The Road to WrestleMania 40 is heating up and the latest episode of WWE SmackDown saw more superstars including Jade Cargill find their way into the match card. The Showcase of The Immortals is just around the corner and the wait is nearly over.
Jade Cargill will compete in only her second match since joining the Stamford-based company in September 2023. Big Money Jade came out to save Bianca Belair and Naomi at the end of tonight's SmackDown.
Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane attacked Belair and Naomi but Cargill took matters into her own hands. She easily dispatched Kai and the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.
Jade Cargill, Belair, and Naomi stood in tandem in front of the WrestleMania XL sign to close tonight's show. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis confirmed in a video released on WWE's X/Twitter account that a six-woman tag team match will take place at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was tag team galore on the blue brand tonight as the Six-Pack Ladder Match bracket was also completed. A-Town Down Under, consisting of Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, and the New Catch Republic, consisting of Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, will be competing at WrestleMania XL after winning their qualifying matches.
Theory and Waller beat the Street Profits while Dunne and Bate triumphed over Legado Del Fantasma's Angel and Berto. Both teams will join a stacked pool of tag teams looking to dethrone The Judgment Day's Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
Another tag team match was made official for WrestleMania 40. Rey Mysterio will team up with Dragon Lee against longtime rival Santos Escobar and his son 'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio.
The Master of the 619 surprisingly revealed Lee as a new member of the Latino World Order. Lee will make his first WrestleMania appearance and team up with the WWE Hall of Famer.
The updated card for WrestleMania 40 is as follows:
Night One:
- The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes
Night Two:
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes - Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre - Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Night (TBA):
- IYO SKY (c) vs. Bayley - Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship
- Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch - Singles match for the Women's World Championship
- Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn - Singles match for the Intercontinental Championship
- The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. the Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) - Six-Pack Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
- LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
- Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
- Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens - Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Championship
- LWO (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and 'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio
- Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane)
WWE Hall of Famer tipped Jade Cargill to become a star as she prepares for her WrestleMania debut
Jade Cargill has been treated as a special attraction thus far in WWE. Chief Content Officer Triple H urged caution with the 31-year-old when fans questioned why she was not regularly featured.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray gave a glowing verdict of WrestleMania-bound Cargill in October 2023. She had not even made her in-ring debut but he told Mick Foley on the Foley Is Pod podcast:
"If WWE can't make her a major star, then they are failing in the worst way possible. So I think they will, and I think she will rise to the occasion. She's somebody whose upside is almost immeasurable... I see big things for her in WWE." [H/T TJR Wrestling]
Triple H's handling of Jade Cargill has paid off as she feels like a standout superstar. It will be interesting to see how she handles her WrestleMania debut although her performance in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble Match suggests she will be more than fine.