Four Possible WWE WrestleMania 40 Directions Following CM Punk's Injury
Punk is expected to miss WWE WrestleMania 40 after hurting his triceps.
CM Punk is injured. The Second City Saint suffered a triceps injury at WWE Royal Rumble that is reportedly significant enough to require surgery. Punk has a history of triceps issues, as he previously tore the muscle at AEW All Out 2022 during a topé suicida dive to the outside of the ring early in his main event championship clash against Jon Moxley. That tear resulted in Punk undergoing surgery and being out of action for the next nine months. No clear timetables on Punk's recovery from this particular triceps injury have been set, but he is expected to miss WWE WrestleMania 40.
This leaves WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins without an opponent. While that bout had never been explicitly confirmed, all signs pointed to Rollins vs. Punk being one of the headlining WWE WrestleMania 40 matches.
Fortunately for WWE, the WWE Monday Night Raw world title scene is as busy as it has ever been. If Punk is indeed out of the picture, here are four possible directions WWE could go with Rollins heading into the Showcase of the Immortals.
Drew McIntyre Finishes His Story
The Scottish Warrior is sick of waiting for his chapter to close.
Towards the end of 2023, Drew McIntyre turned from babyface to tweener, embracing a more aggressive side without fully becoming a heel. McIntyre cited frustrations with how his WWE Championship reigns all came during the empty-arena era and pointed to the hypocrisy of how the WWE fans respond to certain stars. McIntyre had two televised title opportunities against Rollins in recent months but came up short in both.
With Punk out of the picture, McIntyre has the chance to take the WWE WrestleMania 40 main event for himself. Sure, it would be the third time this match has gone down in recent months, but a fresh outcome of McIntyre winning would give the feud new life. Beyond that, McIntyre would finally get his crowning achievement in front of a sold-out stadium, something that has passed him by twice now.
prevnextUnification Bout With Gunther
The Ring General wants more gold.
Ahead of WWE Royal Rumble, Gunther confronted WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, revealing that if he won the battle royal, he would be selecting Rollins as his WWE WrestleMania 40 opponent. Considering how dominant he has been and the lack of credible challengers currently going right now, it's likely that Gunther will walk into Philadelphia as WWE Intercontinental Champion.
If that's the case, WWE could pull a WWF WrestleMania VI, a show that saw then-WWF Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior defeat then-WWF Champion Hulk Hogan to become a double titleholder, with Gunther and Rollins.
"I think that's a possibility," Gunther told ComicBook.com regarding a unification bout. "Yes, because I don't plan on losing the Intercontinental Championship."
prevnextDebuting Kazuchika Okada Goes For Gold
Lincoln Financial Field is an open-air stadium, meaning it is always at risk of rain.
Kazuchika Okada is about to enter free agency. The Rainmaker announced that he would be wrapping up his New Japan Pro Wrestling commitments this month and is expected to take his talents to a western promotion imminently. WWE and AEW have been the top rumored destinations.
If WWE does land Okada, few programs would cement his star power more than an immediate clash with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. It's rare that WWE gives marquee matches, let alone title shots, to new signings shortly after they debut, but exceptions have been made. Both AJ Styles and Finn Balor competed for and won world titles within months after arriving on the main roster. Like Okada, both Styles and Balor came into WWE directly from New Japan.
Beyond the logistics, Rollins vs. Okada is an on-paper dream bout. Both men have topped the PWI 500 within the past ten years and have maintained status within the "best in the world" conversation for the majority of their careers.
prevnextMulti-Man Title Fight
Even with CM Punk going down, the WWE Monday Night Raw main event scene is as stacked as its ever been. Rather than select one man to stand opposite Seth Rollins, why not throw a bunch in the ring?
WrestleMania has been home to many multi-man main event title clashes. WWF WrestleMania 2000 was headlined by then-WWF Champion Triple H defending his title against Big Show, Mick Foley, and The Rock. Chris Benoit left WWE WrestleMania XX with the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Triple H and Shawn Michaels. "The Miracle on Bourbon Street" saw Daniel Bryan upset Batista and Randy Orton to close WWE WrestleMania XXX.
There is a legitimate path that could have Rollins defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against any combination of Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Finn Balor, and/or Shinsuke Nakamura. Even Mr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest could cash in to expand the field further.
Regardless of what direction WWE goes in, the company is far from any need to press a panic button.
WWE Monday Night Raw goes down at 8 PM ET on USA Network.
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