WrestleMania 40 highlights: The Rock returns with a win; plenty of Philly flavor on Day 1 — from Rocky to Eagles players

The main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania delivered on the spectacle.

The Rock's involvement in his first match since 2016, and his insanely elaborate entrance, certainly brought a big-match feel to the final bout of the opening night.

Ed Sheeran is still the heavyweight champion of Lincoln Financial Field.

The WWE sold-out the Linc on Saturday night’s first night of WrestleMania but could not knock-off Sheeran for the stadium’s attendance record. WWE said 72,543 fans were in attendance on Saturday while Sheeran played in front of 77,900 in South Philly in June of 2023.

Call him Sami Balboa.

Sami Zayn completed his Rocky-like underdog story with a victory over the vaunted WWE intercontinental champion, Gunther.

Jade Cargill had her coming out party at WrestleMania 40.

Cargill, who teamed with Bianca Belair and Naomi in a terrific six-woman tag team match, helped lead her team over Damage CTRL, which includes Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane.

One of the most anticipated matches of the evening was Jey Uso facing his twin brother, Jimmy Uso. Family, and former tag team champions, turned enemies.

The storyline centered on Jey leaving The Bloodline stable, which is led by undisputed universal Champion Roman Reigns and will be featured in the night's main event, while Jimmy stayed under the thumb of the Tribal Chief.

Jason Kelce is retired but that didn’t stop him from returning to his old stomping grounds on Saturday night.

The Eagles’ icon joined former teammate Lane Johnson at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field as they helped Rey Mysterio, who was wearing Eagles-themed gear. Kelce and Johnson jumped out of the crowd wearing midnight-green luchador masks and roughed up Mysterio’s son, Dominik, who was his dad’s opponent in the tag-team match.

Rey Mysterio and Andrade faced Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio in the third encounter of the evening, but the middling match will most be remembered by the appearance of two Philadelphia Eagles: retired center Jason Kelce, and left tackle Lane Johnson.

Despite an ongoing feud between Rey, who was adorned in Eagles-themed tights, and hIs real-life son, Dominik, the match lacked any significant heat. And it didn't help that one of its key competitors, Dragon Lee, was a late scratch, replaced by Andrade after Lee was taken out in a backstage attack on Friday Night's Smackdown and replaced with Andrade.

The WWE team championships are no longer undisputed.

The Judgment Day, a team including Finn Balor and Damian Priest, walked into the the "Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match" as the undisputed champions, carrying both the Raw and Smackdown tag-team titles. And they were riding high, having beaten nearly every other team in their second reign as champions.

In the opening match of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, Rhea Ripley retained her WWE women's world championship title with a victory over Becky Lynch.

Ripley, who was played to the ring by Scranton's own Motionless in White singing a live version of her entrance song "Demon in Your Dreams," pinned Lynch after executing her finishing move, the Riptide Slam.

Samir McCloud, with a replica of the now-defunct WWE European championship belt over his shoulder, watched his first-ever live wrestling match in a ring set up in the middle of a closed-off block of South Street.

“I was jaw-dropped,” said McCloud, 32. “The sound of the ring. The sound of the crowd. I’m used to what I see on WWE on TV. But this is a different story.”

Death, taxes, and wrestling. At the lots of the Linc, fans of all ages described WWE as a constant on weekends and schoolyards where they practiced putting classmates in a friendly chokehold.

People like Teddy Smith, 37, traveled hours — in his case three from Washington, D.C.

Just a few miles north of Lincoln Financial Field, where WrestleMania will take place this weekend, was a colorful celebration of LGBTQ wrestlers at the sold-out EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch.

The event first began in 2020 as a way of elevating LGBTQ wrestlers while providing a safe space for them, and has since expanded to multiple events each year across the country. The brunch sold out before the talent lineup was announced, an indication that people are starting to pay attention, according Taylor Gibson, better known by the ring name Effy.

Can you smell what the Linc is cooking? It's nostalgia and a bit of frenetic energy shared by fans of various generations.

Wrestlemania 40 hit South Philadelphia with the force of a Manhandle Slam with parking lots open for tailgating at 8:30 a.m., though Saturday's marquee event isn't slated to begin until 7 p.m..

WrestleMania 40 is coming to Philadelphia, and Jason Kelce might be making a grand return to Lincoln Financial Field for the festivities.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com first reported that WWE was in talks with Kelce to make an appearance at wrestling’s biggest event, and all signs point to the recently retired Eagles center showing up at some point during the weekend.

Wrestler AJ Styles isn’t from Philly, but he is a Georgia Bulldog fan, and that’s basically the same as being an Eagles fan nowadays.

With Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Kelee Ringo, and D’Andre Swift all on last year’s Eagles team, there’s a lot for Bulldog fans to cheer for at Lincoln Financial Field.

The WrestleMania feud between AJ Styles and LA Knight took yet another turn at WrestleMania media day on Friday.

Knight confronted Styles, who was in the next chair over, and the two started an all-out brawl, knocking over the media day setups.Styles left with a bloody nose, but not before registering an MMA-style takedown of Knight right there on the hotel floor.

Before he was a beloved action hero or a WWE favorite, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a college football player. And before that, he was some “punk kid” at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pa.

Johnson will return to the ring as a headliner for WrestleMania at the Linc this Saturday. It’s his first scheduled match in 11 years, and he’ll be just 75 miles from where he met Jody Cwik, the football coach Johnson credits for setting his life on the trajectory toward success.

If you’re visiting Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40 or you’re just a local wrestling fan, Suplex Vintage Wrestling is probably a place you want visit.

The store, located at 628 South Street, is filled to the brim with vintage wrestling merchandise including T-shirts, championship belts, action figures, and more. It even features a “Stone Cold Saloon.”

It took 25 years, but WrestleMania has finally returned to Philadelphia.

WrestleMania 40 kicks off Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is making his return to the ring for his first full wrestling match in 11 years.

Tailgates

Bars

» READ MORE: Inside casinos to corner dive bars: The best WrestleMania 40 watch parties in Philadelphia

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream WrestleMania XL at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia:

A special WrestleMania Countdown prematch show is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Philadelphia time, featuring CM Punk, McAfee, Big E, Cole, Barrett, and Jackie Redmond. In addition to Peacock, the show also will stream on WWE’s website and social media platforms, including YouTube and TikTok.

» READ MORE: WrestleMania 40 in Philly: Start time, wrestlers, how to watch and stream