Wrestling On FanNation

Predicting An Explosive WrestleMania 40 Card

Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, and Randy Orton are only a handful of the stars set to appear at WrestleMania 40
Justin Barrasso|
Predicting An Explosive WrestleMania 40 Card
Predicting An Explosive WrestleMania 40 Card

SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.

Two nights of double main events should power WrestleMania 40

Against all odds, CM Punk is back in WWE. A healthy Randy Orton has returned to the mix. Cody Rhodes is in the midst of a career-defining run.

Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre remain significant players, as do Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, Finn Balor, Becky Lynch, LA Knight, Asuka, and Rhea Ripley. Roman Reigns, of course, sits comfortably on his own island of relevancy.

Contents

  1. Two nights of double main events should power WrestleMania 40
  2. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  3. Would AEW be better off fully incorporating Ring of Honor into Dynamite and Collision?
  4. Tweet of the Week

And that is only to name a few. In other words, the WrestleMania 40 card is going to be incredible.

WWE creative is overseen by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, an old-school booker who takes advantage of every segment on a show. Levesque was hand-taught by Vince McMahon, the most successful booker in wrestling history, so it will be interesting to see if he incorporates one of McMahon’s favorite elements into this year’s WrestleMania: the double main event.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque Offers Inside Look At WWE Storytelling

WrestleMania 40 takes place over the course of two nights in April, allowing for an even greater amount of talent to partake in WWE’s signature event. Adding Punk to the roster gives WWE an incredible boost of energy as it begins the jaunt to its most pivotal stretch of the year. For those who remember the infamous Punk podcast with Colt Cabana from 2014, one that led to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit, one of his key gripes was that he never had the chance to main-event a WrestleMania.

That could very well change on April 6.

Think about the names that have yet to be discussed. Logan Paul will be part of the event, as will Bayley and Intercontinental champion extraordinaire Gunther. Let’s not forget Brock Lesnar and John Cena, too.

Is it possible that Mercedes Mone returns to WWE ahead of WrestleMania as Sasha Banks? In the current landscape, there is more potential for her to thrive in WWE than there is in AEW. That wasn’t the case before Levesque was ensconced in his role as head of creative.

And what about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin? And The Rock?

Since WrestleMania 40 takes place in Philadelphia, could Austin and The Rock–who headlined WrestleMania XV in Philly–open the show? That would be similar to what happened at WrestleMania XXX, but it wouldn’t necessarily have to include Hulk Hogan as it would be highlighting the 25-year anniversary of one of the most significant main events in WWE history.

After years of tepid three-hour productions on Monday nights, Raw finally has a purpose. SmackDown is the best two hours in wrestling. If you stayed loyal during the down years, then this is especially for you.

WrestleMania can’t arrive soon enough.

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • CM Punk and Seth Rollins were both phenomenal on Raw. Rollins laid into Punk, but there will be a receipt coming his way.
  • Punk also had entertaining backstage interactions with The Judgment Day and Kofi Kingston. And he’ll also be wrestling his first match back in WWE the day after Christmas at Madison Square Garden.
  • The Jay Briscoe Memorial Fight Without Honor looks to be an exciting, emotional part of Final Battle this Friday.
  • Athena has done a tremendous job as ROH champion. I’m tempted to say she should keep the belt, but all signs point to Billie Starkz starting her first run as world champ at Final Battle.
  • New Japan Pro-Wrestling is introducing a new title, the IWGP Global Championship.

Will Ospreay Wants IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Would AEW be better off fully incorporating Ring of Honor into Dynamite and Collision?

Samoa Joe just crafted a spectacular 574-day reign as Ring of Honor Television Champion.

For nearly two years, Joe was dominant, dynamic, and charismatic as champion. And then, suddenly, he announced he was vacating the title.

There was no payoff, no bigger story at play. Bigger aspirations are at play: Joe’s focus is on the AEW world title.

There is no more prestigious belt in AEW than the world title, and that is the way it should be. So how does ROH fit into the AEW landscape? And would it make more sense if ROH integrated into AEW?

ROH’s Final Battle pay-per-view takes place this Friday. It is largely dependent on AEW star power like Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and FTR. There is a well-told story set for the main event, as Billie Starkz gets her chance to dethrone ROH women’s champion Athena, but it begs the question: shouldn’t that story be unfolding in AEW?

ROH’s greatest benefit to AEW is the tape library. If and when AEW begins a streaming service, it now has plenty of extra footage to share. Many of its current stars can be highlighted, like Danielson, who was once an ROH staple.

Yet it feels like this brand needs a shot of adrenaline, or an entire change. The ROH world title is merely one of three titles to be collected by the winner of the Continental Classic. Doesn’t that instantly devalue the ROH belt? That is a whole new challenge for ROH champ Eddie Kingston.

The caveat to integrating the roster into AEW is that it makes an overcrowded space even more populated. Whether or not he continues to operate ROH, that will remain a challenge for Tony Khan in 2024.

ROH has yet to find its voice in AEW. Unfortunately, there are no signs that is changing any time soon.

Tweet of the Week

I’m looking forward to seeing The Iron Claw, and the photos that emerged from the red carpet have also sparked plenty of interest.

Published
Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

Home/Wrestling News