WWE Rumors: John Cena, Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania; Cody Rhodes; Edge vs. Finn Balor

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Cena, Rousey Reportedly Have Planned WrestleMania Matches

WWE reportedly has John Cena and Ronda Rousey ticketed for major matches at WrestleMania 39 on April 1 and 2.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Aaron Varble of ThirstyForNews.com), Cena against Austin Theory is "locked in" for the Showcase of the Immortals.

Meltzer (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) also reported that Rousey is planned to team with Shayna Baszler in a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match against Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai.

Cena is one of the biggest stars in WWE history, but as his Hollywood acting career has skyrocketed, his WWE appearances have lessened significantly in recent years.

His last WrestleMania match was a loss to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36, and his last match in general was a tag team bout at the end of December on SmackDown when he and Kevin Owens beat Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

WWE has dropped several hints and teases for Cena vs. Theory, including a backstage confrontation between them last year on an episode of Raw commemorating Cena's 20-year anniversary with WWE, making Cena vs. Theory an ideal fit for WrestleMania.

Rousey main-evented WrestleMania 35 and faced Charlotte Flair in a SmackDown Women's Championship match at last year's WrestleMania, so it can be argued that a tag team match would be a step down for her.

Her SmackDown women's title reign was not well received by fans, though, leading to Charlotte beating her for the title on the final SmackDown of 2022.

Rousey and Baszler are longtime friends who were members of the Four Horsewomen in MMA, and their credibility as fighters could go a long way toward making the women's tag team division feel important.

WWE hasn't placed much emphasis on the women's tag team division over the past few years, but Rousey would undoubtedly shine a spotlight on it.

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Rumors on Rhodes WrestleMania Main Event vs. Reigns

Cody Rhodes is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39, but he reportedly wasn't the first choice to be Reigns' opponent.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), WWE offered both The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin the opportunity to face Reigns at WrestleMania, but when both legends turned it down, WWE pivoted to Cody.

Meltzer noted that while Rhodes winning the world title at some point has always been inevitable because of the first promo he cut after returning to WWE, it wasn't necessarily planned to happen at WrestleMania 39.

Now, after Rhodes returned from a torn pectoral muscle and outlasted 29 other Superstars to win the men's Royal Rumble match last Saturday, he seems likely to win the title at WrestleMania 39.

Meltzer (h/t Upton) provided an intriguing tidbit about the build toward Rhodes vs. Reigns: Rhodes is not advertised for any SmackDown appearances between now and WrestleMania.

Since Rhodes is a Raw Superstar and Reigns is a SmackDown Superstar, they may be kept away from each other for much of the WrestleMania build to create anticipation.

Meltzer noted that Rhodes is likely to be added to some SmackDowns closer to WrestleMania, however, which would put the finishing touches on the build.

Rhodes already made it clear on Monday's Raw that Reigns is in his crosshairs, and it is promising to be a spectacular clash between arguably WWE's two biggest stars.

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Reported Reason for Canceled Edge vs. Balor Royal Rumble Match

WWE reportedly called off a planned match at Royal Rumble because of a lack of availability for one of the Superstars involved.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), WWE was originally going to have the Brood version of Edge face the Demon version of Finn Balor in a Hell in a Cell match at Royal Rumble.

The match never happened because Edge was filming for the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians in the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble premium live event.

Since Edge was not available for the build, WWE instead opted for Edge to be a surprise entrant in the men's Royal Rumble, when he eliminated two Judgment Day members in Balor and Damian Priest.

Prior to the Rumble, Edge had not wrestled since Extreme Rules in October, when he lost an I Quit match to Balor because of Rhea Ripley's threat to take out Edge's wife, Beth Phoenix, with a conchairto.

Edge submitted, but Ripley attacked Phoenix anyway, and The Judgment Day put Edge on the shelf as well.

The Rated-R Superstar and Phoenix targeted The Judgment Day at Royal Rumble and again two nights later on Raw, which suggests their rivalry is far from over.

Because of that, Edge vs. Balor inside Hell in a Cell could still be on the table for WrestleMania 39 in April.

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