Cody Rhodes is fighting Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Unless The Rock can go in time for WrestleMania 40. Otherwise, it would be foolish to bet against “The American Nightmare” facing “The Tribal Chief” at the big show.

Though Rhodes is a strong candidate, that doesn’t particularly mean that he has to win the Royal Rumble to fight the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion as Elimination Chamber does follow the Rumble pay-per-view. This article is mainly focused on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the potential opponents who could be facing RAW’s top dog at the biggest show of the year. 

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Gunther

Seth Rollins’s title reign is unpredictable. There’s a strong possibility that he’ll drop the belt before the big show. The current story of the champion being a wounded animal further aids that notion. However, that storyline can further the notion that he’s a noble hero who continuously overcomes the odds.

Damian Priest is a big factor as well as he’s primed and ready to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Though the story with Gunther would work better with Seth Rollins, Gunther has been holding the fort as the WWE Intercontinental Champion and his momentum grows with each match that he has. Gunther WILL be either the WWE Undisputed Universal or WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 

The question is when. The company can easily do a champion vs. champion match at WrestleMania 40. Or they can have Gunther drop the belt between now and March. Either way, if Cody Rhodes doesn’t win the Royal Rumble, the smart money seems to be on Gunther as he’s ready to be the next face of the Monday Night brand. 

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Bron Breakker

Bron is ready for the main roster. He’s simply spinning his wheels down in NXT. Though an immediate title shot at WrestleMania 40 would be a huge leap for the former NXT Champion, Breakker has quickly risen as one of the top names in the developmental brand and it wouldn’t be so outrageous for the company to pull the trigger so quickly as they’ve pushed the worst wrestlers to the moon before.

Breakker may not win, but shooting him into the main event scene would easily put him in the upper echelon of talents. WWE needs some new blood in the main event scene. Why not take a risk with a guy who has proven to be a star in NXT? Breakker may not be perfect inside of the ring, but he’s a quick learner, and working with guys like Seth Rollins will only make him a better athlete. 

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Sami Zayn

Sami and Damian Priest have an established rivalry so a connection would be deeper if Priest walked in WrestleMania 40 as champion. However, Sami has not won the big title yet on the main roster and the company can always tell the story of the former WWE Tag Team Champion still trying to capture the big one.

Sami Zayn has proven that he can win over WWE crowds because of his instant likeability and talent overall. He may not seem like a long-term champion, but the veteran does deserve an opportunity to be the top dog because of his strong ability to tell a story inside and outside of the ring. 

Him against Seth Rollins is the more compelling story because their characters are both different, so that clash of styles can also translate into some interesting characterization. WWE has never been great with babyface vs. babyface matches. But Triple H has more hits than misses, so I’m confident he can pull off a build between these two. 

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Solo Sikoa

Solo Sikoa’s status for WrestleMania 40 remains intriguing. He can end up only being used for interference at the showcase of the immortals. However, the Bloodline bodyguard has excelled since being called up to the main roster and there’s an interesting story to tell if Roman sent Solo after Rollins so the Bloodline can dominate all of the WWE.

Given Bloodline’s alliance with Judgment Day, there’s also a fun wrinkle to add between Sikoa and Priest (should he successfully cash in) that could see a war between the two WWE factions. Sikoa is certainly meant for big things in the future and he’ll surely be a champion someday. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that championship turned out to be the WWE World Heavyweight title first. 

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Carmelo Hayes

Another NXT talent who deserves to be thrust into the main event immediately. Granted, there’s no telling whether Hayes (or Breakker) will work on the main roster. Though NXT and the main roster are similar, talents have floundered in the past because they simply weren’t ready to be put in a main-event position. However, Hayes has proven himself in the developmental brand and deserves an opportunity to challenge for the big gold.

2023 should be the year new talents emerge in the main event scene. Hayes is a tremendous wrestler and has strong charisma that allows him to get over as both a heel and babyface. There’s also a cool factor about his character that can translate well over to the RAW and Smackdown audience. 

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