The Rock's master plan, Hall of Famer's return, and more - 6 possible endings to WWE WrestleMania 40
WWE WrestleMania 40 is just days away, and the company has certainly raised the bar for future editions of the show by booking Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, The Rock, and Roman Reigns in the main events.
The first night's main event will feature what is touted to be the biggest tag team match in history, as Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will team up to battle The Rock and Roman Reigns of The Bloodline. The second night will close with The American Nightmare trying to finish his story after over a year of build-up.
With two spectacular confrontations set, here are six possible ways the show could end.
#6. Cody Rhodes finishes the story
After a year of build-up since his unfortunate loss at WrestleMania 39, fans have been rooting for Cody Rhodes to finally finish the story by defeating Roman Reigns at this year's Show of Shows. Fans' prayers may be answered soon.
There are several ways this can be done. The American Nightmare could perfectly utilize Seth Rollins' aid to defeat The Rock and Roman Reigns on Night One, ensuring a clean match on Night Two to secure his win. Another approach could be to have The Bloodline Rules match at Night Two, with Cody still managing to defy the odds to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Regardless of the approach, the story finally being finished could close the second night.
#5. Roman Reigns wins clean
This may be the most unanticipated ending to The Showcase of the Immortals. After hyping Cody Rhodes' story for over a year, Roman Reigns winning clean will shock everyone. But what if that's the whole point?
Fans noticed the company hasn't booked The Tribal Chief strong leading up to WWE WrestleMania 40. At this moment, it feels like Cody will face The Rock instead of The Head of the Table. However, that may have been done intentionally to catch fans off-guard on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
We can never disregard that Roman Reigns is the same person who defeated the likes of Triple H, The Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, regardless of how strong they were booked. If he brings his A-game, he can defeat the beloved babyface all on his own.
#4. Seth Rollins betrays Cody Rhodes
One of the talking points leading up to WWE WrestleMania 40 was Seth Rollins' involvement in the main event on the first night. Fans, Roman Reigns, and Michael Cole questioned the loyalty of The Visionary, potentially teasing a massive betrayal.
If the teases are meant to have a grand conclusion, Seth Rollins could betray The American Nightmare on the first night, solidifying his heel turn and a rivalry between the two. This will lead to the second night's main event being contested under Bloodline Rules, where Cody Rhodes will have the lowest possibility of picking up the win.
#3. The Rock's master plan
Like Seth Rollins' potential betrayal, the company has dropped several teases of The Rock potentially betraying his cousin on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The Great One notably threw up an "L" when The Bloodline did their classic "We the Ones" pose. He also "mistakenly" said Mama Reigns (Roman Reigns' mother) while targeting Cody Rhodes' mother during his Concert segment on WWE SmackDown. All these teases could be a part of a master plan.
The Rock may have been on Rhodes' side all along and could betray The Tribal Chief, helping The American Nightmare and setting up a rivalry between the two cousins in the process. This will lead to Night One closing with Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on top while The Great One stares down with his cousin.
#2. Stone Cold Steve Austin returns at WWE WrestleMania 40
This may be a wild card that WWE may be planning to pull off at WWE WrestleMania 40, and the teases may have been done in hindsight.
When The Rock brutally assaulted Cody Rhodes backstage on WWE RAW, a truck with Stone Cold Steve Austin's and John Cena's pictures appeared in the background. It may be a subtle tease of Austin's or Cena's potential involvement in Cody's story. While fans may anticipate Cena's return at The Show of Shows, Stone Cold's return will make more sense and come out of nowhere.
If the second night becomes Bloodline Rules, Cody Rhodes will need some backup to defeat The Tribal Chief. When we least anticipate it, the glass could shatter, and the forever rival of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, could return to take out The Final Boss one last time. This could lead to Cody's win, creating a WrestleMania moment to be remembered for ages.
#1. Cody Rhodes gets "injured" on the first night
This will be a somewhat not-so-rare approach that WWE has previously used to make babyfaces look like absolute underdogs just to surprise fans with a spectacular victory.
The best example was when Daniel Bryan injured his arm during his match against Triple H at WrestleMania 30, but he still competed in the main event against Batista and Randy Orton. Surprisingly, despite the setbacks, Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event to close the show. Something similar could happen with Rhodes.
The Rock and Roman Reigns could work together on the first night to ensure The American Nightmare is brutally injured (in kayfabe). After some fans lose hope of witnessing Cody Rhodes complete the story, he will fight against all odds to stand tall against Roman Reigns on the second night, closing WWE WrestleMania 40 with a wholesome moment.