WWE WrestleMania 39: Best Booking Options for Rhodes vs. Reigns, Title Matches

An event the size of WrestleMania brings with it heightened attention on the booking decisions that are made by WWE throughout its two nights.

The right choices can help establish The Show of Shows as a success, with the best booking decisions elevating the legacy of the PPV.

The wrong one can doom a match, segment or the entire broadcast to notoriety.

Ahead of The Showcase of the Immortals on Saturday and Sunday, these are the best booking decisions for each of the major title clashes taking place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Intercontinental Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Gunther

There is nothing more unsatisfying than watching a dominant competitor like Gunther lose a title in a Triple Threat match without being factored into the finish, yet that is a scenario that could present itself at WrestleMania when he defends against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.

Much has been made of McIntyre believing he can knock off The Ring General, while Sheamus has been outspoken about the IC title being the one belt that has eluded him throughout his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Either one of those babyfaces winning would be a great moment for them individually, but would halt the momentum Gunther has built for himself since his main roster call-up a year ago.

Sure, the match could be laid out in a way that highlights and protects him at the finish, but would the aforementioned moment be worth diminishing the clear long-term investment in the Austrian-born heel?

The answer should be a resounding "no."

Gunther had a defining performance in the men's Royal Rumble match in January, has clearly emerged as a favorite of Triple H and the WWE power players, and he should get a clear and definitive victory in what may be the most physical of this year's matches.

Pinning Sheamus and protecting McIntyre for a future one-on-one contest feels like the right route to take.

Raw Women's Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

Asuka has rediscovered her killer instinct since returning in the women's Rumble match and embracing her dark side.

More dangerous, and with plenty of mind games to play, she has put Raw women's champion Bianca Belair on notice ahead of their clash at WrestleMania.

As is the case with many of the matches on this year's card, this feels like an opportunity for a reset in the women's division for the red brand.

Belair is unbeaten at the biggest event of the year, having defeated Sasha Banks in 2021 and Becky Lynch a year ago, but this does not feel like her year.

She has been phenomenal for the Raw brand and is undeniably a star. The strength of her performances at The Showcase of the Immortals should earn her the title of Miss WrestleMania.

Asuka, on the other hand, has yet to win at all on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

A questionable loss to Charlotte Flair kicked off a losing streak that should come to a halt this year, thanks to a rejuvenated character and renewed on-screen prominence.

There is an argument to be made for Belair retaining and setting up a rematch at Backlash, with greater escalation in their rivalry, but the risk for irreparable damage to Asuka is too great to risk it.

The Empress of Tomorrow wins convincingly and picks up her third Raw Women's Championship.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos

Any finish in the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match absolutely must involve Sami Zayn and Jey Uso.

Those two Superstars have been at the heart of one of the best wrestling stories of all time and have earned the right to see it through on the grand stage.

What started with disdain turned to admiration and friendship, only for a conflicted Jey to sever that relationship with Zayn and set in motion the events that will culminate in SoFi Stadium.

Along the way, Zayn alienated best friend Kevin Owens, only to reunite with him and set his sights on the dismantling of The Bloodline, beginning with the dethroning of Jimmy and Jey as the top dogs in the tag division.

If WrestleMania 39 is to be the demise of The Bloodline as the dominant force in WWE, it starts with The Usos dropping the titles. And if that is the case, it has to be Zayn earning the fall for his team on Jey.

Given the emotional reunion with Owens, a finish that sees them work together to finally take the titles off of the seemingly unbeatable twins is the right choice.

Otherwise, a stunner to Jimmy and a Helluva Kick to Jey would do just fine and give the fans who have invested emotionally in this lengthy story the definitive conclusion they deserve.

SmackDown Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley

In 2020, Charlotte Flair defeated NXT champion Rhea Ripley in the opening match of Night 2, leaving many scratching their heads at the decision.

It appeared management had booked another Flair win for the sake of one rather than looking at the long-term picture.

Unintentionally, it set the stage for what should be The Eradicator's redemption at WrestleMania 39.

Ripley has developed into one of the most dominant and over women on the entire roster. She has finally found herself as a character and has the momentum behind her that has been absent in years past.

She arrives to SoFi Stadium as one of the Superstars poised for a defining victory. As history tells us, though, nothing is obvious when it comes to WWE and its booking of Flair.

Any thought Triple H or anyone else with rein in the creative process has of Flair winning needs to be removed from the equation before everyone arrives in Los Angeles.

This is Ripley's match to win and a moment that should catapult her to the forefront of the next chapter in the women's revolution. She has earned the moment, and WWE will kick itself if it manages to deny her for a second time.

A clean, unquestioned win over Flair will be the moment she, and her supporters, have chased since she first arrived in NXT.

As for Flair, she is so over with audiences and established as a character that doing that favor for Ripley will only enhance her legacy in a way that another controversial win would not.

United States Championship: John Cena vs. Austin Theory

It is a real possibility that WWE kicks off WrestleMania weekend by having John Cena defeat Austin Theory for the United States Championship, making headlines and generating social media attention.

It is a great opportunity to drum up buzz as WrestleMania goes head-to-head with the Final Four action in the NCAA tournament, but it would be a detriment to Theory in the long term.

The entire build centered on a single promo from Cena in which he dragged Theory and told him he was not ready for the spotlight. It was an uncharacteristically blunt and negative promo from Cena and one that did not paint one of the workhorses of WWE in the best of light.

If Theory rolls into Los Angeles and loses, it essentially proves the future Hall of Famer was right. Theory is not ready, does not belong in that match with Cena and was exposed on the grand stage.

That doesn't help the 25-year-old or the WWE product, which has spent a ton of time presenting Theory as one of the faces of the company's future.

The champion needs to go over and do so in a way that proves Cena wrong. There will be some thought put into him cheating to retain, sure, but that should be avoided, too.

Triple H has an opportunity to make a statement with this match, an announcement to the world that Theory is a guy WWE is going to build around moving forward. Having him convincingly beat his idol is the way to do it.

Countering an Attitude Adjustment and landing A-Town Down for the clean win would be most effective and set up a storyline in which Cena could contemplate retirement as the 45-year-old questions whether he can still hang with the Superstars of today.

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

The main event of this year's WrestleMania has been one of the easiest to book in years.

Roman Reigns has stood atop the WWE mountain for over two years, putting together a 900-plus-day run as champion and beating every top star who has crossed his path.

Along the way, he has lied and orchestrated his way into maintaining his power and influence, often at the expense of his own family.

Cody Rhodes returned to WWE a year ago, defeating Seth Rollins in a trilogy of extraordinary contests before a torn pectoral muscle forced him to the sidelines for eight months. His triumphant return at the 2023 Royal Rumble put him on the road to a showdown with Reigns.

Everything The Tribal Chief has done to get in the head of his top contender has failed. He brought up his close relationship with Cody's father, Dusty, during his training days in Florida Championship Wrestling.

Reigns taunted Rhodes, claiming he "ran" from playing Stardust and "ran" from All Elite Wrestling.

The second-generation star has remained relatively even-keeled, not allowing the master manipulator to get to him. That will pay off in Los Angeles on Sunday night when he finishes his story, wins the title that eluded his dad and brother, and brings about the demise of The Bloodline as we know it.

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