WWE has a chance to script one of the most important nights in its history on WrestleMania Sunday.
We could see the end of one of the longest and most creatively and monetarily fruitful world championship runs in wrestling history with Roman Reigns’ run at 1,316 days. If Cody Rhodes were to finally pin the champ’s shoulders to the mat it would be a passing-of-the-torch moment to WWE’s new top babyface and the culmination of a lifelong dream to win the championship his dad Dusty Rhodes never held. All that stands in his way is The Bloodline and The Rock.
Will Seth Rollins’ 315-day run as World Heavyweight champion continue or will the Drew McIntyre, who has turned into a tremendous heel, capture gold again with CM Punk waiting in the wings?
We will see if Bayley can end her babyface turn with gold against WWE women’s champion Iyo Sky and if Randy Orton or Kevin Owens can pry the United States championship away from Logan Paul.
With so much on the line, Post pro wrestling columnist Joseph Staszewski tries his best to predict how it will all play out on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 from Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday (7 p.m., Peacock).
These two factions have been at it for weeks, with Bobby Lashley and the Profits seemingly on the wrong side of things. This feels like it could go either way but it will be much easier for the Final Testament to recover from a loss while defeat would really take some wind out the babyfaces’ sails. Look for B-Fab to establish herself as an asset by helping Lashley and the Profits pick up the win.
Knight has been moved out of the main-event scene after his loss in the fatal-four-way-match for Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal championship at the Royal Rumble. But that doesn’t mean you need to completely kill his momentum. Styles, who has teased new music, has continually been a thorn in Knights’ side — even attacking him inside the Elimination Chamber to ensure he didn’t get a World Heavyweight championship match at WrestleMania. Knight picks up a win that does no damage to Styles’ standing.
Damage CTRL is in a lot of people’s crosshairs right now, from Bayley to Naomi to Bianca Belair to Jade Cargill, So Bayley — who is in her first WrestleMania singles match — has the backup needed to overcome her former faction’s likely interference. WWE has built too good of a babyface story around Bayley not to pay it off. Anyone else beating Sky wouldn’t have the same emotional effect.
And if there is any consideration of a Bianca Belair heel turn, seeing Bayley after all she put her through win the title Sky took from her with a cash-in might just be the catalyst for it or Bayley can be a transitional champ if WWE wants to put the rocket on Jade Cargill.
This easily could have been kept a one-on-one match but WWE felt the need to add Kevin Owens to this contest. Orton is still new to feuding with Logan Paul, so WWE can slow burn to a singles match where the Viper finally takes the belt off him. But Grayson Waller and Austin Theory will continue to make sure the title stays on the YouTube star. Here, Paul likely takes advantage of an RKO from Orton in some way to pin Kevin Owens and leave with a win.
CM Punk’s presence on commentary opens up a ton of possibilities for how this all ends. Does Punk cost McIntyre the match after all the boasting he’s done about putting “The Best in the World” out of action or does his dislike for Seth Rollins lead to him costing the champion his crown?
Punk will get involved in the match, ultimately trying to stop McIntyre from attempting to do something underhanded to win. It will end up backfiring and cost Rollins his championship. By doing so, WWE gives McIntyre his title-winning moment in front of fans, feed into the hotter McIntyre vs. Punk story initially and turns up the heat on Punk and Rollins to go back to at a later date.
Do we get a Damian Priest cash-in? I think Priest will make his move on the Raw after WrestleMania, especially if he and Finn Balor are no longer Undisputed WWE tag team champions. The clock is ticking on his briefcase.
Cody Rhodes has had some pretty interesting comments about what would happen if he somehow lost again to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania, with the latest being a joke that he would just have to move to commentary.
If that were the case, WWE would be doing a tremendous disservice to its fan base that desperately wants to see Rhodes’ hand raised. They’re the same fans who loudly rebelled and forced WWE’s hand to flip from The Rock vs. Roman Reigns to this match. You can’t leave them empty inside again or the light poles in Philly might be in danger as well as their trust in WWE.
Rhodes has to finish the story.
There are two elements WWE should play with in the finish. With the match being Bloodline Rules after The Rock and Reigns won Saturday’s main-event tag match, it opens up the chance for a massive side fight between The Bloodline and WWE’s top babyfaces to bring this story full circle. That means Seth Rollins and Jey Uso — and maybe Sami Zayn — keep Rhodes from being screwed through interference again. But as of now, they are a member short and with no one truly worthy of stepping up to “Final Boss” Rock.
So one of two things need to happen. Either The Rock pulls an epic and unexpected turn on Reigns or another WWE legend — a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar or a Triple H — needs to come to Rhodes’ aid. Rhodes’ brother Dustin would be perfect, but him being under contract with AEW could make that tricky.
I’m gonna lean toward a legend helping Rhodes because after all the talk of family and the brutal beating Rock has put on Rhodes, it would be a shocking but somewhat illogical move for Rock to turn on Reigns, unless Rock has been playing his cousin all along in the ultimate chess move. That betrayal should be more of a slow burn and a rivalry with Rhodes should still be on the table next.
Either way, Rhodes will be earning the title no one in his family has ever won, handing it to Mama Rhodes as the wrestling world rejoices.