WrestleMania XL one year later: How has the stock of Jey Uso, Austin Theory, Cody Rhodes changed since then?

Last year’s WrestleMania XL was one of the modern greats, with a slimmed-down match card delivering a number of classics, as well as the most explosive ending sequence in a generation.

For all the praise, a lot has changed since that chilly weekend in Philadelphia, with 11 PLEs and more than a dozen title changes. Looking back at the 40th annual WrestleMania, let’s take stock of who has soared since then, who has maintained position, and who has fallen backward.

Who’s up

Jey Uso

Last year’s ‘Mania wasn’t exactly a slam dunk for the former Bloodline man after his one-on-one match with his twin brother turned out to be the dampest of damp squibs. Who would have thought back then, just one year later, Jey Uso would be heading into WrestleMania 41 as a certified “arena-shaker” and the runaway favorite to win the World Heavyweight Championship?

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Whether you’re on board with the Yeeting or not, you have to agree that it’s been one hell of a year for the former “Right Hand Man.”

Dom Mysterio

Despite being a solid contender for the “most improved” wrestler at the time, WWE failed to come up with a decent plan for “Dirty Dom” in Philadelphia, instead fobbing him off with a glorified re-run of his crowd-pleasing whooping from his father, the great Rey Mysterio, from Mania 39.

Twelve months on and it’s all change as the WWE’s most irresistible two-timer heads into a thrilling four-way that may well see him leave with the Intercontinental Championship around his waist. You might not like what he does, but you can’t say he doesn’t deserve it.

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Bianca Belair

Rotating your upper card to keep things fresh is one thing, but WWE’s decision to shift Bianca Belair from the main title scene always felt like a disservice to her prodigious talents. A six-woman tag at last year’s ‘Mania may have been a good way to properly introduce Jade Cargill, but it still felt more like a “SmackDown” main event than a ‘Mania-worthy match.

How have things changed since then? Having been liberated from the tag team division, “The EST” quickly reasserted her authority over the entire women’s roster with a statement victory at Elimination Chamber. She now heads into ‘Mania in her strongest position in years and is the favorite to take back the big prize.

CM Punk

It’s true CM Punk didn’t actually wrestle at last year’s ‘Mania, but he certainly played a big role, teeing up the rivalry of the year with Drew McIntyre. Since then, “The Second City Saint” has gone from strength to strength, emerging as the star performer at the Rumble and Elimination Chamber. After a year of hard work and no controversies, Punk now gets his just desserts: the chance to accomplish his career-long goal of headlining WrestleMania.

Who’s down

Damage CTRL

Given they’re sidelined with injuries, it feels uncharitable to include Damage CTRL. But rewatching the packages from last year’s Mania (including Bayley vs. Iyo Sky), you quickly remember what a massive role this quartet played throughout 2023. The backstabbing angle to relaunch Bayley as a babyface was a masterstroke, but it’s a shame it ended up leading to the inadvertent sidelining of most of the others (Iyo excluded) in the months to follow.

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Of course, this being pro-wrestling, these things can change in a heartbeat, and you just know that the roof will come off the stadium or arena when Asuka finally makes her return.

Drew McIntyre

After his humiliation at the hands of CM Punk and Damian Priest last year, McIntyre went on to embark on his best work in years, culminating in that shocking Hell in a Cell match. Despite being showered with praise after Bad Blood in particular, McIntyre has lost momentum in the Netflix era, largely due to some uncharacteristically lackluster booking from the creative team.

At the beginning of the year, I was tipping him as a potential Universal Championship contender, while also keeping my fingers crossed for a second outing against Roman Reigns. Neither has happened. Instead, we have a repeat fixture against Damian Priest that, even with the street-fight stipulation, feels a bit like an afterthought.

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Austin Theory

It’s one of those opinions that has become a cliche: just what is the WWE doing with Austin Theory? Two years on from beating John Cena in the curtain-raiser at WrestleMania 39, the one-time rising star is nowhere to be seen this time around. Sure, there was some exasperation when Vince McMahon was giving him the fastest push in years, but even his critics at the time would have conceded that Theory has some serious talent.

At just 27 years old, Theory will have plenty more ‘Manias to make an impression. But that still doesn’t justify his absence this time around.

Who’s stayed the same

Cody Rhodes

It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL, as “The American Nightmare” finally won the prize that had eluded his late father. Not only was the match an absolute classic, but the post-match scenes — of Rhodes celebrating with friends and family in the ring — were enough to bring a tear to the most cynical of viewers.

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Now Rhodes heads to ‘Mania 41 facing a very different battle, with the very real threat of losing his title to the malevolent John Cena. Has Cody lost any of his momentum as the babyface champion? Let this superb video package be the answer to that question.

Randy Orton

This time last year, we were still riding high on Randy Orton making his comeback at WarGames, as “The Viper” faced Logan Paul and Kevin Owens in a Mania three-way. Orton still has the crowds behind him — just listen to them sing Voices in Europe — but I can’t help thinking we’re still waiting for that one big match that will really thrust him back to the main title scene.

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Let’s hope Nick Aldis can come up with a suitable opponent to give Orton his long-awaited statement victory.

Gunther

Having Gunther drop his IC title was one of the bigger gambles at last year’s WrestleMania. Still, if you thought that “The Ring General” wouldn’t be without gold for long, you were quickly proven right, as the Austrian powerhouse went on to win King of the Ring followed by the World Heavyweight Championship.

In terms of this year’s ‘Mania, Gunther is clearly being positioned as the man to beat as he faces babyface Jey Uso. It’s not a bad place to be, admittedly, but it’s very similar to last year — and I suspect there are even brighter destinations in his future.