Cody Rhodes-Roman Reigns Feud Intensifies, Seth Rollins Must Win, More Raw Takes

The March 20 edition of WWE Raw began to lay the final foundations for WrestleMania 39, including putting Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes in the same ring and giving talent on the rise important wins.

In the biggest moment of their rivalry to date, Roman Reigns tried to tear Cody Rhodes down verbally, but The American Nightmare remained eerily confident.

Dominik Mysterio laid out a challenge to Rey Mysterio once again after picking up a victory over Johnny Gargano, while Rhea Ripley defeated Bayley in a strong impromptu clash.

Seth Rollins stepped up to Logan Paul, only to again get knocked out. Chad Gable could not get on the same page with Otis and lost a good match to Ricochet.

It was an energized night for those heading to WrestleMania, and it set up an interesting new normal for WWE that could emerge after the marquee event on April 1-2.

Rhodes and Reigns Promo Sells More Than Just a 'Mania Match

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes has been the WrestleMania 39 main event since the latter won the men's Royal Rumble match in January. But that contest had been overshadowed until this week's edition of Raw.

After months of waiting, the two men truly went head-to-head on the microphone. It was a sparring match that firmly sold this battle as one of the company's biggest in a long time.

Reigns threw out some predictable but biting lines about Rhodes' history following his exit from WWE and setting up All Elite Wrestling. The American Nightmare did not even hesitate in his retort, setting a final prophecy for his opponent's future.

While there have been other challengers who could have defeated Reigns previously, they walked in as underdogs and rose to the occasion thanks to a hot crowd.

Now, though, Rhodes has sold himself as the favorite to dethrone the undisputed WWE universal champion. This is the first time in over two years that anyone has overshadowed The Tribal Chief's aura.

It is time to begin the next stage of The Bloodline's story, testing the family by taking away their gold. Rhodes is ready to play his part, and Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have been preparing for months to defeat The Usos.

The Judgment Day Will Be Dominant Champions in 2023

The Judgment Day have never been in a better position. Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley have clear paths to WrestleMania and matches they should win.

Ripley will likely capture the first gold for the group by defeating Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Dominik may not have convinced his father to fight him at WrestleMania yet, but he is persistent. When he does fight Rey, the 25-year-old will pick up the most important victory of his young career.

Bálor will finish his story with Edge inside Hell in a Cell. The Prince needs the win more than The Rated-R Superstar.

All three will walk out winners, and Damian Priest will play a role in one or more of the contests. This should lead to more gold, even beyond Ripley's victory, and this is the time for The Judgment Day to take over a brand.

Dominik and Priest can capture tag team gold together, while group leader Bálor can at least take the United States Championship, perhaps even a world title.

What matters is that the group gain gold and remain dominant. As The Bloodline lose control of WWE, The Judgment Day are ready to take the reins.

Chad Gable Primed For the Run of His Career

Chad Gable has been the most reliable performer on Raw. His clash with Ricochet on Monday night was just the latest in a line of top matches for him on the red brand.

WWE is setting the stage for the 37-year-old to have a run, but he cannot be tied down to his alliance with Otis. Luckily, the creative team has already found a fresh angle for him with Maximum Male Models.

The Olympian now needs to embrace his growing following among the fans. He would be a perfect candidate to win the men's King of the Ring tournament in Saudi Arabia on May 27 once he has reestablished himself as a solo act.

Gable will first team with Otis for perhaps the last time at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in a WrestleMania Showcase match. That should be another good bout, but it will be only a tease of what he can do in 2023.

Seth Rollins Must Defeat Logan Paul at WrestleMania

Logan Paul has had Seth Rollins' number at every turn, and The Visionary got knocked out once again on Monday's Raw, which would seem to indicate he will lose at WrestleMania.

However, there is no way the former WWE and universal champion can afford another loss. He has taken so many defeats lately, especially at pay-per-views, and he hasn't won at The Show of Shows since 2019.

WWE has a guaranteed top star, one who can challenge for the world title, in Rollins. If he loses big once more, his credibility is mostly gone. No one will be able to believe he can actually take the gold.

Paul is one of WWE's best developing names, and he seems more confident than ever playing the heel in recent months. But he is not at Rollins' level yet.

The company may be tempted to have the social media star steal a win for heat, but that would put Rollins back too much to make a splash in 2023.