10: WrestleMania Goes Global

Could we be about to see WrestleMania take place outside of North America for the first time ever? Well, it’s certainly looking that way. Since Nick Khan became involved with WWE, we have seen endless international PLEs. Under the old regime, WWE were frustratingly reluctant to produce international events, but thankfully that has all changed.

The London Mayor has expressed interest in bringing WWE’s signature event to London, and Triple H has outright declared that he is interested in having a conversation with the Mayor. Another country that looks like a possibility is Saudi Arabia, as the country is interested in hosting either a Royal Rumble event or a WrestleMania.

There are numerous factors that will inevitably determine which country outside of North America gets to host WrestleMania, and whilst it is indeed ultimately down to how much the country or city in question is willing to pay, it also depends on established sponsorships and fan interest. 

9: The Rock Dethrones Cody Rhodes

The original plans for WrestleMania XL called for Roman Reigns to defend his Undisputed Title against The Rock. When the infamous angle, which saw Cody Rhodes give up his WrestleMania spot went down, it received an insane amount of backlash, and WWE were forced to deliver a pivot. This pivot would see Reigns vs. The Rock get cancelled, and The Rock would embark on a heel turn that resulted in some of the best work of his iconic career.

Since The Rock pinned Rhodes during night one of WrestleMania XL, it is easy to see that WWE are going to book The Rock vs. Rhodes for the WWE Title at some point. Rumours suggest either SummerSlam 2024 or WrestleMania 41 as the time and place for the matchup, and it may come as a huge surprise that there’s a strong possibility that The Rock wins.

It was reported following WrestleMania that one of the creative pitches for WrestleMania XL was to see The Rock win the Undisputed Title. We also know that the original creative pitch was The Rock vs. Reigns for the Title, so if WWE are still planning on delivering The Rock vs. Reigns at some point down the road, then it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise if WWE books The Rock to defeat The American Nightmare. 

8: Stephanie McMahon Returns To The Creative Team

It was a huge surprise when Stephanie McMahon returned to WWE during WrestleMania XL. Fans were under the impression that McMahon had formally retired from WWE, yet it looks like McMahon is back in the mix in some capacity.

McMahon is beloved within WWE, and it was said to be a sad day in the locker room when she retired from WWE. Whilst McMahon was often characterised on TV as being one of the worst people alive, this couldn’t have been further from the truth, as talent both past and present have spoken extremely highly of her.

Could it be possible that McMahon returns to the creative team? This is a role that McMahon has excelled at in the past, and it may be the most appropriate fit for her. Fans have been crying out to have a female input in the creative department, and having someone as tenured as McMahon in this role could be a major win for the company.  

7: AJ Styles Retires

During WrestleMania XL weekend, the legendary AJ Styles revealed that time is winding down on his iconic career. This is to be expected, as AJ has performed at such an elite level for decades now, and AJ can only go at such a high level for so long.

It’s unclear when exactly AJ’s WWE deal is up, yet it’s entirely possible that we are witnessing AJ’s final ever run in wrestling. We’ve seen recently that AJ has spent a ton of time putting over other talent, and this was proven at WrestleMania XL, when AJ put over LA Knight, and who can forget AJ putting over Cody Rhodes in a 5-star classic at Backlash. 

If AJ does retire in the immediate future, then hopefully he takes on a backstage role, as it’s not hyperbole to state that AJ is one of the greatest ever, and he has so much wisdom to bestow on the next generation. 

6: Michael Cole Steps Back

Michael Cole has been the definitive voice for WWE for so long now, that a strong portion of the fan-base have grown up with Cole calling WWE matches. In his current role, Cole is delivering the finest work of his career. Without Vince McMahon ridiculing him in his ear, Cole is given the autonomy to call matches how he likes, and this has resulted in exceptional commentary from him.

Whilst Cole is still delivering in every aspect of his job, the day is going to eventually come when Cole decides to either reduce his WWE appearances, or simply decide to retire altogether. Hopefully, this is still a long way away, yet Cole has clearly been preparing the audience for this, as he has a habit of calling Corey Graves his “successor”, which is obviously a tease that one day, Graves will take on the role as lead announcer for WWE. Cole is even stating this publicly, and speaking to Awful Announcing in March 2024, Cole stated:

“Corey now has a Corey Graves Voice. A lot of the issues we had were that we tried to develop commentators to be Michael Cole. Now we have a chance to develop Corey Graves. I truly, honestly believe he’s going to be the one to replace me. He’s an incredible human being. He has a great opportunity.”

5: Roman Reigns Slows Down

Since 2022, Roman Reigns has been on a limited part-time schedule in WWE. This has been met with extensive criticism, as Reigns has been World Champion for this entire time-period, meaning that SmackDown has been without a regular World Champion for those two-years.

Following his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL, where does this leave Reigns, well, it’s likely that Reigns’ appearances are even less frequent. Now that Reigns isn’t World Champion, he doesn’t necessarily have to be at every major Premium Live Event, so it’s likely that we only get to see Reigns a few times a year, in a manner that was similar to how The Undertaker was used during his final active years.

Reigns has confirmed in a number of interviews that he has no plans to retire, yet Hollywood is eventually going to come calling for the Tribal Chief, and Reigns is eventually going to have to decide how he wants the next stage of his career to unfold. 

4: RAW ON Netflix = Boom Period

WWE will be moving over to Netflix in 2025, and this is going to change the way fans consume the WWE product. Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms across the world, and RAW being on the platform allows Netflix subscribers who have never seen the WWE product to experience the show for the very first time, without financially committing to anything new.

If the WWE product continues to be celebrated by fans and critics, and WWE continues to deliver sold out shows each and every week, then the Netflix move is only going to enhance the WWE business model, and we could be looking at another boom period.

It’s hard to predict just how WWE on Netflix is going to play out, yet making the product widely available to people in the US, as well as those fans in Europe is a major step forward for the company, and the Renaissance Era is going to continue to be taken to new heights.

3: The Product Pushes Boundaries

Since WWE transitioned into a PG product in the summer of 2008, WWE have made a conscious effort to erase any bloodshed from their programming. This was to appeal to a broad range of sponsors, and this move has been ridiculed by many, as certain matches have certainly missed the element of blood.

Nevertheless, during the road to WrestleMania XL, WWE delivered one of the most intense, yet non-PG segments of all time. The Rock would brutalise Cody Rhodes, and he made him bleed to an extremity like we had never seen before in the PG era. The segment received rave reviews from everyone, and it was exactly what WWE needed to add some fuel to the fire of the WrestleMania build.

WWE did confirm that they will remain a PG product, yet numerous reports have indicated that they will push the boundaries when they see fit. This will be a lot easier when they make the transition over to Netflix, and as long as sponsors and relevant networks are happy, bloodshed and even cursing may be making a more permanent return to WWE programming. 

2: MJF Joins WWE

MJF’s contract situation dominated headlines in 2023, as MJF told the entire world that his AEW deal expires in 2024. Little to no confirmed information is known about MJF’s present situation, as some reports state that his AEW deal has already expired, whilst some reports indicate that MJF is still with AEW.

The possibility of MJF in WWE is an exciting one, especially in an era where WWE are pushing the boundaries of their content, so MJF may not have to worry about offending the wrong people. Additionally, Cody Rhodes, who is WWE’s top star right now is a real-life friend of MJF, and he may be able to influence the talented star to jump ship and become a WWE star.

1: John Cena Retires

John Cena has been slowly winding down his career since around 2017, and now Cena has confirmed during WrestleMania XL weekend, that the end is almost here.

Cena, who is labelled by WWE as the greatest of all time, was WWE’s top guy for over a decade, and the day Cena calls it a day will be a sad day for fans past and present. During WrestleMania XL weekend, Cena stated that he is busy for the rest of 2024, but after Christmas, he will be looking to return to WWE to have one final run in the company.

The timing seems to suggest that the former WWE Champion is hinting at having his final match at WrestleMania 41, and if this is indeed the case, it could be almost time to say goodbye to a legendary WWE name.

Whilst it will indeed be sad to see Cena retire, he will always be involved in WWE in some capacity, so whilst next year could mark Cena’s last ever official WWE match, it’s likely that he still makes cameo appearances for special anniversary shows, and of course, WrestleMania.