Predicting the new WrestleMania 40 card after The Rock's proposal for Night One
It was a foregone conclusion that Roman Reigns facing Cody Rhodes would end WrestleMania 40 weekend. It would continue Reigns' string of main-eventing the show while he's active.
What The Rock's proposal did, however, would potentially allow Reigns and Rhodes to main-event both nights of WrestleMania 40.
WWE always uses the phrase 'the winner of the Royal Rumbles will main event WrestleMania.' If The Rock's counter-offer of a tag team match is accepted, then Bayley won't be on any posters or close Night 1.
Even with some teased and confirmed matches after the Elimination Chamber, the landscape of WrestleMania 40 shifted with The Rock's idea. Here's what the card may look like, with Roman and Cody factoring into the main events of both nights.
(Confirmed/Predicted bouts will be highlighted as bold)
#7. Matches that will miss the card or be on the pre-show
Over the last eight to ten years, WWE has crammed most of the stars not booked for WrestleMania into two random battle royals.
Both contests used to take part on the actual card, but they have been moved to go-home episodes of SmackDown in past years. If they still have the melees this year, only one battle royal will make the card and probably on the pre-show.
The Women's Tag Team titles would probably have been defended on the pre-show or on RAW or SmackDown. The Champions may not have made it onto the card before The Rock's challenge, but it's a certainty they won't now.
#6. Matches that are already confirmed
By winning their respective Royal Rumbles, Cody Rhodes and Bayley earned their spots. Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes and Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley were the first official matches made for WrestleMania 40.
After the Elimination Chamber in Perth, the other two major Championship matches were finalized. Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre cap off the major title contests.
While it's nearly confirmed, Roman Reigns and The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will likely main event on Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.
#5. Teases after the Elimination Chamber
AJ Styles blindsided LA Knight during the men's Elimination Chamber, leading to his elimination. Styles blamed Knight for 'stealing' his spot at Crown Jewel and also for costing him a spot in the Chamber match. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles is an intriguing singles match for the card.
In the closing stages of the men's Chamber contest, Randy Orton eliminated Logan Paul. Paul didn't leave the cage for the rest of the match, instead waiting to blast The Viper with brass knuckles to get revenge.
It seems like Orton vs. Paul will be the match, but Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens should be included. Owens isn't done with Paul while Lashley should get a spot on the card after last year's unfortunate situation with Bray Wyatt.
The United States title should be a multi-person match, so Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens should be the way to go.
#4. Gunther's challenger for WrestleMania 40
After a few stars petitioned RAW GM Adam Pearce for a shot at the Intercontinental title, he announced a six-person gauntlet for next week's RAW.
Included in the match are former Champions Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Ricochet. Chad Gable and Bronson Reed have already faced and fallen to Gunther.
JD McDonagh was randomly added to the match at the request of the Judgment Day. With the stories being told over the last few months, there's only one way this title contest should go. Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn is the best story to tell.
#3. Filling out the rest of the card
Jimmy Uso has cost his brother, Jey, two huge matches in the last month. He claims that Jey won't win a title without him. With all the Bloodline drama over the last year, Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso is likely happening at WrestleMania 40.
Since his return at the Royal Rumble, Andrade has acted as a face. He rejected allying with Santos Escobar during the match. He did, however, go out of his way to briefly touch base with Dominik Mysterio on ensuing RAWs.
Dominik thinks everything is okay, but it seems like Andrade may want to teach Mysterio some respect on the biggest stage. Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio seems like a good possibility.
#2. How does The EST of WWE fit into plans for WrestleMania 40?
Bianca Belair won't be in a title match for the first time in three years. Can she grow her character outside of the title picture, like Becky Lynch, or only function in title storylines (like Charlotte Flair)? An easy way to get her on the card would be to have her pivot to the tag team division.
She shared a moment with Jade Cargill during the Royal Rumble. Teaming with Belair would help Cargill move along in her development. WrestleMania 40 is the perfect spot for her first featured bout. Opposing them would be Nia Jax, since she was eliminated by Cargill and Tiffany Stratton.
Stratton has gained support from the fans after only a month on the main roster. If the fan support continues, Jax can turn on Stratton, thus making Tiffie a face.
The Center of the Universe and Jax have also become great friends, as evidenced by their social media posts. Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill is a money match for WrestleMania 40.
#1. Tag team warfare to end feuds at WrestleMania 40
During the latest RAW, the Miz essentially set forth that his allies need to take the Undisputed Tag Team titles from the Judgment Day. The New Day and DIY were also involved in the pitch.
R-Truth has done some of the best work of his career, so The Judgment Day (c) vs. DIY vs. The Awesome Truth vs. The New Day would get all four teams on the WrestleMania 40 card.
On SmackDown, Legado Del Fantasma has been tormenting the LWO. Rey Mysterio returned on last week's show. With Rey's return, it seems like an 8-person tag featuring Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez would be a fitting way to end their feud. It's finally time for The LWO vs. Legado Del Fantasma angle to end.