WWE Reportedly Considering Two Big WrestleMania 40 Main Events For Cody Rhodes

WWE isn’t far removed from WrestleMania 39, but plans for the WrestleMania 40 main event are already in the works—and multiple scenarios involve Cody Rhodes.

The first shouldn’t come as a surprise. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Sportskeeda), a WrestleMania 39 rematch pitting Rhodes against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship is “on the table.” WWE, of course, clearly left open the possibility for Reigns vs. Rhodes II with the questionable finish to their match at WrestleMania left month, but another huge match for Rhodes is also under consideration.

Additionally, WRKDWrestling (h/t NoDQ) reports “that discussions have taken place for WWE Raw’s main event for Wrestlemania 40 to potentially be Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther. Both superstars have expressed interest in working with each other in the past and are seen as the top face and heel on the Raw roster.”

Despite WrestleMania 40 being nearly a year away, the two best options for Rhodes at WWE’s flagship show are clearly—and already—Reigns and Gunther.

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Reigns is reportedly set to hold the Undisputed Universal title until at least WrestleMania 40 as WWE looks to rewrite its record books. “The Head of the Table” has already held WWE’s top title for more than 1,000 days. But with his title defenses becoming increasingly less frequent, SmackDown lacking clear challengers and Reigns currently in the tag team title picture, WWE is obviously finding ways to extend his run.

Recently heralded by John Cena as perhap’s WWE greatest performer of all-time, Reigns has already cemented himself as the company’s top draw and greatest attraction. Barring something unforeseen happening, he’s headed for yet another WrestleMania main event next year, and so too is Rhodes.

“The American Nightmare” is firmly positioned as Raw’s No. 1 babyface on the reported WWE depth chart. Yes, he’s ahead of Seth Rollins, even though Rollins is widely expected to walk out of this week’s Night of Champions pay-per-view as the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Raw’s No. 1 heel on that aforementioned depth chart? That would be Gunther. Although Gunther is currently a midcard title holder as Intercontinental Champion, he certainly feels like the red brand’s biggest villain. Since moving over to Raw in the WWE draft, Gunther has been Raw’s most heavily featured heel star, and his impressive reign as champion is clearly positioning him as an unstoppable antagonist on Monday nights.

The only question regarding Gunther is when, not if, he will be elevated to world title contention. With Rhodes clearly set to be WWE’s top babyface regardless of whether Rollins is world champion or not, it’s quite apparent that Rhodes vs. Gunther is going to happen at some point.

But the likelier option for WWE at WrestleMania 40 is Reigns vs. Rhodes II.

Reigns’ extraordinary title reign is beginning to grow tiresome, and missed its best bet to end that run at WrestleMania 39 when Rhodes failed to “finish the story.” At the time, it certainly felt like a head-scratching decision, but WWE reportedly has one year of post-WrestleMania 39 plans mapped out that might explain that decision.

It would appear that the ultimate climax of those plans is Reigns vs. Rhodes in a highly anticipated rematch, with Rhodes ultimately slaying the greatest “final boss” in WWE history.

With Rollins likely to be busy in the world title picture, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn now in the tag team division and Drew McIntyre’s WWE future remaining uncertain, it would take some unforeseen Zayn-like rise from a babyface star to derail plans for Rhodes. After all, Rhodes checks all the boxes as the face of WWE, has been a proven draw for the company and still has his sights set on Reigns.

Whether it’s through the Money in the Bank briefcase or another Royal Rumble win, the stars are aligned for Rhodes to ultimately challenge—and defeat Reigns—at WrestleMania 40.

While Rhodes vs. Gunther remains highly likely for the future, there are too many signs that WWE is building toward Rhodes vs. Reigns, with the two stars remaining separate until the time is right.