WWE has been teasing that the main event of the next WrestleMania would feature Cody Rhodes and Roman in a world title match. This will mark the fourth time those two will face each other at the Showcase of the Immortals in three years.
WWE Survivor Series WarGames was said to give us a look at what WrestleMania 42 would look like. The WarGames match saw Bron Breakker pin CM Punk, and the post-match saw Roman Reigns refusing to shake the hands of Cody Rhodes and telling him that was the last time those two would team up, setting up the stage to next year’s Mania main events.
Fan reaction to this teasing was lukewarm. WWE had been teasing Sami Zayn winning his first world title in WWE. With the next Royal Rumble taking place in Saudi Arabia, many expected him to win the Rumble and successfully challenge for the world title at WrestleMania.
However, this storyline was seemingly dropped when Zayn suddenly shifted to SmackDown and gained the U.S title against Solo Sikoa in Lyon. The post-match angle at WarGames was another indication that Zayn will not be competing for the world title anytime soon.
2025 was an underwhelming year for WWE creative. The company was accused of playing it safe, not being willing to create new stars and for making CM Punk rap.
The best solution would be to pass the torch for younger stars like Breakker and Jacob Fatu, or the soon to be called up NXT prospects Trick Williams and Je’von Evans. Another solution, however, would be to go back to what has worked in the past.
The last two roads to WrestleMania had notable pivots. The build to WrestleMania 40 saw The Rock create a new character, The Final Boss, following the fans’ response to him facing Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania. This change in character had a great response from the fans and allowed The Rock to lean into the edgier side of his character that had been missing since 2007.
After WrestleMania XL, The Rock had a confrontation with Rhodes where he hinted at a feud down the line and made a brief, nonsensical cameo at Badd Blood, The Rock returned in Monday Night Raw’s Netflix premiere.
Fans had had enough of him at this point. Despite wearing The Final Boss attire, The Rock had seemingly turned face and called Rhodes his friend. He put the Ula fala around Reigns’ neck and had seemingly gave up any hope of a feud with these two in the future. Unhappy with the backlash, the final boss had to pretend this was part of a bigger plan and asked for Rhodes’ soul, which he refused. This led to the infamous Cena heel turn, which was orchestrated by The Rock until it wasn’t.
The story was that The Rock initially wanted Rhodes to turn heel and be his champion. Paul Levesque and Rhodes were not fans of the idea. Levesque pitched Cena to turn heel instead, which he accepted.
How often could The Rock force the company’s creative direction to pivot?
How come Levesque, who once said that every smart man has a plan B, is seemingly unaware to come up with a plan B whenever someone is injured, or when he’s unable to pursue his plans for whatever reason?
This creative instability is partially responsible for the terrible John Cena heel run we had that culminated in him saying outright he was turning face again on the SmackDown before facing Rhodes at SummerSlam.
Given the instability of the previous years, why not opt for the safe option?
This time, there shouldn’t be any backstage power struggle behind the scenes. The people in charge of the creative know they have tested the fan’s patience this year. Such a matchup should allow them to put their egos aside.
The recurring theme in Rhodes’ reign was how the belt he had chased for so long was becoming a burden to bear. His friends, like Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre, were turning on him. The feuds with people he respected were becoming more personal. This led Rhodes to become more ruthless in the ring, prompting him to deliver Owens an Alabama slam on a ladder or hit Aj Styles with a steel step after he quit. This pattern was inexplicably dropped during the Cena feud when he was unable to hit Cena with a belt, which would have been tame compared to what he had previously done.
Reigns could conclude his own redemption story arc by being the one to release Rhodes from his burden. The weight of the belt led Reigns to act foully with those who followed him. He’s now alone since his wiseman, Paul Heyman, formed the Vision with Seth Rollins.
Now liberated from what made him this tyrannical leader he once was, Reigns can claim back the belt he held for 1,316 days.
Since running back the feud between Reigns and Rhodes a second time, it was inevitable they would face a third time. WWE likes their WrestleMania trilogies. They might as well do it now and use it to regain the goodwill of the fans by reminding them of their previous glory while making them trust that the future is in good hands.
