WWE WrestleMania 40 drew the attention of many top UFC fighters and personalities this weekend after a star-studded opening night.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made a triumphant return to the ring by defeating Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match. Johnson was partnered with Roman Reigns.
The FINAL BOSS of #WrestleMania.@TheRock has come back to Philadelphia to team with @WWERomanReigns against @CodyRhodes & @WWERollins in the biggest tag team match in @WrestleMania history! pic.twitter.com/z1sMsm9asR
— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2024
The Philadelphia crowd went nuts as Johnson walked out for his first appearance in the ring since 2016. He’s expected to return for Night 2 for Sunday night’s championship match between Rhodes and Reigns.
Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley also had an entertaining matchup on the card. Ripley ended up winning the matchup after weeks of bad blood between the two sides.
The UFC and WWE are now under the TKO Group Holdings banner, and many top MMA stars kept a keen eye on the action at WrestleMania 40.
Daniel Cormier, Bo Nickal weigh in on WWE WrestleMania 40
Here’s what current and former UFC fighters, including UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, had to say about Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.
Damn what a match, I don’t know if Sami was the guy to end Gunther reign! #WrestleMANia
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 7, 2024
I acknowledge you tribal chief! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/3qqA8p3bJ1
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 7, 2024
The rock looked good in there tonight #WrestleMania
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 7, 2024
Done ✔️ 😂👊 @therock nice one 👊 pic.twitter.com/apCeiOzO1L
— Themba T L Gorimbo (@TheAnswerMMA) April 7, 2024
Watching @WWE Wrestlemania tonight. Definitely getting in there at some point in my career.
— Bo Nickal (@NoBickal) April 7, 2024
I’m loving this #WrestleManiaXL
— Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) April 7, 2024
The UFC and WWE are expected to crossover in the coming years of their partnership. UFC stars such as Bo Nickal have expressed profound interest in appearing at future WWE events.
Ronda Rousey made the move from the UFC to WWE after a long, successful career inside the Octagon. She entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 amidst rumors of an MMA comeback.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar showed that WWE stars could make the move to MMA successfully. But as of this writing, there aren’t any plans to crossover for anyone on WWE’s roster.
Cormier served as a WWE referee in 2022 and could potentially return to a similar role later this year. The former NCAA wrestling standout is an avid WWE fan.
Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia is expected to bring more drama and chaos, and some of the UFC’s biggest names are paying close attention to the action this weekend.
