Seeds are already being planted for WWE WrestleMania 43 and it's not even November yet.
Historically, however, it's in the final few months of the year that the company begins building toward the spring spectacle, or at least putting together preliminary plans for what the major matches will be.
There has been speculation about the top matches at WrestleMania 43 and whether WWE will bring back familiar faces for the event, which is currently scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia. However, appearances by legends such as The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin have not been confirmed.
WWE has more than enough star power on its active roster to fill out the two-night weekend and still have a handful of notable names left over. Of course, anything can change creatively between now and then, and there's no telling who could be sidelined with an injury.
These are the way-too-early match card predictions for WrestleMania 43.
World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi
1 of 7From the moment Oba Femi decisively defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, it was clear he was destined to win a world title sooner rather than later.
Realistically, he should have already challenged for and won the World Heavyweight Championship by now (specifically at SummerSlam following his King of the Ring victory that earned him a title shot), but all signs point to WWE holding off on him having his crowning moment at WrestleMania 43.
That would explain why Reigns has had a stranglehold on the prestigious prize since 'Mania back in April and will likely continue to reign as champ through the spring spectacle. Femi has repeatedly called out Reigns on post-show panels but has yet to cross paths with him on WWE TV.
When they do finally go face-to-face, it will be a massive deal.
WWE is attempting to keep Femi busy with random obstacles such as Lesnar and The Vision in the meantime. Expect Femi to win the men's Royal Rumble (the exact match where he made his main roster debut earlier this year) and set his sights on The Tribal Chief from there.
The Vision vs. The 946
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Royce Keys should undoubtedly challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at some point in the coming months given the ongoing faction warfare with The Bloodline and The 946, but he won't walk into WrestleMania 43 with the title.
That leaves him without an obvious opponent at the event, and the same can be said for all of The Vision. They've been at odds with Oba Femi as of late but are virtually guaranteed to come out on the losing end of that feud.
Ideally, Bron Breakker would be in a marquee match at 'Mania next April, especially after missing this past year's installment due to injury (that was where he returned but didn't wrestle), but similar to Keys, there isn't one match that's a "must" for him to have unless he jumps ship to SmackDown or leaves The Vision.
WWE has previously used multi-person tag team matches at WrestleMania to get wrestlers without clear storylines onto the card. That could be the case for The Vision and The 946.
If built up properly, this could be a fun brawl and a solid showcase for everyone involved. A Street Fight stipulation would make for the most exciting scenario and allow them to go all out.
Women's World Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Roxanne Perez
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WWE shouldn't be waiting so long to get to the big blow-up between Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, but as things stand, that appears to be the most likely Women's World Championship match for WrestleMania 43.
Morgan recently regained the gold at Money in the Bank but has no challengers waiting in the wings. Her rivalries with Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch have been done to death and no one on the Raw roster has enough momentum to feel like a legitimate threat to the title.
WWE's primary goal going forward should be to tease tension between Morgan and Perez so fans will rally behind The Prodigy and want to see her dethrone the champion. If WWE books this bout before WrestleMania, any other matchup for Morgan at the event would pale in comparison.
This is the strongest story WWE could possibly tell with the women of the red brand en route to The Show of Shows.
Perez has had so many stellar showings in the women's Royal Rumble over the years that her being the one to win this upcoming installment would be a perfect way to put this program into motion.
Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton
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Kevin Owens and Randy Orton were scheduled to face off in a potential show-stealer at WrestleMania 41, but the match was canceled after KO announced that he needed neck surgery.
Orton instead faced Joe Hendry, who answered his open challenge at the event, while Owens remained sidelined until his return at SummerSlam 2026.
The two have interacted on a number of occasions since Owens has been back on the blue brand, but despite Owens being responsible for putting The Viper on the shelf two years ago, there's barely been any animosity between the two.
That's likely due to Owens' focus being firmly on the Undisputed WWE Championship and Orton targeting Cody Rhodes, but come WrestleMania 43, they should rekindle their rivalry and settle their score once and for all.
Even with the roles reversed, there's enough bad blood from Owens and Orton's past to make this match worthy of the WrestleMania stage. The endgame of their original feud was supposed to see Orton punt Owens in the head, and there's no reason for the story of their rematch to be drastically different.
Both men deserve a significant singles match at 'Mania, and considering they've already worked with almost everyone else on the SmackDown roster, giving them a chance to have the WrestleMania payoff they were previously deprived of would be the best use of them.
WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley
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Tiffany Stratton winning the women's Money in the Bank ladder match made it clear that her friendship with Chelsea Green isn't going to last much longer, and that the WWE Women's Championship will soon be back in her possession.
Stratton vs. Green isn't and shouldn't be the WrestleMania match, either. Rather, it's a fine feud to fill the gap between now and then ahead of Rhea Ripley's return to the ring.
Stratton unsuccessfully cashing in her contract and subsequently turning heel out of frustration would pack more of a punch than simply cashing in on Green and winning the title.
Stratton and Green could then have a series of matches over the next few months, culminating in The Center of the Universe regaining the championship. From there, Ripley would be her biggest possible WrestleMania opponent.
Ripley vs. Stratton has happened before, but never as a full-fledged rivalry, and the dynamic between them would make for must-see television. Of course, the story writes itself with Ripley never being beaten for the belt before she had to vacate it over the summer.
The Eradicator's constant involvement in the championship picture risks becoming repetitive. However, her star power and the fresh matchups still available make it easy to see why she would be integral to next year's WrestleMania plans.
Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight
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LA Knight's immediate future in WWE remains uncertain following his loss to Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank. He fell short when it mattered most yet again and hasn't given a clear indication of what he intends to do next.
The only answer to his recent woes would be to turn heel, or at least lean more into being an aggressive loner character.
That means severing ties with Solo Sikoa, who has since made amends with The Bloodline. That's sure to irritate Knight, leading to The Megastar in turn forming a temporary alliance with The 946 for WarGames at Survivor Series.
Of all the popular babyfaces Knight could feud with for WrestleMania season, Seth Rollins leads the list of most intriguing options, if only because they've only scratched the surface of what they can do together and have proven to have quality chemistry in the ring.
Rollins is stuck in a similar position at the moment in that he doesn't have a clear direction post-Roman Reigns, but Knight would be a fantastic foil for him heading into The Show of Shows. It'd also get Knight back in a prominent spot at WrestleMania and ensure he doesn't go right back to pulling midcard duty.
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk
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The Undisputed WWE Championship scene on SmackDown is in such a state of flux these days that it's impossible to predict what the exact title match will be for WrestleMania 43, but CM Punk and Cody Rhodes running it back for the coveted title seems to be a safe bet.
It was considered a dream match when they first waged war with the gold up for grabs at SummerSlam. It was a good but not great match, which left fans wondering whether they were intentionally holding back for a better bout down the road.
That was the same show where Randy Orton returned to cost Cody the title, so Punk's victory was tainted. A WrestleMania rematch would afford them the opportunity to have the barn burner they're capable of, and deliver more captivating promos leading into the event if one of them were to go heel beforehand.
It's essentially the same formula Rhodes' last two WrestleMania rivalries with John Cena and Orton followed, but here, The American Nightmare can be the one to turn heel and embrace the boos he's been receiving on and off for the last little while.
Some fans have been clamoring for heel Rhodes, and Punk might be the best possible person for him to get heat for betraying.
It's a match that's been done before, but no other combination of current SmackDown stars would make as much sense.
There's plenty more that can be explored with Punk and Rhodes, and while WWE should be putting newer names in these spots, the event emanating from Saudi Arabia is bound to push them toward going with the tried and true and booking main events with established acts like these two.
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.
