The 8 WWE Stars Who Could Realistically Headline WrestleMania 40 Match Card
As the final stretch of 2023 gets underway, now is the time for WWE to putting plans in place for what the WrestleMania 40 lineup will look like.
The top 'Mania matches in particular become increasingly more clear as The Show of Shows draws closer, though certain creative plans are bound to change before then.
With Roman Reigns still in possession of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, all signs point to him holding onto the gold until WrestleMania and headlining his fourth consecutive installment of the event (eighth overall).
Let the speculation begin as to who his dance partner on The Grandest Stage of Them All is going to be, as well as who will occupy the elusive main-event spot on the other night.
WrestleMania expanding to two nights has afforded more opportunities to stars who otherwise wouldn't have had the honor of headlining. The abundance of fresh faces across Raw and SmackDown at the moment should make the months preceding the pay-per-view all the more interesting.
Seven months out from WrestleMania, these eight Superstars are the most realistic candidates to close out the spring spectacle.
Roman Reigns
1 of 8
Another WrestleMania main event involving Roman Reigns is all but guaranteed for the upcoming installment in April 2024. It's more a matter of who his opponent will end up being.
If he can maintain his possession of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship until then, he will become the first Superstar to walk into WrestleMania with the same title four years in a row. Hulk Hogan was the only other person to do it with three.
Of course, it won't be difficult for him to hold onto it if his title defenses are far and few between. He last defended the prestigious prize against Jey Uso at SummerSlam, and before that, you'd have to go all the way back to WrestleMania 39 when he beat Cody Rhodes to retain the title.
There can be no debate how historic this run for Reigns truly is, however. Every single one of his matches have a big fight feel, specifically this past year with the handful of excellent matches he's had on pay-per-view.
Barring an injury or another unexpected circumstance, it's extreme unlikely Reigns drops the belt ahead of WrestleMania 40. For the moment to mean as much as it should, it must happen on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Cody Rhodes
2 of 8
There's a long list of hungry Superstars waiting in the wings to challenge Roman Reigns, but no one is a better fit to face him in the main event of WrestleMania 40 than Cody Rhodes.
The build to their original encounter at WrestleMania 39 was brilliant and the match itself delivered, but all of that will be forever overshowed by Solo Sikoa interfering and costing Rhodes the win in what was one of the worst WrestleMania finishes of all-time.
It's only right that Rhodes avenge that loss by finally becoming champ come April.
Running back a 'Mania main event one year later can be risky as anything can happen in the meantime. Injuries occur, fans lose interest, and wrestlers see their push go to someone who's building more momentum.
Miraculously, none of that has been an issue for Rhodes, who has managed to remain relevant and over with the audience. With Jey Uso jumping ship to Raw, The American Nightmare should be the one traded to SmackDown in return.
Plans can change as late as the month before 'Mania, but Reigns vs. Rhodes is the best bet for one of the nights as of now.
Seth Rollins
3 of 8
Seth Rollins has made it quite clear over the years that he is determined to one day headline WrestleMania, and with the remarkable run he finds himself on at the moment as World Heavyweight champion, it's possible he can make that happen at WrestleMania 40.
He will go down in the record books as having won the WrestleMania 31 main event and leaving as WWE champion, but being a last-minute addition as Mr. Money in the Bank, he doesn't consider that goal fulfilled.
The closest he came otherwise would have been at WrestleMania 35 when he challenged Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. His now-wife Becky Lynch, who was white-hot at the time, was given top billing instead.
Reigns will always take precedence simply due to how he's been positioned in the company, but there's nothing stopping WWE from putting Rollins in the main event of the other night of WrestleMania 40.
He's already set back the likes of Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Bron Breakker and Shinsuke Nakamura. He can continue running through opponents en route to WrestleMania and meet his biggest threat to date there.
Regardless of whether he wins or loses, 2024 is the year Rollins should get his long-overdue 'Mania spotlight.
Gunther
4 of 8
Seth Rollins' ultimate opponent for WrestleMania 40 is undoubtedly Gunther, and that's a match worthy of the WrestleMania grandeur.
Gunther's run of dominance as Intercontinental champion in the last 15 months has been unparalleled. He's fresh off breaking the all-time record for longest reign and doesn't appear to be on the verge of losing the title any time soon.
WWE's booking of The Ring General should be commended, as it would have been easy for him to fade into obscurity like most once-promising prospects from NXT. He's been kept strong and has yet to suffer a single pinfall or submission loss on the main roster.
Gunther is already outgrown the Intercontinental Championship, and now that he's surpassed The Honky Tonk Man's record, he's free to drop it any day now. That would clear him up to win the men's Royal Rumble and go on to punch his ticket to WrestleMania to take on Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Brock Lesnar against Gunther is another potential WrestleMania main event, but Gunther has plenty more to gain from being the one to end Rollins' run as champ at The Show of Shows.
Rhea Ripley
5 of 8
Rhea Ripley was robbed of the WrestleMania main event this year, but ultimately, WWE made the right call.
Reigns vs. Rhodes was set in stone for the WrestleMania 39 main event for Night 2, leaving the Night 1 main event up in the air. Charlotte Flair vs. Ripley was the logical choice on paper with Ripely having won the women's Royal Rumble, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos was simply the stronger story.
Ripley and Flair proved with their tremendous match that they could have closed out the event without issue. Following that performance, it should be a no-brainer that Ripley belongs in the main event of WrestleMania 40, provided she has a high-profile opponent.
That would require WWE to book her to have a hotter run as Women's World champion. She's gone unbeaten in one-on-one action this past year, but she also hasn't faced much credible competition beyond Flair.
At the very least, she's among the company's most popular performers and is an integral part of The Judgment Day's success, so it wouldn't be a stretch to see her headlining WrestleMania 40.
Becky Lynch
6 of 8
Of everyone on the Raw roster, Becky Lynch is perhaps the most appealing opponent for Rhea Ripley come WrestleMania 40, and it's clear WWE has been holding off on having them face off for a reason.
Their only singles match to date came on a November 2019 episode of NXT, and that was well before Ripley became the star she is today. It wasn't until WarGames at Survivor Series 2022 that they crossed paths again and planted the seeds for a future encounter.
Ripley has been the reigning Women's World champion for over five months, but Lynch hasn't challenged for it due to being busy with Trish Stratus. Now she's setting her sights on the NXT Women's Championship, delaying Lynch vs. Ripley even longer.
Similar to Ripley, Lynch could use a bit of a boost between now and WrestleMania. By then, they both will have built up enough momentum for this match to feel as big as it can be.
She's no stranger to headlining WrestleMania and can make history as the only woman to do it twice if their match is promoted properly.
Bianca Belair
7 of 8
Although she was written off WWE TV a few weeks back, don't sleep on Bianca Belair. She, too, has a WrestleMania main event on her growing list of accomplishments and could be back in that spot as soon as next spring.
Belair is quickly entering the conversation for Ms. WrestleMania thanks to the string of stellar matches she's had at the event over the years, in addition to winning every single one of them.
One night removed from WrestleMania 39, she confronted Rhea Ripley on Raw, seemingly hinting at them facing off one year later. Despite them ending up on separate shows in the 2023 WWE Draft, it isn't impossible for WWE to find a way to make that match happen.
It then becomes a question of what championship would be at stake, if any. Ripley can lose the Women's World Championship before WrestleMania and Belair could regain the WWE Women's Championship from Iyo Sky, so there's a number of different directions WWE can go in.
Belair and Ripley will be cornerstones of the company's women's division for years to come and thus there will be many opportunities for them to headline WrestleMania together, but it would be a significantly special main event for next year.
LA Knight
8 of 8
There is a very real chance of LA Knight going from being left off the WrestleMania 39 card due to WWE having nothing for him creatively to then competing in the main event of WrestleMania 40 because of his sudden surge in popularity.
His recent rise to singles stardom has been a revelation and a refreshing one at that. He was barely featured mere months ago but was forced onto WWE TV thanks to fans rallying behind him so strongly.
Now, the "Yeah!" Movement can't be denied.
He emerged victorious in the SummerSlam Battle Royal before beating The Miz and being endorsed by John Cena at Payback. As silly as it sounds, the next step may very well be winning the men's Royal Rumble and going on to challenge either Reigns or Rollins.
There's no need for WWE to rush his ascent, but if they wanted to capitalize on the buzz surrounding him at the moment by catapulting him to the top of the card in time for WrestleMania, it would be quite the story to tell.
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.
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