Tag: Cody Rhodes

WWE Raw results: Edge learns The Judgment Day isn’t done with him yet

Get full WWE Raw results for Feb. 20, 2023 in Ottawa, with Edge looking to take the United States Championship from Austin Theory.

The old adage about try, try again will be in full effect tonight on WWE Raw in Ottawa.

As you may have heard, Sami Zayn did not write the storybook ending to his personal saga at Elimination Chamber in front of his hometown fans in Montreal this weekend. But it’s possible that a Canadian could still end up sporting some gold before WWE heads back to the U.S.

That’s because Edge has answered the open challenge of Austin Theory for the United States Championship. Both men should feel pretty good coming off big victories on Saturday night. But Theory has a way of coming out on top even when things go against him, and Edge can’t be sure he’s left The Judgment Day completely behind him. That makes it look like uphill sledding for the Rated R Superstar.

Speaking of uphill sledding, Mustafa Ali has been doing plenty of that in recent weeks. While he’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to earn more opportunities, he’s about had it with Dolph Ziggler for … well, not having the same attitude, basically. They’ll try to settle their differences in the ring in Ottawa.

And a late addition to tonight’s card should also have plenty of WrestleMania implications as Seth Rollins battles The Miz. Rollins saw his Elimination Chamber moment ruined by Logan Paul, who also has quite a history with the A-Lister. It will be interesting to see if and how that might come into play tonight.

WWE Raw results in 90 seconds:

  • The show kicks off with a highlight package from the main event at Elimination Chamber.
  • Sami Zayn says his story is entering the final chapter, but it also involves Kevin Owens … only KO can’t let some of the recent past slide
  • Right before side by side commercials, Baron Corbin comes rushing down the ramp and attacks Zayn from behind
  • As Zayn gets help after taking a beating through the whole break, Corbin continues to berate Sami, but Adam Pearce tells Zayn he can head back to the ring, and we’ve got ourselves a match
  • Sami Zayn def. Baron Corbin by pinfall
  • Rhea Ripley sits down with Byron Saxton to look forward, not back
  • Austin Theory says he’s banged up after Elimination Chamber, but he’s still there, still the champ and he’s upset that John Cena’s return is getting more publicity than he is; he’s also ready to beat Edge in “crappy Canada”
  • Mustafa Ali def. Dolph Ziggler by pinfall
  • The Miz and Maryse exchange anniversary pleasantries, with Miz saving whatever news his wife just gave him for next week, and he happily takes credit for the rise of Logan Paul
  • Cody Rhodes gets another visit (virtually) from Paul Heyman, but shrugs off some reverse psychology and remains determined to “finish the story”
  • The Seth Rollins-Becky Lynch Joker trailer for WrestleMania is shown again
  • Asuka def. Nikki Cross by submission
  • Carmella hasn’t thought up a new path to WrestleMania yet but is ready to give a receipt to Asuka, and Seth Rollins stops laughing long enough to address Logan Paul
  • MVP calls Brock Lesnar a coward for getting DQed on purpose at Elimination Chamber, and Omos wants to challenge Lesnar to a match at WrestleMania
  • Seth Rollins def. The Miz by referee stoppage
  • Pearce tells Carmella she can have her match with Asuka before getting another irate call from Chelsea Green, and Bronson Reed mocks Chad Gable for his match preparation
  • Bayley‘s Ding Dong Hello! ends somewhat badly for Damage CTRL after they end up with a title defense against Becky Lynch … and Lita
  • Candice LeRae tries to find out why Cross is following her and it seems like it’s just because Nikki is lonely
  • Bronson Reed def. Chad Gable by pinfall
  • Elias asks who wants to walk with him, and … maybe didn’t want Bobby Lashley to answer that question considering how painful it is; Lashley goes on to brag about the Hurt Lock and says he’ll put down anyone who disrespects him
  • Edge says he’s happy to have put The Judgment Day behind him and is anxious to see if Theory understands that everything can be taken away in an instant
  • Austin Theory def. Edge by pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship thanks to some interference by Finn Balor, who also attacks Edge after the match

Scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.

Cody Rhodes says calling his shot at Royal Rumble better than being a surprise

Rhodes likes the idea that he made a big claim and then backed it up.

When Cody Rhodes was on the shelf recovering from the torn pectoral muscle he suffered last year, the hope for WWE fans was that he’d make his way back to health in time to be a surprise entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble. The thinking went that if Rhodes won it, he could continue his quest to win the world championship his late father never did, facing Roman Reigns in the main event at WrestleMania 39.

All of that played out exactly as theorized, except for one fairly significant difference: Rhodes’ return at the Rumble was no surprise.

In a break from its time-honored tactic of having big stars as unannounced Royal Rumble entrants, WWE produced a series of vignettes focused on Rhodes’ recovery and injury rehab. They were simply teases until the final installment, which flat out announced that Cody would enter the Royal Rumble match in San Antonio.

Was it the right move? It’s easy to see the tradeoff from WWE’s perspective: Hooking people to tune in for the event to see Rhodes make his comeback as opposed to watching and hoping he did.

Since this is wrestling we’re talking about, there are fans who still insist it would have been better off the other way. But in a recent interview with Peter Rosenberg of HOT 97 (h/t POST Wrestling), Rhodes says there was value in having him carry out exactly what he said he would do by winning the Rumble.

“I really didn’t have an opinion on whether it should be a surprise or not, but I do think there’s something about, especially as a character that is being received positively and warmly, hey, I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna do, and you’re gonna take the ride with me, but what I’m saying is gonna happen — and I think there’s something powerful in that messaging,” Rhodes said.

“I hope fans of mine and critics as well can go, ‘oh, okay, well (I’ll) watch, I’m gonna follow this,'” he added. “And I think just having seeing those live events and seeing some of the metrics, as far as I’m concerned on the shows, it seems like people are vibing with it. It’s a discussion, but discussion’s the best.”

Rhodes will have another chance to call his shot when he faces Reigns at WrestleMania in April. Expect another fun debate of this type if he manages to pull it off.

Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn after WrestleMania just makes sense

A Cody vs. Sami program after WrestleMania would be a fun coda to what both men have gone through for the last nine months.

After Cody Rhodes won Royal Rumble and cemented his chance to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, the question became how WWE would weave that upcoming showdown into the existing backdrop of Sami Zayn and his personal journey with the Bloodline.

The answer? Quite well so far.

First, Rhodes and Paul Heyman had one heck of an in-ring conversation to ensure the heat was turned up between the American Nightmare and the Tribal Chief, even without Reigns needing to be present. That segment helped sell Cody’s own quest better than anything WWE has done to date.

The follow-up this week on Raw was also effective. This time it was Zayn seeking Rhodes out, asking if he really believed Sami had a chance to knock off Reigns at Elimination Chamber — which would mean Rhodes would face Zayn at WrestleMania instead. Rhodes implored him to “finish your story” in Montreal in what amounted to a fantastic pep talk.

On the surface, that segment should go a long way to ensuring fans find fulfillment in Zayn’s match this Saturday at Elimination Chamber and don’t get too upset that his ultimate moment won’t come at WrestleMania. But what if it did something else?

What if it was setting up a program for Zayn and Rhodes for after WrestleMania?

Props to Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report for explaining why and how this could work, beginning with Zayn appearing on Raw two days after Elimination Chamber following his almost inevitable loss to Reigns in Montreal:

Imagine a scenario where Zayn tells Rhodes to go finish his story at WrestleMania and win the title that has eluded his family, but know that when he does, Zayn will be right there waiting for him.

It is a scenario that allows Zayn to stay present in the title picture while breaking off to go battle whoever cost him the title at Elimination Chamber. Rhodes heads to WrestleMania for his match with Reigns, wins the title, and when he does, WWE has the Zayn program to fall back on.

This is perfect because it checks off so many boxes. Assuming Rhodes dethrones Reigns in Los Angeles, it gives him the most over top contender possible as he begins his stint as world champion. Imagine the reaction Zayn would get from the always hot Raw After WrestleMania crowd.

WWE could turn Rhodes heel — turns are always most effective when done at their peak and Cody is as popular as he’s ever been as a face right now — and give Zayn yet another uphill struggle. Or keep them both fan favorites, because face vs. face programs can be memorable too.

Regardless of the details of a Rhodes vs. Zayn story, WWE has already sown the seeds for it within the framework of its build toward WrestleMania. That’s some good storytelling, but should come as no surprise given how skillfully it’s handled everything around its world championships for months.

Has WWE narrowed down the choices for who will eventually defeat Roman Reigns?

Will it be Cody Rhodes, The Rock, Bray Wyatt or someone else?

There aren’t many sure things in pro wrestling, but here’s one of them: Roman Reigns won’t be Undisputed WWE Universal Champion forever.

It definitely feels like he might at times, which is a testament to the way WWE has booked Reigns during his current run at the top of the company. He feels unbeatable, not only due to his own in-ring dominance, but because he has the Bloodline backing him. Even in the rare moments Reigns looks vulnerable, his family closes ranks behind him and ensures he stays winning.

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A number of outlets reported that when Vince McMahon was still in charge of WWE, he didn’t have an endgame for Reign’s reign planned out. But things may have changed now that Paul “Triple H” Levesque heads up the company’s creative team, meaning there could be some clarity about when Reigns will finally lose his iron grip on Raw and SmackDown — and more importantly, who will pry it open.

While they stopped short of suggesting WWE knows where and when Reigns may finally be defeated, WrestleVotes recently told GiveMeSport that Levesque and crew have “an idea of who is going to beat Roman,” mentioning Cody Rhodes, The Rock and Bray Wyatt as possibilities.

They have an idea of who is going to beat Roman. I don’t know specifically if it’s Cody. I don’t know if it’s The Rock. I don’t know if it’s Bray. But I think there’s a handful of guys that they would say ‘alright, this makes sense for future.’ But I don’t think it’s happening anytime soon, to be honest with you.

All three of those names have merit. Rhodes was riding a tremendous wave of popularity following his return to WWE earlier this year, and was immediately positioned as wanting to chase the world championship his father never won before getting injured. He’s expected back in early 2023, and would be a prime candidate for a Royal Rumble-to-WrestleMania run like a number of stars have made in the past.

The Rock has been widely rumored to be facing Reigns at WrestleMania 39 almost the minute WrestleMania 38 ended. While there’s been no explicit movement toward making that official, there have been enough hints that it could take place to keep fans’ hopes alive. The issue there would be that if The Rock isn’t sticking around afterward, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to beat Reigns for his titles.

Finally, Wyatt has seemingly lost none of his mystique during his time away from WWE, and is said to be listed internally as the top babyface on the SmackDown roster. There have been reports that the company doesn’t want to rush to a Wyatt vs. Reigns feud, but perhaps WrestleMania is still far enough away to set one up properly.

It could also be someone else entirely, but being the wrestler to defeat Reigns will be a huge deal, one that only gets bigger as each passing week goes by with the Tribal Chief still sitting atop the business. It’s not an exaggeration to say this could be the most important creative decision WWE makes over the next year … unless it chooses to let Reigns continue on.

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Cody Rhodes didn’t leave AEW because of The Elite or CM Punk. Source? Cody Rhodes.

Wanting to “go for the big one” is the most relatable motivation.

As Cody Rhodes continues to rehab and heal up from his torn pec, he’s still finding some time to set the record straight on a few things. Specifically, Rhodes explained why he decided to leave AEW, a company he helped start, to return to WWE.

Responding to a fan on Twitter (whose tweet is now hidden), Rhodes said it wasn’t disputes with his fellow EVPs or CM Punk that made him want to leave, nor was it motivated by financial considerations.

“I didn’t leave because of the Bucks/Kenny,” Rhodes said. ” … and I didn’t leave because of/or have issues with Punk. … Not money, not booking, just a personal issue and my wanting to go for the big one.”

It caught many fans by surprise when it became clear early in 2022 that he and AEW weren’t going to come to terms on a new contract. The thought at the time was that since he, the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega were founders of the promotion and had executive roles, that it meant they were somehow automatically in it until the end.

When Rhodes signed with WWE and proved that wasn’t the case, speculation turned toward whether he had a falling out with The Elite, or perhaps newer talent like Punk who had been brought in after AEW had been around for a bit. Rhodes has now definitively stated that wasn’t the case, and that his motivation was simply to fulfill the untapped potential he saw in himself to prove himself on pro wrestling’s biggest stage.

Considering the reaction he got from fans after his WWE return, it’s hard to argue that Rhodes made the wrong call. He’s expected to go right back to being one of the top stars on the Raw brand as soon as he’s healthy again, which should be within the next few months.

Maybe Cody Rhodes wouldn’t have won the WWE world title we all assumed he would

Maybe Cody Rhodes’ world championship time in WWE would have been later rather than sooner.

When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE earlier this year, he was the very definition of a wrestler with a rocket strapped to his back. Not only did WWE treat his arrival as a big deal, Rhodes himself spoke about how his motivation was winning the WWE world championship his late, great father never did.

Add in the fantastic program Rhodes worked with Seth Rollins and it was easy to imagine that the company had planned for him to win either the WWE Championship or Universal Championship before too long — at least until a torn pec sidelined him for the remainder of 2022.

Then again, maybe not.

A recent Fightful Select report suggests that Vince McMahon, who was still very much in charge of creative at the time, may not have had that endgame in mind so soon.

Fightful Select spoke to numerous sources in WWE who said that as the time that Cody Rhodes sustained his injury, Vince McMahon had not solidified plans to make Cody Rhodes the WWE or Universal Champion. Many assumed it was happening, but we’ve heard that there were not firm plans for the title change in place.

The outlet added that McMahon was instead in favor of Roman Reigns holding both main men’s championships and hadn’t signaled that he was ready to move on from that this summer.

Rhodes’ injury ended up making the whole question moot, but there are some fascinating “what if?” questions to ponder anyway. If McMahon’s personal scandal wouldn’t have forced him out of WWE, would he eventually have been swayed to put one of the world championships on Cody? Or if things proceeded as they did, might the new creative team led by Paul “Triple H” Levesque have pulled the trigger on a title run by this point?

We’ll never know, but assuming Rhodes is still on track for a late 2022/early 2023 return, things might break just right for him anyway. The time-honored mechanism of the Royal Rumble to shoot right into the title picture is practically begging for Rhodes to win it, which would reignite his rocket in a hurry.

And this time, he wouldn’t even need Vince McMahon’s approval to reach his intended destination.

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Could Brandi Rhodes be on her way to join Cody in WWE?

A recent report that Brandi Rhodes took part in a match at the WWE Performance Center suggests a potential WWE wrestling role for her soon.

Brandi Rhodes hasn’t wrestled since early this year when she was still in AEW, but it sound like she may at least be exploring the possibility of scratching that itch in WWE.

Fightful Select reports that Brandi was at the WWE Performance Center earlier this month, and not just to say hi.

We’re told that Brandi competed in a match at a PC Live event. We don’t have details on who she faced, but it was said to have been a “newer talent,” though we’re working to confirm that.

The timing is interesting as her husband, Cody Rhodes, is currently out of action after he suffered a torn pec prior to Hell in a Cell. Rhodes famously competed at the event anyway in an epic match with Seth Rollins, then had surgery shortly after.

With Cody expected back either later this year or in early 2023 — many wrestling fans have already fantasy booked him as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble — it’s possible that WWE is looking to bring in Brandi to have them as a package deal going forward.

While Brandi Rhodes has wrestled in a number of promotions, including ROH and Impact Wrestling, she took part in the most matches during her time in AEW. Perhaps not surprisingly given Cody’s executive status in the company and her own non-wrestling roles, she was booked pretty strongly throughout, though the majority of her in-ring work over since the summer of 2020 took place on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation.

Fightful also noted that its sources say Brandi has kept training at the Nightmare Factory, which also suggests she’s at least thinking about returning to the ring. With new and returning faces continuing to arrive in WWE’s women’s division as Paul Levesque and the creative team put their stamp on Raw and SmackDown, she’d be another intriguing addition should the company decide to bring her in.

It’s time for WWE to split its two men’s world titles back up

It’s time for the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship to once again be defended separately. We explain why.

Roman Reigns is in the midst of the best run of his career, and it was a great idea to have him hold both the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship at once. It’s also an idea that should end soon.

Both men’s world title have been in Reigns’ possession since WrestleMania 38, when he defeated longtime rival Brock Lesnar in a match that ensured one of them (barring a draw or other non-conclusive finish) would leave as undisputed champion. Putting Reigns in that spot made perfect sense, as it only reinforced the untouchable Head of the Table/Tribal Chief persona that has defined his ascent to the top star in the company.

Though WWE didn’t know it at the time and wouldn’t have wished for it, the timing was also perfect due to a relative lack of top card stars during the summer. Cody Rhodes, who the promotion pushed hard since his return, tore his pec and wasn’t around after one heroic outing at Hell in a Cell. Randy Orton has been battling back ailments and had to be taken out of the mix of Reigns challengers, and Big E broke his neck in the spring.

Those are the kinds of talents that help sustain competition around two world titles, and WWE simply didn’t have enough of them around since WrestleMania. Some other wrestlers were elevated in the meantime ⁠— Riddle, in particular, was given a chance to step into an even higher profile spot ⁠— but it’s telling that when the company found itself without its first choice for a SummerSlam opponent for Reigns (reportedly Orton), it played it safe and called Lesnar.

It’s also worked out nicely for Reigns to work a reduced schedule since he could be written as only needing to defend his two championships as a package deal. Yet circumstances are rapidly changing under the new creative team led by Paul Levesque, and splitting the titles up now seems like the smarter way to go ⁠— and the sooner, the better.

For starters, it’s going to be a huge moment for whoever is written to finally dethrone Reigns, and there are two wrestlers who are particularly well-positioned for that honor. One is Drew McIntyre, who had his previous world title run during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, without live crowds. He’s done everything the company has asked of him since then, and having him defeat Reigns at Clash at the Castle, in his native U.K., would be an incredible feel-good moment.

The other top candidate is Rhodes, who is only going to be more over with fans when he returns from injury later this year or in early 2023. Recent reports (not to mention common sense) suggest he’ll be a big part of WrestleMania 39, and what could be bigger than making him part of a world title match in the main event? It’s easy to imagine him winning the Royal Rumble and getting his shot at Reigns in Los Angeles.

If WWE splits up the titles, it can have its cake and eat it too. Let’s say Reigns agrees to put only the WWE Championship on the line at Clash at the Castle; it would be easy to do in a logical manner, having Paul Heyman cook up a reason to risk only one of his client’s titles. That gives McIntyre his much deserved moment while keeping gold around Reigns’ waist as well.

Preferably, that would be the Universal Championship, because Reigns has held it for more than 700 days. By the time WrestleMania 39 rolls around, he’ll be closing in on 1000. How incredible would it be to have Rhodes as the man who finally ends such a dominant reign?

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As an added bonus, splitting up the world championships allows WWE to do intriguing programs with new matchups over the months ahead and give them higher stakes. Karrion Kross, for instance, has made a big impact since he returned a few weeks ago. If McIntyre were to win one of the titles in September, Kross could be the first person in line to challenge him.

Or WWE can use him as an interim challenger for the belt Reigns would still have while freeing McIntyre for his own title feud. And there are still others who seem more likely to be pushed as title challengers under WWE’s new creative team than they might have been even a few months ago, including potential contenders both old (like AJ Styles) and new (Montez Ford, anyone?).

The tradeoff, of course, is that having Reigns lose both championships in one fell swoop would arguably be an even bigger moment for the winner. Still, the reward here seems pretty obvious, and too good overall for WWE to pass up. With Clash at the Castle just a few weeks away, the time is now for the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship to bid each other adieu and be defended separately again, the better to create multiple moments of magic over the next eight months.

No timetable yet for Cody Rhodes return because docs afraid he’ll speed it up

In his latest injury update, Cody Rhodes suggested the doctors don’t want to give him a timetable for his return as he’ll “try and jump it.”

Anyone who saw Cody Rhodes wrestle through one of the most visually uncomfortable injuries in recent memory at Hell in a Cell knows he’s going to try to come back from his torn pec as quickly as possible.

Apparently, Rhodes’ doctors realize that too.

Rhodes provided the hosts of Busted Open with an update on his recovery and said there was to timetable yet for his WWE return ⁠— but for good reason (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).

“I was told the last time I was there for my check up, after PT [physical therapy], they are not going to give me a timeline just yet for when I’m going to be back,” Rhodes said. “Because they are afraid that if they give me that timeline, I’m going to try and jump it by a month or two.”

Though WWE has to be hoping Rhodes can be back in action sooner rather than later given how well he was received since returning to the company earlier this year, it’s done its best to manage expectations. The official update provided in June suggested Rhodes would be out for nine months, effectively taking him off the table until the first quarter of 2023.

But Rhodes himself shot that idea down, saying he had “a plan of my own” for when he’d be back. Maybe the doctors read his Instagram Story before hatching their plan to avoid giving him a timetable.

One thing the American Nightmare didn’t do was downplay the severity of his injury, calling it “pretty gnarly” and saying “I almost hemorrhaged in the surgery because there was so much blood.” He also complimented Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, the doctor who performed his surgery, calling him “the best in the world.”

Other WWE wrestlers who have suffered torn pecs have been out between four and six months, so an optimistic hope for Rhodes to be back in the ring could be anywhere from Survivor Series to Royal Rumble. The latter feels like a very strong possibility since it’s historically been the event where superstars show up after some time away as surprise entrants in the Rumble match.

Just don’t be shocked if Rhodes is on TV even sooner than that, as even his doctors know he’s aiming to shorten his time on the shelf as much as possible.

Someone will finally beat Roman Reigns. Here are 6 realistic possibilities.

Someone will eventually beat Roman Reigns. Here are six ideas for who might get the honor of saying they dethroned the Tribal Chief.

The seemingly unbeatable champion has been an archetype in professional wrestling for decades, but Roman Reigns has taken the concept to a new level. As the current holder of both the WWE Universal Championship (a title that’s been in his possession for more than 650 days) and WWE Championship, he’s the undisputed WWE world champion, and after vanquishing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, he didn’t have any immediately obvious challengers to his throne.

That kind of dominance is rare in the 21st century, but if there’s one certainty that has to be acknowledged, it’s this: Someone will eventually beat Reigns.

Because of the way he’s been positioned, it’s unlikely that Reigns will lose on a random episode of Raw or SmackDown, and he didn’t even have to worry about a Superstar cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase on him until recently. That makes SummerSlam the first logical point for a true threat emerge — either in his scheduled match or a cash-in afterward — and if he survives Nashville, it’s not a stretch to think he could still be the undisputed champion when WrestleMania 39 rolls into Los Angeles in 2023.

Needless to say, it can’t be just anyone who ends up toppling Reigns, as it will be a massive story when it happens. That narrows the list of potential candidates, but here are a half-dozen ideas for who might finally get the honor of saying they dethroned the Tribal Chief, in rough order of ascending plausibility.

Brock Lesnar

Yes, Lesnar had his shot at Reigns in Dallas, and if WWE wanted him to run with the unified titles, it would have, you know, just given him the win there.

That said, Lesnar will remain a main event attraction for as long as he wants to keep working for WWE, never far from the championship picture. His credibility speaks for itself; along with his long list of accomplishments in pro wrestling and MMA, if you just showed a picture of Lesnar to someone who didn’t follow sports entertainment, they’d say that’s the guy who should be champion.

This would be the least inspired choice, but not one that insults fans’ intelligence. WWE is billing the SummerSlam match as their final showdown, so if Lesnar doesn’t beat him there, he’s out of the picture. Unless WWE needs him again, that is.

Bobby Lashley

Like Lesnar, Bobby Lashley has the look of a person who could defeat Reigns — and he’s done it before, winning by pinfall at Extreme Rules in 2018. Yet an extended program would still feel relatively fresh, as the two have met more often in multi-person matches than they have one-on-one.

There’s a perception that Lashley is charisma challenged, but he’s proved to be a capable talker who doesn’t necessarily need a manager to serve as a mouthpiece. His feud with Omos showed a different side of him as well, as he’s rarely been the smaller combatant.

Holding both titles simultaneously would be a big step up for Lashley, but maybe capturing one of them from Reigns would work. Keep an eye out if Reigns still holds both championships after SummerSlam, as Lashley’s chances go up in that case.

Kevin Owens

Now for something completely different. On the surface, Kevin Owens doesn’t leap out as the Superstar to showcase as an undisputed world champion. He’s also more natural as a heel, with an innate ability to push people’s buttons, and the physically smallest of the wrestlers on this list.

But fans love Owens when he’s a face, and giving him a run at knocking off Reigns would be a very popular move. He’s beloved by hardcore fans who have followed him since his indie days as well as WWE loyalists who appreciate all he’s done since he signed with the company in 2014.

And speaking of loyalty, Owens could easily have chosen to depart for AEW or elsewhere when his contract was up toward the end of 2021, but he re-committed himself to WWE. Repaying that by allowing him to be the man to finally end the reign of Reigns would be fitting. He just needs to get over his Elias/Ezekiel/Elrod fixation first.

Drew McIntyre

There was a time when it would have been laughable to suggest Drew McIntyre would be in this position, but since his return to WWE in 2017, he’s proven to be a top star. He’s even made it all the way to the top of the mountain, winning the WWE Championship twice.

Those two title wins famously came during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, meaning McIntyre has never been able to bask in the adulation of the WWE Universe as champion. Tapping him to defeat Reigns would be the ultimate make-good move.

When McIntyre had drifted away from the title picture for a spell, it didn’t seem to lessen how over he was with live crowds. The guess here is that he’d take both titles from Reigns if that’s the way WWE decided to go, as he’d be a believable undisputed champion. Clash at the Castle would make a lot of sense if WWE was going to have McIntyre dethrone Reigns.

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Cody Rhodes

It’s telling that upon his much hyped and anticipated WWE homecoming, Cody Rhodes immediately made it clear that his goal was winning the world championship his legendary father never did (in WWE, at least). That’s something too big to signal if it isn’t going to pay off somewhere down the road.

That doesn’t mean Rhodes is going to be the one to beat Reigns, but it does suggest one of two things: Either he’s going to get a shot at it, or he’ll be a top contender when someone else has finally managed to snag one or both of the titles.

There is some skepticism that Vince McMahon would be eager to make someone whose career kicked into overdrive in other companies into his top champion, but the same thing could be said for McIntyre and he was given the ball at a critical time. Rhodes needs to heal up from his pectoral injury before we see what WWE has planned for him.

The Rock

It’s been widely rumored that The Rock would challenge Reigns at some point — so much so that some fans were expecting him to appear at the end of WrestleMania 38 to set something up for 2023. It wasn’t a stretch since WWE has shown that kind of long-term thinking before, but the night ended and Dwayne Johnson was nowhere to be found.

Yet it could easily still happen. Reigns spent the week after WrestleMania claiming total victory and focused on sending The Usos to unify the tag team championships. He had the feel of an MMA fighter or boxer who has cleared out their division, with no immediate threat to his supremacy on the horizon.

With that in mind, bringing in someone who’s not a regular at this point becomes more sensible. And there’s arguably no subplot as compelling as having The Rock — who isn’t related to Reigns by blood but is unquestionably linked through the greater Samoan pro wrestling family — coming back to point out how the Bloodline has gone too far.

In terms of mainstream appeal, a Rock-Reigns matchup would be hard to top, especially as a headliner for WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood, where Johnson has established himself as a megastar. The longer Reigns goes with the two championships in his possession, the more this feels like something that will evolve beyond dream booking into a real likelihood.