Breaking Down Roman Reigns, Rock, Cody Rhodes' Options After WrestleMania 40 Kickoff
We're officially on the road to WrestleMania 40. Now, we seemingly have the main event for the marquee show after Cody Rhodes challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on Thursday, but that still raises some interesting questions.
It's been a roller-coaster ride for fans since The American Nightmare eliminated CM Punk to win the men's Royal Rumble match for the second consecutive year. It was a familiar sight as he climbed to the top turnbuckle, paid homage to his time with Bullet Club and pointed to the sign
Afterward, Rhodes immediately set his sights on The Tribal Chief and a long-awaited rematch for the company's top prize. This wasn't much of a surprise because it has been his goal to finish the story and become WWE champion since he returned to the company n 2022.
However, he then announced the baffling decision to step aside and allow The Rock to enter the fray on the following episode of SmackDown. The backlash to this nonsensical turn of events sparked days of online discourse ahead of the WrestleMania 40 kickoff special on Thursday night.
Fans expected the press conference to answer their burning questions, set up marquee matchups and alleviate confusion surrounding the main event of The Show of Shows.
Yes, we received a resolution of sorts as Rhodes officially chose Reigns as his upcoming opponent, but the execution was convoluted and there are still some dangling plot threads.
We don't know what this means for The Rock and his conflict with The Head of the Table. Even more, Seth Rollins remains directionless since CM Punk sustained an injury that will force him to miss Elimination Chamber and The Showcase of the Immortals.
It's unclear how much the card will change again by April 6-7, but WWE has created some intriguing options for Rhodes, Rollins, The Rock and Reigns. It will be fun to see how their paths to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia develop over the next two months.
Here are four potential options following a tense and open-ended conclusion to this week's press event.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. The Rock and Roman Reigns
Who would've guessed that the kickoff show would possibly lay the groundwork for a star-studded tag match on The Grandest Stage of Them All?
After Rhodes emerged to reclaim his rematch with Reigns, The American Nightmare offended The Rock when he brought up Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi and Peter Maivia.
Making light of their familial dispute was enough to push The Great One over the edge and unite the two Superstars:
For some reason, Rollins intervened after The Brahma Bull slapped the 2024 men's Royal Rumble winner, forcing Triple H and the Raw and SmackDown general managers to separate the four men. Now, the two potential WrestleMania opponents have a common foe.
The Rock seemed poised to face Reigns a few days ago, but they left the press conference together. Their unexpected alliance will only strengthen their storyline and give their eventual match more weight.
In the meantime, pairing two of the biggest names in WWE history to face a pair of heated rivals could be a pleasant surprise.
A Winner-Take-All Match
There's a chance that this conflict could lead to a tag team match, but a Fatal Four-Way to unify the world titles isn't that far-fetched, either.
It's probably the worst option to come out of this situation. After all, WWE established the World Heavyweight Championship to fix the problem that the last winner-take-all match created in 2022.
Nevertheless, it would allow Rollins to compete in the main event, attempt to avenge his loss to Rhodes and finally secure a rematch against Reigns. WWE has yet to justify his inclusion in all of this, and this would make some semblance of sense at least.
A multi-man bout would also allow Superstars from three different eras to headline the 40-year celebration of the company's landmark event.
That's an excellent representation of the past, present and future.
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
Conversely, WWE could just add The Rock to its scheduled undisputed universal title match.
This is a much more plausible outcome than the Fatal Four-Way match because the story has been about these three men since The Great One made a surprise return in September. Both he and Rhodes already had an established story with The Tribal Chief, but now they have grievances with each other.
Many fans turned on The Rock after the Feb. 2 edition of SmackDown, and he adjusted accordingly. In response, he called some of the most vocal fans "Cody crybabies," but he also threw a few shots at the second-generation star himself.
During the kickoff special, The Rock displayed the Anoa'i family tree and said it was "proof that there is only one dominant and powerful royal family in professional wrestling." He also emphasized that he is still The People's Champion even though many viewers see Rhodes as the uncrowned face of WWE.
It was the type of shrewd move one could expect from a wrestler who famously turned heel and became a household name. Leaning into the fans' displeasure reinforces his position as another obstacle for Rhodes to overcome but also generates a fresh dynamic for Reigns.
For the first time since 2020, he is in the presence of a family member who is a bigger star than him. As a member of TKO Group's board of directors, his cousin also wields more power than him, which immediately came into play.
There is so much material here that a Triple Threat match would be a disservice to all the singular stories in play. Nonetheless, it's hardly out of the realm of possibility.
Cody Rhodes Faces The Winner of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns
It would be a shame to diminish The Rock's highly anticipated showdown with Reigns, but fans are invested in Rhodes' quest to finish the story.
There is a valid argument for both contests. One is a legitimate dream match and potentially the biggest in WrestleMania history, but WWE has spent two years building Rhodes as the most believable threat to The Head of Table and the hottest protagonist on the roster.
The best solution is to do both title matches. Reigns could face The Rock on Night 1, and The American Nightmare could challenge the winner on Night 2. This option would stack the odds against the champion, but it would also be a fitting comeuppance for him after he relied on help from The Bloodline and a favorable schedule for so long.
Adding both marquee matchups would make WrestleMania 40 feel like an even bigger deal and give both storylines room to breathe. Of course, WWE could also just save The Rock vs. Reigns for next year, but it has been pursuing this match for almost four years.
It's hard to imagine it will just abandon it now that it's so close to the finish line. For now, we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out over the next few weeks.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
