5 potential opponents for Xavier Woods at WWE WrestleMania 39
WWE Superstar Xavier Woods might be going to WrestleMania 39 all by himself. The 2021 King of the Ring winner has never competed in a singles match at The Showcase of the Immortals. The New Day trombonist has wrestled on the main card of The Show of Shows numerous times. However, it's mainly been in the tag team division, with the only exception being the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2014.
Kofi Kingston reportedly sustained a leg injury on the March 3, 2023, episode of WWE SmackDown. This means that when it comes to WrestleMania, Woods may be working on his own or not competing at all.
What will Xavier Woods do when WrestleMania Goes Hollywood? Without further ado, let's review five potential opponents for the 12-time tag team champion on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
#5. WWE SmackDown Superstar LA Knight
The Mega Star contends that there can't be an LA WrestleMania without LA Knight. Meanwhile, Kofi and Woods believe it's preposterous for Knight to be making any pronouncements regarding WrestleMania after spending so little time on the main roster. Knight and The New Day are locked in a conflict that has now evolved to involve Gunther's Intercontinental Championship.
Kingston and Knight are currently scheduled for a fatal 5-way on March 10th to determine Gunther's WrestleMania opponent. Kofi is likely to be replaced in that match because of his injury. But if neither Knight nor New Day emerges victorious on SmackDown this Friday, that'll leave their schedule wide open for WrestleMania 39, and it appears as if their rivalry is far from finished.
With Kofi seemingly on the shelf for the time being, Woods can continue the rivalry with LA Knight, taking their feud to The Showcase of the Immortals.
#4. The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa
Solo Sikoa currently isn't scheduled to wrestle at The Show of Shows this April. However, that could all change if Xavier Woods once again crosses The Bloodline. Xavier earned a disqualification win over Roman Reigns in November 2021 when he was known as King Woods. This was the Universal Champion's first loss since TLC 2019 when The Big Dog fell to Baron Corbin via pinfall.
Sikoa could look to rectify this blemish on The Tribal Chief's record by attempting to eradicate Xavier Woods in Los Angeles. A solid victory over Woods on a stage like WrestleMania can definitely help boost the career of The Bloodline's enforcer. The match could be short and sweet, showing the WWE Universe why Solo Sikoa is a devastating force of nature in the wrestling ring.
So far, Sikao has beaten names like Sheamus, Sami Zayn, Ricochet, and Dolph Ziggler. Woods might be the next wrestler that's added to The Street Champion's list of victims.
#3. WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther
Kofi Kingston is still advertised for the fatal 5-way this Friday, but considering his injury, there's a strong possibility that he'll be replaced. His New Day partner Xavier Woods might be the best man to replace him. Woods was one of the wrestlers involved in the build-up to the bout, so it'd make sense booking-wise for him to fill the role of Kofi's replacement in the match.
If Woods were to take Kofi's spot on the March 10th episode of SmackDown, there is a possibility that he'll walk away as the winner. Winning the Intercontinental Championship is a major goal for Xavier, and he might be able to make that dream a reality on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
However, if a singles match between Woods and Gunther were to go down at 'Mania, there's a good chance that Gunther will be the one to come out on top, especially considering that Gunther has had the longest Intercontinental Championship reign of the 21st century and is one of the most dominant champions in WWE history.
#2. Multiple opponents for Gunther's Intercontinental Championship
Rumors suggest that Gunther will be wrestling in a triple threat match at WrestleMania with his Intercontinental Title up for grabs. However, Xavier Woods isn't rumored to be involved in the bout because his name isn't Gunther, Sheamus, or Drew McIntyre. But what if WWE expanded that match to include more than three participants?
At one point, there was a rumor that WrestleMania 39 would feature two Money In The Bank ladder matches, with one for each night of 'Mania. MITB appears to be off the cards for The Show of Shows in 2023, but WWE can still opt to include a ladder match at the grand spectacle this April.
In 2016, WWE booked a multi-man ladder match at WrestleMania 32 with the Intercontinental Championship up for grabs. What if the Stamford-based promotion features a similar ladder match this year, but this time it'll be in Scott Hall's honor on The Grandest Stage of Them All?
Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels made ladder matches famous in 1994 at WrestleMania X. In 2023, multiple WWE Superstars could pay homage to this match and the career of the late great Bad Guy by taking part in a ladder match, and Xavier Woods could be one of those participants.
#1. Everyone else in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
WWE's annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal isn't rumored to be making a return to The Show of Shows, but plans can change on the road to WrestleMania. If WWE does decide to feature the multi-man battle royal in Inglewood this April as a means to pay homage to Andre and to squeeze as many Superstars on the card as possible, Xavier Woods would fit right into those proceedings if he doesn't have anything else planned.
Since 2021, this battle royal has been featured on a special episode of SmackDown rather than at WrestleMania. When scheduled for The Showcase of the Immortals, the match only made the main card twice, typically becoming a part of the pre-show. With recent reports of Triple H wanting a smaller card at 'Mania, the battle royal will likely be off the show once again. But the card is always subject to change.
The pop when Cesaro lifted The Big Show and eliminated him to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was HUGE 🤩 https://t.co/dSw4ygvfKJ
Woods has participated in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal twice in his career, and he was unsuccessful in each attempt. In 2023, the former NXT Tag Team Champion might be able to win the trophy that he wasn't able to win in 2014 and 2015.