Best and Worst-Case Outcomes for Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania 39

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39 is shaping up to be one of the biggest blockbusters WWE has held at The Show of Shows in several years.

For the third consecutive year, The Tribal Chief will walk in as the defending champion. However, his historic reign has never been in more jeopardy than it is right now.

Rhodes has been riding a wave of momentum since returning from injury at the Royal Rumble in January and triumphantly winning the 30-man Battle Royal. He, more than every other opponent Reigns has faced up to this point, makes the most sense to take the title and cement his spot atop the WWE mountain.

The most exciting aspect of this marquee match is that it's far from predictable. Although Rhodes becoming champ is arguably the right call, it isn't a slam dunk that's the direction WWE will go in.

Ahead of their highly-anticipated encounter, let's look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania.

Best Case: Rhodes Beats Reigns Clean

Looking at the current landscape of WWE, Rhodes is the only feasible option to dethrone Reigns, and the time for that to happen is now.

The Roman Reigns run has officially exceeded the two-and-a-half-year mark. He's taken on all comers and has defeated a vast array of opponents, but dragging it any further accomplishes nothing aside from allowing him to hit 1,000 days as champion.

For how long The Head of the Table has gone undefeated, whoever hands him his first loss since 2019 should be who WWE builds around for the foreseeable future. If the crowd's recent reactions have been any indication, Rhodes is the perfect person for that role.

In order to send the message that he is indeed on Reigns' level, Rhodes must win clean. Eliminate the interference factor and keep the focus fully on these two. If and when Rhodes pins Reigns, the moment shouldn't be about anything else but that.

A decisive victory for Rhodes would also ensure that there is no question of who the superior Superstar is and if it was a fluke. Reigns has been so unstoppable that multiple finishers would likely be needed for The American Nightmare to put him away, but at least that would be believable.

Some of the best endings in WrestleMania history are simple, straightforward and satisfying. This should be no exception.

Acceptable: Jey Uso Thwarts Bloodline Interference, Helps Rhodes Win

WWE may want Rhodes to win at WrestleMania but with a twist: by having Jey Uso, who the entire Bloodline saga started with in 2020, factor into the finish in some form.

It would slightly hinder Rhodes' WrestleMania moment because Reigns' first singles loss in over three years shouldn't be tainted, but it's not as if Jey getting involved is terribly far-fetched or egregious.

After all, the storyline in recent weeks has seen Jey tease tension with Reigns as well as the rest of The Bloodline. It's unknown where his allegiance lies, and it's very possible we won't know for sure until the event.

The ultimate payoff should be Jey standing up to Reigns. One way for him to do that would be to thwart interference from the rest of The Bloodline at 'Mania and take away every advantage Reigns may have.

Jey getting physical with Reigns after failing to do so at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber would be a WrestleMania moment in itself.

The only drawback to doing that on The Grandest Stage of Them All would be that it could come at the expense of Rhodes' own 'Mania moment, and that one should take precedence given the stakes.

Substandard: Bloodline Interferes, Jey Remains Heel, Reigns Retains

The aforementioned scenario can play out exactly as detailed, except with Jey swerving the audience by remaining true to his Bloodline roots and aiding Reigns to victory instead.

To say this would be a disappointing conclusion to WrestleMania would be an understatement. Fans are ready to cheer Jey as a babyface, but WWE may not be ready to break up The Bloodline or break him off on his own just yet.

All of the teases of him defying The Tribal Chief would make this outcome all the more surprising. If WWE wants shock factor, this would certainly accomplish that.

This would also protect Rhodes in defeat if WWE is adamant about prolonging Reigns' title run (which isn't necessary). Rhodes would then have to work his way through The Bloodline in order to earn a rematch, potentially at SummerSlam.

The biggest problem with this idea is that The Bloodline would be back to being on the same page, and therefore, nothing about their dynamic would change. The recent dissension within their ranks has kept them interesting and should get them closer to a split, not a reunion.

Worst Case: Reigns Retains with Clean Win over Rhodes

WrestleMania was once a pay-per-view all about happy endings. There were some instances where a heel won, and that was how WWE went off the air, but otherwise, there was almost always an attempt to have the heel left laying by a babyface to send the crowd home happy.

That hasn't happened the last two years at WrestleMania thanks to Reigns retaining his title, and that may once again be the case at this year's installment.

Rhodes being built up so aggressively could be a sign that WWE will book him to lose and have him remain in chase mode a little while longer. Even worse than him losing due to interference would be Reigns anticlimactically beating the second-generation star clean.

It's imperative WWE strike while the iron is hot with Rhodes, not have him join the long list of opponents defeated and discarded by Reigns. That would be incredibly damaging to Rhodes' popularity and credibility, as well as leave the champ with no legitimate threats to his title.

As a flat finish devoid of any creativity, Reigns emerging victorious over Rhodes with no outside help would certainly be the worst outcome imaginable. What's worrisome is that it's realistic, and that aura of unpredictability will be what makes this match such a special event.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.