5 Rivalries WWE Must Book Before 2025 Ends
Coming out of Clash in Paris, WWE is entering an extremely important period in the final stretch of 2025 where strong storylines will be what set the stage for the year to come, most notably WrestleMania season.
There have been plenty of programs this year that have either exceeded expectations or outright underwhelmed, creating a lack of creative consistence in WWE's week-to-week product.
Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria brought the best out of each other any time they shared the squared circle, regardless of whether it was for a promo or a match. While the SummerSlam payoff was poor, everything else about the rivalry delivered.
John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes—a battle between WWE's past and present franchise players—had the opposite issue. A vast majority of their mic work was subpar and their WrestleMania match fell flat, yet they ended their animosity on the highest note possible with an instant classic in the SummerSlam Night 2 main-event.
With Wrestlepalooza, Crown Jewel, Survivor Series and two installments of Saturday Night's Main Event all on tap for the remainder of the year, stacking those shows with marquee matches fans want to see will be paramount.
The following are five feuds WWE must book before 2025 ends.
Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker
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Since Paul Heyman betrayed Roman Reigns to join forces with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41, The Tribal Chief has been seeking revenge on both men and anyone they're associated with, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed included.
Although Reigns gave Breakker and Reed their comeuppance in a tag team match alongside Jey Uso at SummerSlam, the group wasted no time in bouncing back and attacking The OTC on Raw that Monday.
It was a similar story at Clash in Paris when Reigns bested Reed one-on-one, only for Reed and Breakker to leave him laying afterward.
Realistically, The OTC should have lost to Reed, but it seems WWE wanted to protect Reigns so it means more if and when he's defeated by Breakker, which could and should be by the end of 2025.
It's unknown how long the beatdown will keep him out of action for. He could be back by Crown Jewel in early October, or the angle may have been designed to write him off television until Survivor Series at the end of November.
Once Reigns is ready to return, Breakker will be the one he targets. It's a WrestleMania-worthy encounter, but Reigns vs. Rollins appears to be the endgame for the next installment of The Show of Shows, so Reigns vs. Breakker has to happen before then.
Iyo Sky vs. Asuka
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This is another feud that WWE has already begun to plant the seeds for. And when tensions boil over between the two, it's sure to be spectacular.
Iyo Sky and Asuka have history dating back many years, but they have been established as friends in WWE since The Empress of Tomorrow joined Damage CTRL at the end of 2023.
Asuka was out injured for an entire year and returned this past spring, immediately rekindling her friendship with Sky.
Only recently has The Empress shown signs of frustration toward Sky for befriending notable frenemy Rhea Ripley and rejecting help from herself and Kairi Sane.
Asuka has yet to cement her heel turn, but she could do so as soon as Wrestlepalooza by costing Sky the Women's World Championship in her bout with Stephanie Vaquer.
The Genius of the Sky should always have a lingering presence in the women's world title picture, and a rematch with Ripley is obviously inevitable, but the bigger picture for Sky should involve an extended program with Asuka heading into WrestleMania 42.
That would be the best use of both women in the remainder of 2025 and the matches would be nothing short of stellar. Sky and Ripley battling The Kabuki Warriors can be booked before Sky and Asuka branch off and tell their own story together.
Seth Rollins vs. Jey Uso
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With Roman Reigns shifting his focus toward Bron Breakker for the foreseeable future, Seth Rollins needs other credible challengers to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against.
The Visionary is already embroiled in a heated rivalry with CM Punk that should culminate sooner rather than later. And while he has unfinished business with LA Knight, it's unlikely WWE will want to keep The Megastar slotted toward the main event level on Raw post-Clash in Paris.
That leaves Jey Uso as the most probable candidate given his immense popularity and previous success as world heavyweight champion.
Uso was involved in the Fatal 4-Way for the title at Clash in Paris but was not pinned. He also has yet to receive a one-on-one championship rematch since losing it to Gunther in June, though he did fall in the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament and failed to win a No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet match in July.
The last outing Rollins and Uso had on the May 5 edition of Raw culminated in chaos and didn't have a decisive winner.
Resuming that rivalry at some point before 2025 is over would allow them to properly finish their story as well as bridge the gap for Rollins as world heavyweight champion before he moves on to something more meaningful.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Bianca Belair
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The SmackDown women's scene has been in shambles for some time now, despite how deep a division it is from a talent standpoint.
Tiffany Stratton has been WWE women's champion since the onset of 2025 and has had some quality title defenses against the likes of Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Trish Stratus, but the title picture lacks direction as a whole.
Even the Women's United States Championship has become an afterthought with current champ Giulia barely having a presence on the program in the last two months.
Stratton seems to be continuing her rivalry with Jade Cargill that started before SummerSlam, but there isn't anything remotely interesting about either of them right now with both being babyfaces.
The scene desperately needs a shot of adrenaline, and Bianca Belair could provide that simply by being back in the mix.
The EST of WWE has been absent since suffering an injury in the acclaimed Women's World Championship Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 41. She returned briefly to serve as special guest referee for Naomi vs. Cargill at Evolution but has kept a low profile on WWE TV otherwise.
Belair returning imminently, going heel for the first time on the main roster and taking the title from Stratton at some point in the coming months would be an exciting way to shake things up with the women on Friday nights.
John Cena vs. Drew McIntyre
5 of 5The remaining dates on John Cena's retirement tour are few and far between, making every appearance between now and the end of 2025 must-see.
Cena is fresh off two incredible matches with Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul at SummerSlam and Clash in Paris, respectively.
All signs point to him facing off against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza after The Beast Incarnate attacked him at the close of SummerSlam.
The soon-to-be Hall of Famer is advertised for both Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, with his retirement match confirmed to take place on Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13, ideally in Cena's backyard of Boston.
After what he had to say about Cena in recent segments on SmackDown and earlier this year, Drew McIntyre must collide with the 17-time world champion before the latter calls it a career.
The Scot is as compelling a character as they come and would benefit hugely from being among an elite few to hand Cena a loss during his final few months.
Even if The GOAT won, there's an intriguing story to tell with The Scottish Warrior calling out Cena for his phony actions after returning to his roots as a fan favorite.
Not only is this a fresh feud, but it's also worthy of being the veteran's last, especially if McIntyre goes over and forever claims he was the one to put Cena out to pasture.
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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