5 former Bloodline rivals who won't help Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40
After over three years of sheer domination in WWE, The Bloodline could finally receive its comeuppance. But it looks like some of their foes wouldn't be getting back at them.
A couple of weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of wrestling fans were left disappointed when Cody Rhodes hinted at postponing his rematch against Roman Reigns, allowing The Rock to step in and challenge The Tribal Chief. However, less than a week later, The American Nightmare changed his mind and expressed his intentions to again go after Reigns.
His declaration didn't sit well with The Rock, who's now one of the executives governing WWE. That led to him joining the Samoan faction. Consequently, current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins joined Rhodes' side in this battle. The duo could form their own faction to take on The Bloodline.
While there are numerous WWE Superstars who'd love to jump at the chance to get even with The Bloodline, others wouldn't be too excited. Here are five of them.
#5. Two-time WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
Probably nobody in WWE loathes the Roman Reigns-led faction more than Drew McIntyre. After all, Solo Sikoa cost McIntyre his crowning moment in The UK.
Despite that, The Scottish Warrior wouldn't be a threat to the group's dominance on the Road to WrestleMania 40. It's true that he has a lot of scores to settle with them. Yet, his recent snobbish demeanor wouldn't allow him to put his differences with Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins aside, even if it's for the greater good.
The 2020 Royal Rumble winner has his sights set on dethroning The Visionary at The Show of Shows. So, it's unlikely that he would even entertain the idea of helping his potential opponent.
Even though having McIntyre on their team would do wonders for RAW's top dogs, they'd be wise to abandon all hope to recruit him.
#4. Dominik Mysterio
The prince of the legendary Mysterio family must have grievances about how The Bloodline treated him back in 2021. But he's unlikely to let the animosities of the past affect his much-pleasant present.
It was the duo of Jey and Jimmy Uso that ended Dom's first reign as the SmackDown Tag Team Champion. It was Roman Reigns who powerbombed the 26-year-old star out of the ring and onto the unforgiving floor. Still, Rhodes and Rollins should refrain from recruiting him.
For starters, Dominik, along with his Judgment Day allies, feuded with the faces of RAW for a good chunk of 2023. Additionally, The Judgment Day has an ongoing truce with The Bloodline.
So, even though the idea of Dominik playing a part in toppling Roman's empire might sound intriguing, he'd prefer watching the action from The Other Side.
#3. Finn Balor
Given the truce between The Judgment Day and The Bloodline, it looks like Finn Balor wouldn't be too eager to help out The Dashing One and The Architect.
Back in the summer of 2021, shortly after Balor had returned from a two-year stint in NXT, he found himself in the Universal Title picture. Right before his first title shot, The Usos launched a heinous attack on him, allowing The Tribal Chief to make quick work of an injured Balor.
Following his failure to capture the top prize, Balor summoned The Demon to aid him in his battle with The Bloodline. But even his sinister alter ego couldn't take down Reigns, and after that, the downfall of The Prince's momentum began.
So, the 42-year-old Irish superstar does have a strong case to go after WWE's top squad. However, it's unlikely that he would bury the hatchet with Rollins and Rhodes to avenge the defeats he incurred in 2021.
#2. Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura is currently among the most unpredictable WWE Superstars. Yet, it's easy to predict the two superstars he wouldn't be teaming up with anytime soon, i.e. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
It's not that he doesn't have any ill will toward The Bloodline. It was the same faction that snatched a Universal Championship shot away from Nakamura after he had run the gauntlet in January 2021. Moreover, The Usos made sure that the 2018 Royal Rumble winner didn't walk out of WWE WrestleMania 38 as one-half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Therefore, it wouldn't be fair to say that Nakamura's WWE run has been free of Bloodline-related obstacles. Nevertheless, Roman Reigns and his family wouldn't have to watch out for The King of Strong Style ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40. Why is that so?
Well, the Artist turned heel last year in order to feud with The Visionary over the World Heavyweight Championship. Despite making Rollins run through all sorts of hurdles, Nakamura couldn't capture the title. He then set his sights on breaking Cody Rhodes but was once again unsuccessful.
#1. AJ Styles
AJ Styles' history with The Bloodline is an interesting topic. Yes, he was recently in a feud with the faction due to his quest for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
But his issues with Reigns and his family go way back, preceding The Head of the Table's landscape-changing return in 2020. In fact, The Phenomenal One first butted heads with The Bloodline back in 2016, back when Reigns, Jey, and Jimmy were babyfaces. As a result, WWE Universe was treated to two exceptional matches between The Big Dog and The Lone Wolf.
Despite all this rich history, all signs are pointing to AJ Styles sitting out the upcoming clash between The Bloodline and a potential group led by Rhodes and Rollins.
Styles' possible lack of involvement in the story in question is due to the ongoing tension in The O.C. Hence, The Phenomenal One might not be in haste to form any new alliances.