Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes And The 5 Most Likely Main Events

Cody Rhodes is poised for a huge WWE return. (Credit: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

WrestleMania 39 is already shattering WWE ticket sales records and is expected to be a sellout for both nights of the flagship event, but that won’t prevent Triple H from assembling a card worthy of “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”

If “The Game” has proven anything during his short stint as WWE’s creative head, it’s that he knows how to create matches and moments that fans won’t soon forget, like John Cena’s recent in-ring return on SmackDown, which was a big viewership hit. Although WrestleMania is still roughly three months away, WWE has already set foot on its path toward the marquee event, dropping some subtle hints about which blockbuster matches will take place in SoFi Stadium this April.

Due to its proximity to Los Angeles, WrestleMania 39 will reportedly have heavy celebrity involvement and a match lineup that will make Hollywood execs salivate. Some dream matches are already beginning to take shape, but whether those bouts have a legitimate chance of actually headlining night one or two of the pay-per-view is to-be-determined.

Still, the signs are there that these five bouts have a great shot at closing WrestleMania Saturday or WrestleMania Sunday.

The Usos Vs. Sami Zayn And Kevin Owens

A non-celebrity tag team match headlining WrestleMania? That would have seemed impossible when Vince McMahon was running the show, but Triple H has done a tremendous job of making the Usos a main event act. In fact, the Usos, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have elevated the division as a whole thanks to their long-running storyline involving The Bloodline.

This feud will reportedly culminate at WrestleMania 39 with Zayn and Owens finally rejoining forces to try to end the record-setting reign of The Usos. Along the way, it’s expected that Owens and Zayn will both challenges Reigns for the Undisputed Unviersal title at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber respectively, ultimately making this story more than deserving of a main event slot.

All of these stars have been carrying the main event picture over the past several months, and if ever there was a tag team match that should headline WrestleMania, this is it.

Rhea Ripley Vs. Bianca Belair (Or Charlotte Flair)

Bianca Belair is booked stronger than virtually anyone in WWE, and after having blockbuster title matches against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch at the previous two WrestleManias, she’s poised to have another huge match at WrestleMania 39. The two most likely options, based on recent and ongoing developments, for Belair are the recently returning Charlotte Flair—in a title vs. title match—and Rhea Ripley.

WWE is giving Ripley a monstrous push as the unofficial leader of The Judgment Day, and she’s both the more sensible and the fresher pick to face Belair, who will likely remain champion until WrestleMania. Ripley has been established as the betting favorite to win the Royal Rumble, and outside of Becky Lynch, she doesn’t seem to have much competition in that regard.

With Flair and Belair holding the SmackDown and Raw titles respectively, Ripley is the best and most obvious candidate to win the Royal Rumble and face either star on the show. Ripley, after all, has a ton of history with Flair but has never gotten her revenge on “The Queen” while Ripley vs. Belair would be a great way to showcase WWE’s new generation of top female stars.

And given how over Belair is and how much she’s improved as a performer over the past couple of years, she’s a prime candidate to headline either night of WrestleMania 39.

John Cena Vs. Logan Paul

Originally set to face Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39, John Cena has a new opponent penciled in. According to WrestlingNews.co, Cena vs. YouTube star-turned-rookie sensation Logan Paul is currently slated in for WWE’s flagship pay-per-view.

That actually shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that both men have hinted at that match happening on social media—not to mention that Cena vs. Paul would be a great way for WWE to generate a ton of media coverage outside of the pro wrestling landscape. Cena’s recent SmackDown return proved his drawing power, and Paul has proved in just a few matches that he is an elite level in-ring performer, making this a potentially epic non-title match inside SoFi Stadium.

With Cena morphing into a huge Hollywood star and wanting to improve his pop culture profile even further, a match with Paul would be a massive attraction for WWE and even non-WWE fans who would be intrigued by the prospects of a rising actor taking on a bona fide social media star. And if the match does happen, it would pack such a star power punch that—much like Paul vs. Roman Reigns did—it would be a main event bout.

Steve Austin’s Match

As odd as this may sound given that he wrestled his first match in nearly two decades at WrestleMania 38, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is reportedly more likely than both The Rock and Cena to wrestle at WrestleMania 39, due both to his more open schedule and his desire to step back into the ring after his strong performance at last year’s event.

And if he does? You have to think that Austin, much like he did in 2022, would headline whichever night he wrestles on. Austin, after all, is arguably the biggest star in WWE history and demonstrated last year that he can still deliver a great match under the right circumstances and with the right opponent.

Exactly who that opponent would be isn’t clear, but there is certainly no shortage there. Does he finally go one-on-one with Cena? Does he take on a great in-ring performer like Seth Rollins? Regardless of who Austin steps in the ring with—assuming he does—that would be a huge “get” for WWE as a potential main event match.

Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes

For so many obvious reasons, WWE wants to do Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 39 and has even considered having The Rock win the Royal Rumble to get there. This, however, is the dream scenario much more so than the most realistic one.

There have been rumblings of The Rock returning to the ring—specifically for a match against Reigns—for what feels like an eternity now, and yet, every year WrestleMania season comes and goes without The Rock showing up. Perhaps the best and most logical non-Rock opponent for Reigns would be Zayn, but logic suggests that Zayn will get his shot before WrestleMania, likely at Elimination Chamber in Zayn’s home country of Canada.

If WWE isn’t able to secure The Rock for WrestleMania 39, the next biggest opponent for Reigns would be Cody Rhodes, who is poised to return from his torn pectoral tendon right around Royal Rumble time and has a ready-made story of trying to end what at that point will be Reigns’ historic nearly 1,000-day reign.

Rhodes, of course, has never been world champion but has vowed to become one, so there’s an easy-yet-enthralling story here of Rhodes toppling Reigns and The Bloodline on the same show on which the Usos may drop their titles as well.

As of now, Rhodes is reportedly Reigns’ Plan B opponent in the event that The Rock can’t commit to WrestleMania, and given the way that WWE is building up Rhodes’ return with a series of video packages focusing on his quest to become world champion, this—at the time being—is easily the most likely WWE title match at WrestleMania and the frontrunner to headline night one or two.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2023/01/08/wwe-wrestlemania-39-roman-reigns-vs-cody-rhodes-and-the-5-most-likely-main-events/