The Rock, Cody Rhodes or Seth Rollins: Who Should Face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL?
Roman Reigns successfully retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39 last week in Los Angeles. And unless there's an injury or sudden change in plans, it's entirely possible that he'll still be holding WWE's top prize when WrestleMania XL takes place on April 6-7, 2022. This then begs the question of who will he be facing at the event. While the event is still a year away, three names have emerged — The Rock, Seth Rollins and a rematch with Cody Rhodes. Let's break down all three options.
WWE returns to pay-per-view with the Backlash 2023 event on May 6. The show will take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico with Grammy Award-winner Bad Bunny as the host.
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock
First, there's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who has been rumored for a match with "The Tribal Chief" for years. Many assumed this would be the year to do it given WrestleMania's Hollywood theme and setting, but Johnson couldn't make it happen due to his busy schedule. Dave Meltzer discussed this in the later Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
"Reigns had pretty much gone through everyone at the top tier on the roster, and with the exception of Gunther, or of course The Rock," Meltzer wrote. "Dwayne Johnson, when he turned down this year due to schedule, did leave a crack in the door open about possibly doing Philadelphia at WrestleMania 40 next year, but that was far from a commitment and certainly nothing anyone should count on happening. There didn't appear to be another new challenger on the horizon."
Johnson himself has played into the speculation a number of times. The latest was when he posted a video message following WrestleMania 39 Night One, sending a direct message to The Bloodline.
"I gotta tell you, I'm so excited for not only all the matches but especially the main event with my cousin, Roman Reigns, the Universal champion. To my family ... the entire Bloodline, Jey, Jimmy, Solo, we're so proud of you guys. Kick ass, electrify SoFi Stadium, do what you do. It is in our blood. And, who knows, maybe, just maybe, down the road, I'll see you in person. I'll just leave it at that," Johnson said before raising an eyebrow.
While Reigns vs. Rock certainly provides massive box office potential, it doesn't necessarily need to have the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship involved. Reigns' "Tribal Chief" run has always been centered on his position of power within his own family, something Johnson could naturally challenge him for. Having Reigns drop the title ahead of that match could also be beneficial to the booking, as the result would be a foregone conclusion in Reigns' favor if the world title was on the line give Johnson's incredibly limited schedule.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Reigns and Rollins have been connected ever since The Shield first debuted in WWE back in 2012. And while their record in singles matches is even, Reigns has never beaten Rollins in a one-on-one bout when a world championship is on the line. That streak has even survived Reigns' current run as he deliberately got himself disqualified when the two clashed over the Universal title at the 2022 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Reigns pitched the idea in an interview with Daniel Cormier last week — "I think Seth is a good answer. We have a lot of open-ended history. I think there's a lot of competitive brotherhood there. There is an estranged love due to our past history. There's always been, and this is just Seth, underlying friction to where we can easily butt heads. And that's caused us, as we move further away from The Shield, to plant our feet on the line we've drawn in the sand. I couldn't run away from this business. This is all he's ever wanted to do, and I'm just better than him. That's not a lie. I'm better than him."
The matchup is certainly worthy of a WrestleMania main event. Rollins has established himself as one of Monday Night Raw's top babyfaces over the past year but has openly said in interviews that he feels he can't reach the "top guy" status in WWE simply because his WWE career overlapped with Reigns. That could lead to some explosive promos in the build-up to the match and a win would eternally establish Rollins as Reigns' Kryptonite. The only downside is that Rollins has already held WWE's top prize four times, so a win wouldn't be considered a "passing of the torch" or a "dawn of a new age" moment. That distinction goes to...
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
It's been a week since WrestleMania 39 and there's still a sizable portion of the WWE fanbase who felt Rhodes should have beaten Reigns. Not only would that have finally moved Reigns and The Bloodline into the next chapter of their group's saga, but it would finally crown Rhodes as a top guy in WWE and give a much-needed refresh to the main event scene.
And while it seems like Reigns vs. Rhodes II is a forgone conclusion, it might be better for both men if the match happens long before next year's WrestleMania. Fans are starting to grow weary of Reigns' part-time status, the rest of The Bloodline doesn't have much to do in his absence and fans could easily cool off on Rhodes if he has to spend the next year spinning his wheels.
Of the three, who do you think should be Reigns' opponent at WrestleMania XL? Give us your thoughts in the comments!