WWE Reportedly Discussing Roman Reigns Wrestling Twice At WrestleMania 39

Roman Reigns may be pulling double duty at WWE WrestleMania 39.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingNews.co), “One of the things talked about internally in WWE is for Reigns to wrestle both nights at Mania, with the working ideas being Cody Rhodes abd Dwayne Johnson. Nothing is definite…There is also talk of splitting up the titles so Raw has a world champion after Mania.”

Though he’s currently sidelined with a ruptured eardrum, Reigns is expected to remain the Undisputed Universal Champion until WrestleMania 39 next April. Along the way, he’s likely going to feud with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who will slot in as his two main stopgap rivals in route to a blockbuster match on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”

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WWE’s ideal scenario, of course, is The Rock vs. Reigns, the true definition of a dream match and one that has been discussed for years on end but has never come to fruition. Whether Rock vs. Reigns ever takes place ultimately boils down to the former’s ability to work an extended WWE run into his famously busy schedule. If he can make that happen, then “The People’s Champion” vs. “The Head of the Table” is perhaps the biggest match WWE could do at WrestleMania 39.

The second most popular theory regarding Reigns’ potential WrestleMania 39 opponent is that he will face a returning Cody Rhodes, who is slated to return from a torn pectoral tendon right around Royal Rumble time and checks all of the boxes in terms of what WWE would be looking for when selecting Reigns’ Mania opponent. He’s a top star, an incredible in-ring performer and a fresh opponent for Reigns, and perhaps most importantly, there is an easy-yet-compelling story to tell here of Rhodes living up to his promise to finally become world champion and doing so by ending Reigns’ historic Reigns.

That could be an intriguing story for WWE to tell in route to WrestleMania 39, whether The Rock is back or not. WWE, after all, may run into a problem of watering down both Rock vs. Reigns and Reigns vs. Rhodes if the two feuds happen simultaneously. Would WWE be able to put a clear enough focus on these two marquee rivalries at the same time? That seems doubtful, even with Triple H running the show.

It also feels fairly unnecessary to have Reigns presumably headline both nights of WrestleMania when there are so many other WWE stars and big matches that could close the show. The strong push of heel Reigns has been warmly received by Reigns, but for a man who is likely going to be headlining his whopping seventh WrestleMania, putting him in the main event two straight nights feels like overkill.

There is also the reality that WrestleMania is already breaking ticket sales records, so in a way, putting Reigns on both shows is an unnecessary move that is going to both give Reigns more exposure that he doesn’t really need and prevent another top star from getting the spotlight on pro wrestling’s biggest show of the year.

As WWE’s most compelling character and biggest villain, Reigns should be in the most important match at WrestleMania, and given the lack of other fresh options, it’s likely that either a match with Rhodes or one against The Rock would be the most marketable attraction for WWE in that coveted spot. WWE, however, should stick with one or the other, in an effort to give the deserved focus to that star, the match itself and the build to it.

But let’s be honest: The Rock vs. Reigns is a dream scenario, not the frontrunner to headline WrestleMania. There have been rumblings of this match for years and years, and until it actually happens, it’s a match that many fans want to see rather than one that they will.

While Rhodes vs. Reigns sounds predictable on paper, it could be the most compelling non-Rock storyline WWE can tell, especially with Reigns having already gone toe to toe with most of the top stars he could potentially face at WWE’s flagship show.