WWE WrestleMania 2023: Latest Rumors on Possible Card for Showcase Event

John Cena will challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 39, but might the 16-time world champion be available for more television appearances in the buildup than originally expected?

The answer to that, as well as a report on Brock Lesnar's originally scheduled opponent and the latest on plans for LA Knight at The Showcase of the Immortals, awaits in this collection of WrestleMania rumors.

Brock Lesnar's Original WrestleMania Opponent Revealed

Brock Lesnar appeared set to battle Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania, but a potential showdown with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin led to WWE officials bringing forward that match to Elimination Chamber, reported Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

The match with Austin fell through, and with Lashley seemingly preoccupied with Bray Wyatt, Lesnar will now battle Omos on The Grandest Stage of Them All on April 1-2. It is a much less prestigious match for The Beast Incarnate and one lacking the storytelling potential of the Austin contest.

In 2002, Stone Cold walked out on WWE prior to an episode of Raw on which he was slated to face Lesnar. Creative differences robbed fans of the marquee bout, and The Texas Rattlesnake's retirement less than a year later ensured it would never happen.

WWE had the opportunity to right that wrong this year, but a lowball offer to the 58-year-old or hesitation on his part resulted in the match not happening and left fans wondering what might have been. Again.

What will take place is a Lesnar-Omos match that lacks the marquee feel befitting a star the magnitude of the former WWE and universal champion.

It is also unlikely to be particularly good, due to Omos' relative inexperience inside the ring.

Could LA Knight Be Set For Biggest Match of His Career?

Austin may not be battling Lesnar at WrestleMania, but he may find himself embroiled in a confrontation with an unexpected opponent: LA Knight.

Pitches for the contest have made their way to the veteran, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (h/t H. Jenkins of Thirsty for News).

Knight has shown up and shown out in his opportunities on the main roster, and the argument can be made that he emerged from the Bray Wyatt feud better off than his star counterpart.

Much of that can be attributed to his charisma and mic skills, though his in-ring ability is nothing to scoff at. He has been a revelation on the main roster, even to those who knew what he was capable of from his time in Impact Wrestling and NXT.

The idea that the 40-year-old is one or two matches away from truly breaking out is not far-fetched. But the notion that he is ready to share the ring with the biggest star in WWE history, on the grandest stage in the industry, is.

Still, Knight would benefit from a match or segment with Austin in ways that Lesnar or Roman Reigns wouldn't. He can be legitimized in a single night in that sharing the ring with The Texas Rattlesnake proves management trusts him in that spot.

It would be an announcement to the world that the company hierarchy view Knight as a top-tier talent and someone around whom the future of WWE can be built.

John Cena to Appear on TV More Than Expected Leading into 'Mania

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t PW Mania) reported, "(John) Cena actually wrapped up his filming of the movie Ricky Stanicky on 3/4, so he will be available for television over the next several weeks."

Expectations were that Cena would miss out on most of The Road to WrestleMania due to filming commitments, so this is excellent news for WWE for two different reasons.

One, having a star the magnitude of The Cenation Leader on your show ahead of the biggest event of the year is never bad. He attracts attention and knows how to build a big match. He is also recognized by an audience outside of the wrestling world, which potentially brings more viewers to the product.

Two, it gives the company a second change to make a first impression with the Cena-Austin Theory match.

Theory was verbally pummeled by the 16-time world champion on the March 6 edition of Raw in a way that would make it tough to present him as anything but fodder for Cena.

The company can change that, though, and book the United States champion to look like a threat to defeat the future WWE Hall of Famer.

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