5 alternate WWE main event matches if The Rock cannot compete at WrestleMania 41
In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 40, WWE legend The Rock entered the picture, helping push the event to historical levels. The Bloodline saga will always be remembered as one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history. The Final Boss was one of the most important components to the success of that angle.
The consensus among wrestling fans is that The Rock will play a major role at next year's WrestleMania. However, Dave Meltzer notes that The Great One may not be on the show due to his Hollywood schedule. While The Final Boss slammed these reports recently on social media, there is no official confirmation about The People's Champion's status for The Show of Shows in Las Vegas.
If the reports are indeed true, who will fill that void when WWE rolls into Vegas for WrestleMania 41? This is our list of five alternate main event matches for WrestleMania 41:
#5. Bloodline Civil War: Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu
Despite Roman Reigns not being the active leader of The Bloodline, the stable is still a relevant and destructive force on the WWE roster. With Solo Sikoa assuming the role of The Tribal Chief, the faction continues to wreak havoc for the superstars of SmackDown.
After Roman Reigns lost to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, Solo took the wheel and became the new head of the table. Flanked by Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, Jacob Fatu joined the faction during an episode of SmackDown in June. Fatu has since taken on the role of Sikoa's personal Enforcer, the same position Solo once held with the group when Reigns was the leader.
With Reigns back in action, things are getting dicey for The Bloodline, which could lead to friction among the current members. If this happens, we could see a fallout between Solo and Jacob, resulting in a huge civil war culminating at WrestleMania 41.
#4. Jade Cargill vs. Bianca Belair
When Jade Cargill left AEW last September, the rumors immediately started regarding her coming to WWE, and she began training at The Performance Center almost immediately afterward. Jade made her in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble and soon after aligned with Bianca Belair.
As a tag team, Jade and Bianca have dominated the Women's division, becoming the Women's Tag Team Champions at Backlash. They have formed an incredible alliance since becoming champs and appear to be hitting on all cylinders.
With that said, Belair and Cargill are both elite singles stars and deserve to be in the main event spotlight. We could see that happen if the two split and kick-start a feud that could pay off with a huge match in Vegas at WrestleMania.
#3. CM Punk vs. Seth 'Freakin' Rollins
When CM Punk returned to WWE at the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames, several superstars seemed not too happy about The Second City Saint being back, one in particular being Seth Rollins. Rollins has had issues with Punk for a long time and even called the latter a cancer to the locker room in the past. When the former AEW star returned to the company, it was only a matter of time before they clashed.
While the feud was teased earlier this year, WWE was forced to change the plans due to Punk's injury during the Men's Royal Rumble match. However, The Best in the World still managed to be part of Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre's rivalry on the Road to WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 40, Seth Rollins dropped his title and had to step away because he needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus. When Rollins returned a couple of months later, he became a part of the feud between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk. Now that their bitter rivalry seems to have concluded, the company has already teased a clash between Punk and Rollins.
With Punk currently on a hiatus following his brutal Hell in a Cell match against Drew McIntyre and Rollins focusing on his feud with Bronson Reed, WWE could book the highly anticipated clash between The Visionary and The Second City Saint at WrestleMania 41.
#2. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. John Cena
During the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, John Cena made a surprise return to a WWE ring. While addressing the crowd, Cena announced he would retire next year and begin a Farewell tour in 2025. While the details were not fully known, he made it clear that he was hanging up his jorts.
John Cena is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer. His accolades are endless, but the one statistic that stands out is his 16 World Title reigns. One way to cap off his legendary career would be to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41, which would further separate him from almost everyone if he successfully wins his 17th World Title.
#1. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns put himself in an exclusive fraternity during his legendary title run. While carrying The Bloodline storyline, WWE's Original Tribal Chief became the face of the business en route to his showdown with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
Now, with Roman Reigns back in action, he has been honed in on punishing Solo Sikoa for the way he disrespected the stable Roman built during his absence. Reigns still has some unfinished business to handle with Sikoa and the current members of The Bloodline, but he has an even bigger fish to fry with Cody.
Roman has established that he wants his belt back, but this match is too big for SmackDown or any premium live event other than WrestleMania.