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What Is The John Cena Classic?

WWE WrestleMania 39: Top Rumors and Early Predictions for Latest Match Card

Chris RolingMar 23, 2023

The height of the pro wrestling rumor mill has few equals in the sporting world, something again stressed by the buzz before WrestleMania 39.

This year's annual two-night event happens April 1-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and boasts a must-see match card that could only get better as more bouts get added.

Headlined by the potential end of the all-timer of a storyline surrounding Roman Reigns' unified title run and with plenty of rumors about returns and plans, WrestleMania 39 has the feel of an event that will match the historical hype.

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WrestleMania 39 Match Card and Predictions

  • Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
  • WWE United States Championship Match: John Cena vs. Austin Theory (c)
  • Finn Bálor vs. Edge
  • Trish Stratus, Lita, and Becky Lynch (c) vs. Damage CTRL
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
  • Women's WrestleMania Showcase: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. 3 teams TBD
  • Men's WrestleMania Showcase: Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar)
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos (c)
  • Raw Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka
  • SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (c)

Bold denotes predicted winner.

The most intriguing match on the card—as it should be—is the main event featuring Rhodes challenging Reigns, the unified champion.

A win for Rhodes might also mean Reigns gets to take an extended break to rest and/or pursue other interests. Or, sans titles, he gets to further deal with the family-based fallout of his actions during this run.

According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer (h/t Bryan Rose), WWE has plans in place for the main event and beyond, and an exchange between Reigns and Rhodes on the March 20 edition of Raw possibly set up the framework—Rhodes will win while Reigns is left picking up the pieces against the likes of The Usos and Solo Sikoa.

Surely that sounds like an organic way to continue the Bloodline storyline. But it won't stop a segment of fans from wondering if Reigns doesn't end up retaining and getting closer to that rarer-than-ever 1,000-day reign in the coming months. Reigns winning would also keep the door open for big things like a potential feud with The Rock (SummerSlam?) or give title shots to storyline-based Superstars like Sami Zayn, Sikoa and Jey Uso.

Given WWE understands the logistics of all of this, we're predicting what has started to feel like an upset at this point with Reigns retaining.

One name onlookers will notice remains absent from the match card is Ronda Rousey. Once thought to be contending for the women's tag titles with Shayna Baszler, Rousey has been out of action with an apparent injury.

According to Meltzer (h/t Randall Ortman of Casgeside Seats), the tag match idea is off the table, though Rousey remains expected to compete somewhere on the card.

Besides those two major notes, the rest of the predictions might not come as a surprise. In non-title matches, it's safe to presume the much younger Omos gets a proverbial shot in the arm with a win over Brock Lesnar. This new Triple H-led creative team figures to help rehab Finn Bálor's Demon persona with a win over Edge.

The same logic applies to title matches, with Intercontinental champion Gunther's path to the main event scene continuing with a win over Drew McIntyre and Sheamus in the triple-threat match. Ditto for United States champion Austin Theory as he gets a boost from a win over John Cena.

In what almost must be the Night 1 main event, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will obviously retain over The Usos before the current champions run off to deal with the Reigns fallout. Both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair figure to retain their respective women's championships, too.

As always in the pro wrestling space, predictable is hardly ever a bad thing if the execution and reasoning are sound. That could be WrestleMania 39 in a nutshell as key storylines come to a close or get extended into what could be an unforgettable 2023 for the sport.


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What Is The John Cena Classic?

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