WWE WrestleMania 2022: Latest Rumors on Possible Card for Showcase Event

Although 10 matches have already been made official for WrestleMania 38, there is room for plenty more since it is a two-night affair at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Some of the matches that will potentially be added to the card have been teased heavily by WWE already, while others are a bit less obvious.

WWE already has its main matches in place, such as Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey and Edge vs. AJ Styles, but rounding out the card with several more intriguing bouts would go a long way toward making it an even more enjoyable experience for the fans.

With WrestleMania on April 2 and 3 fast approaching, here is a rundown of the latest rumors regarding matches that could be added to the Showcase of the Immortals.

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Cody to Possibly Be Rollins' Surprise WrestleMania Opponent

Fans have eagerly anticipated Cody Rhodes' WWE return since he left All Elite Wrestling last month, but it hasn't happened yet, and conflicting reports have created some doubt regarding whether it will happen at all.

There was some belief that Cody would show up on Monday's Raw, as Seth Rollins was in search of a spot on the WrestleMania card and faced Kevin Owens in the main event of the show for the right to interview "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania.

Rollins lost to Owens, but rather than Rhodes showing up to confront him, the show simply went off the air.

Time is running out for WWE to announce an opponent for Rollins, and while any number of Superstars could take on that role, Cody brings the most intrigue.

This week, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News) made a definitive statement on Cody in terms of WWE by saying he is "coming" to the company.

Meltzer followed up by suggesting it is a strong possibility Rhodes will show up for the first time at WrestleMania 38 as an unannounced opponent for Rollins, which would undoubtedly maximize the pop he receives from the crowd.

In discussing the situation, Meltzer likened it to the Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33 when they were surprise entrants in the Raw Tag Team Championship ladder match and won the titles in their first match back after years away.

Booking Cody's return in a similar fashion would ensure the biggest impact, especially since a high-profile wrestler making the leap from AEW to WWE has yet to happen.

WWE has been teasing Rhodes by having the announcers use language that relates to his past and current nicknames, so all signs point to Cody in WWE being a matter of when rather than if.

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Original WrestleMania Plans for New Day

WWE reportedly had plans for New Day to compete in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania, but those plans will almost certainly have to be altered following Big E's injury on SmackDown last week.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t PWMania.com), plans called for Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to join forces on the Grandest Stage of Them All against Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Pete Dunne, the latter of whom was called up to the main roster last week and rechristened Butch.

Big E and Kofi faced Sheamus and Holland in a tag team match on SmackDown, but things went terribly wrong when Big E landed on his head and neck outside the ring off an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Holland.

Medical personnel had to stretcher Big E to the back, and he later revealed from the hospital that he had suffered a broken neck:

In a subsequent update, Big E noted that he broke his C1 and C6 vertebrae, but he also gave some positive news, as he said he suffered no spinal cord damage and won't require surgery:

Still, it is likely an impossibility that he will compete at WrestleMania next month, meaning WWE has to go back to the drawing board.

Woods had been out for about two months with a foot injury, but he returned to action over the weekend at a house show, meaning he should be good to go at WrestleMania.

With Big E likely out of the equation, it is safe to assume WWE will pivot to a tag team match with Kingston and Woods facing two members of the opposing stable comprised of Sheamus, Holland and Butch.

Another option would be to keep the six-man tag intact and bring in a different partner for Kofi and Woods, although it is unclear who that would be at this juncture.

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Latest on Andre the Giant Memorial and Women's Battle Royals

WWE reportedly has plans in place to hold both the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal this year.

Both battle royals were held at WrestleManias 34 and 35, but with the COVID-19 pandemic throwing things off two years ago, neither occurred at WrestleMania 36. The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was absent again last year, while the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place on the SmackDown before WrestleMania 37.

According to Meltzer (h/t Connel Rumsey of WrestleTalk.com), the women's battle royal is expected to return this year on one of the two nights of WrestleMania 38, but the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal's status is less certain.

While the match is reportedly going to happen, plans call for it to be held on the March 28 episode of Raw or the April 1 episode of SmackDown, although Meltzer noted that things could change and it could still be added to WrestleMania.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was first contested at WrestleMania 30, and it has led to some memorable moments on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Among them are Cesaro picking up and eliminating Big Show at WrestleMania 30, Baron Corbin winning in his main roster debut at WrestleMania 32 and NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski helping Mojo Rawley win at WrestleMania 33.

As for the female Superstars, Naomi and Carmella both got a chance to shine at WrestleMania by winning the battle royals at WrestleMania 34 and 35, respectively.

WWE's main roster is nowhere near as big now as it has been in recent years, but there are still plenty of Superstars with no obvious place on the WrestleMania 38 card, meaning the inclusion of the battle royals would go a long way toward getting everyone involved.