transitions were messy. It gave Rousey and Baszler a win and got several people on the show, but it did little to engage the audience, and the crowd was quiet for much of it. Knowing about the injury, we understand the booking more, but we still think it was the wrong match to put second on the biggest show of the year.

Our rating: ★¾

Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (Intercontinental Championship)

This was an uncompromising physical war. These three men walked into SoFi Stadium and delivered a hard-hitting masterpiece that reminded everyone why the Intercontinental Championship matters.

The chops started early and never really stopped. Gunther put Sheamus in a Boston crab, and McIntyre and Gunther had a chop battle that drew huge cheers. Sheamus clubbed McIntyre with the 28 Beats of the Bodhrán, and Gunther powerbombed McIntyre for a near fall. The match hit peak intensity when Sheamus hit White Noise off the top rope on Gunther and followed with the Celtic Cross, only for the pin to fall short. When Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick on Gunther, McIntyre pulled him out of the ring, and the two old friends began to turn on each other.

In the closing stretch, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on McIntyre for a near fall, and McIntyre hit the Claymore on Sheamus for another. Sheamus hit one more Brogue Kick on McIntyre, but Gunther broke up the pin with a diving splash off the top. Gunther then powerbombed Sheamus onto McIntyre, powerbombed McIntyre too, and pinned him to retain at 16:40.

For us, this is the best match of the weekend. Three big men hitting each other as hard as they could, with no wasted motion, a clear story between Sheamus and McIntyre, and a champion who looked like he had survived a fight rather than just won a match. It made Gunther look like the best in-ring performer on the roster.

Our rating: ★★★★★

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka (Raw Women's Championship)

Following the triple threat is a tough assignment, but Belair and Asuka delivered a sharp, athletic championship bout. Belair entered with the Divas of Compton dance team, and Asuka brought the darker, more sinister persona she had revived at the Royal Rumble in January, bringing an aggressive, submission-heavy style to counter Belair's raw strength.

The match featured smooth counter-wrestling, particularly around Asuka's submissions. Asuka hit a handspring moonsault into a triangle choke, while Belair hit a sit-out powerbomb on the floor, a Blockbuster and a moonsault of her own. Asuka tried to spray her mist into Belair's face, but Belair avoided it. When Belair went for the Kiss of Death, Asuka countered into an armbar, but Belair simply lifted her up while still in the hold and hit the KOD to retain at 16:05.

For us, this was a clean, professional outing with a very good finish. The armbar-into-KOD counter showed off Belair's strength in a way that felt natural, not choreographed. The issue was the build. The feud never had much heat, and it was on a weekend with Ripley vs. Flair on the other night, so it was always going to look a step behind in drama. Asuka also came in with a new, darker character, and the match did not do much with it. Still, two of the best women on the roster had a strong match, and Belair's title reign got another solid win.

Our rating: ★★★¾

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

What was supposed to be a surprise appearance turned into a real-time crisis response. After the Night 2 attendance of 81,395 was announced, Snoop Dogg and The Miz argued, and Snoop brought out Shane McMahon to face Miz, who was still in his suit.

Less than a minute in, Miz ran the ropes and Shane went for a leapfrog. He landed awkwardly, tried to stand, collapsed and grabbed his left knee. Triple H later confirmed Shane had torn his quad.

Snoop stepped in with real composure. He came into the ring, punched Miz twice, tossed his sunglasses to the crowd and hit a People's Elbow to pin Miz at 2:20. That made Miz the first wrestler to lose on both nights of a two-night WrestleMania since the format began in 2020.

For us, Snoop's quick thinking saved a potentially awkward live disaster. The crew and the performers had seconds to change the plan in front of 81,000 people, and the crowd got a fun moment instead of an uncomfortable silence. We are rating this for pure entertainment and recovery, not for wrestling, because there was barely any. It is also a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong for part-time performers. Shane's return was meant to be a big surprise and lasted less than a minute. We feel for him, but Snoop turned a bad moment into one people still smile about.

Our rating: ★★½

Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Bálor (Hell in a Cell)

This match was built on dark, supernatural themes. Actor Russell Crowe introduced it with a promo for his film The Pope's Exorcist. Edge then rose up in a Brood-inspired entrance, wearing a silver skull mask and wings, with Slayer playing, before his usual Alter Bridge theme hit. Bálor answered by bringing back “The Demon” for the first time in nearly two years, now with a metal-spiked mohawk.

Edge attacked with chairs at the start, and Bálor answered with a kendo stick. Edge jammed kendo sticks into the cell to trap Bálor in a corner and dropkicked him, and Bálor threw Edge into the steel steps and dropkicked him through a table. Then came the moment everyone remembers. Edge hit the Killswitch and threw a ladder at Bálor, which hit him in the head and cut him open badly. The match was paused while a ringside doctor stapled the wound. Bálor later said he wrestled the rest of the match with three staples in, and needed 14 in total.

Bálor showed great toughness to carry on. He hit the Coup de Grâce for a near fall, and Edge hit an Edgecution off a ladder for another. Bálor then put Edge on a table and climbed the cell wall for an elevated Coup de Grâce, but Edge moved and Bálor crashed through it. Edge speared him, went to work with kendo sticks and chairs, and finished with a con-chair-to at 18:10.

For us, the weapons work was brutal, but the injury broke the match's rhythm, and the result never felt in doubt. It was good, not great.

Our rating: ★★★½

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)

This was the most anticipated main event in years. Cody Rhodes had almost the entire crowd behind his quest to “finish the story”, while Roman Reigns came in with the calm confidence of a champion more than 900 days into his reign, with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa at his side.

The wrestling was high-level, slow-burn storytelling. Reigns caught Rhodes in mid-air off a springboard and powerbombed him, and Rhodes backdropped Reigns through an announce table and hit the Cody Cutter. While the referee was distracted, Sikoa attacked Rhodes and later whipped him with a weight belt, and the referee threw Sikoa out. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes and turned a Superman Punch into a Pedigree for near falls, and Reigns hit a Spear and a guillotine choke that Rhodes escaped.

Then the chaos came. Rhodes accidentally knocked out the referee, and the Usos ran in and hit Rhodes with the 1-D. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn came out to make the save, to one of the loudest reactions of the weekend. Owens hit Reigns with a Stunner, Zayn hit a Helluva Kick, and the two teams brawled into the crowd. Rhodes covered Reigns as the referee recovered, but it was only two.

With the stadium ready to erupt, Rhodes countered a Superman Punch, hit the Bionic Elbow and two Cross Rhodes. As he set up a third, Heyman distracted the referee and Sikoa hit Rhodes with a Samoan Spike. Reigns followed with a final Spear and pinned Rhodes to retain at 34:35, leaving SoFi Stadium in shock.

For us, the match itself was excellent, and the finish was the right story choice in the long run, even if it felt crushing on the night.

Our rating: ★★★★¾

Beyond the matches

• Hosts: The Miz and Snoop Dogg hosted both nights. Each night they announced the attendance, and each night that led to an unplanned match for Miz.
• Cold open and songs: Kevin Hart did the cold open on both nights. Becky G sang “America the Beautiful” on Night 1 and Jimmie Allen on Night 2. The official theme songs were “Less than Zero” by The Weeknd and “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool & the Gang.
• Lil Uzi Vert performed part of “Just Wanna Rock” before the Night 1 main event.
• Celebrities in the matches: Bad Bunny joined the Spanish commentary team for the Mysterio match and took the chain away from Dominik. KSI played the Prime mascot for Logan Paul. George Kittle got involved in Pat McAfee's match from ringside. Snoop Dogg drove Rey to the ring and later wrestled himself.
• Russell Crowe cut a promo for The Pope's Exorcist to introduce Hell in a Cell on Night 2.
• A serious mistake: a pre-show video promoting Rey vs. Dominik included footage of the Auschwitz death camp. WWE apologised, calling it an editing error, after criticism from historians and the National Holocaust Museum.
• Business news: during Night 2, CNBC reported that WWE was close to a deal with Endeavor. The sale was confirmed the next day.

The verdict: does it hold up today?

WrestleMania 39 was a huge success. Night 1 remains one of the best shows WWE has ever put together, and Night 2 delivered physical wars even with its controversial ending. At the time, Cody Rhodes losing to Roman Reigns felt like a crushing mistake. Looking back, we think the decision has aged well: holding off Rhodes' win for another year built an even bigger wave of support, and made his win at WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia one of the great moments of the modern era. This was the weekend WWE showed that long-form storytelling was back, and that its creative future under Triple H was in safe hands.

• Best match: Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre (Night 2). Owens & Zayn vs. The Usos carried the bigger emotional stakes, but the triple threat was a perfect physical match.
• Worst match: the Women's Showcase four-way (Night 2), messy and flat in front of a quiet crowd.
• Biggest disappointment: Austin Theory vs. John Cena (Night 1), a slow opener that did not give Theory the star-making win he needed.
• Best performance: Rhea Ripley, who matched Charlotte Flair blow for blow and came out looking like the top woman in the company.
• Most important moment: Sami Zayn pinning Jey Uso on Night 1, the payoff to the most compelling WWE story in a decade.
• Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Full results and our ratings

What happened next

• WWE's sale to Endeavor was confirmed on April 3, 2023, making this the last WrestleMania owned by the McMahon family. The deal closed on September 12, 2023, when WWE and UFC became divisions of TKO Group Holdings.
• On the Raw after WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar attacked Cody Rhodes, starting a feud that ran through Backlash, Night of Champions and SummerSlam 2023.
• Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble and finally beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL to finish the story.
• Reception was strongly positive, with critics singling out the tag title, Intercontinental title and SmackDown Women's title matches. ESPN later named it the best pay-per-view event of 2023.

More retro reviews

Our Crown Jewel series, rated out of 5:

• Crown Jewel 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first Crown Jewel outside Saudi Arabia
• Crown Jewel 2024: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), the first Crown Jewel Championships
• Crown Jewel 2023: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), Rollins vs. McIntyre and Reigns vs. LA Knight
• Crown Jewel 2022: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Reigns vs. Logan Paul and a Last Woman Standing match
• Crown Jewel 2021: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Hell in a Cell and a loaded card
• Crown Jewel 2019: ★★ (2 out of 5), celebrities and the first women's match in Saudi Arabia
• Crown Jewel 2018: ★½ (1.5 out of 5), the first one, and the World Cup

Other classic shows we have revisited:

• WrestleMania XL: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5), two nights in Philadelphia, The Rock and the end of the Bloodline story
• SummerSlam 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first two-night SummerSlam and John Cena's last one
• Money in the Bank 2016: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ, a great ladder match and Reigns vs. Rollins
• WrestleMania 41: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Cena's farewell year and a Heyman story in Las Vegas
• WrestlePalooza 2025: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), the first WWE show on ESPN, with Lesnar vs. Cena

See them all on our Retro Reviews page, and read our Crown Jewel 2026 preview.