5 matches that can main event WWE WrestleMania 42

We are just about six months away from WrestleMania 42, and a massive crisis in Seth Rollins' injury may have turned plans for the show upside down. Yet, WWE has a massive number of superstars who are mega over and are just waiting to be slotted into or elevated into WrestleMania main event conversations, along with numerous stories and conflicts among these top stars to pick up and build upon.

Multiple combinations of wrestlers like Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Sami Zayn, perhaps LA Knight and Jey Uso, and now Bron Breakker may end up being the matches main eventing WrestleMania from the men's division, while the women's division also has Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and now Stephanie Vaquer.

In this article, we shall discuss five matches that could main event next year's WrestleMania in Las Vegas.

#1 Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton: Undisputed WWE Championship

Fans have been waiting for WWE to pull the trigger on Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes ever since Cody finished the story at WrestleMania 40. The two have been allied and teamed together multiple times since, and also wrestled in the final of the King of the Rong tournament in a solid match that continued the slow-burn build.

Tensions have not yet even shown, let alone escalated, between the two, but at some point, a full-fledged feud is inevitable, with The Apex Predator more likely to be the one who turns heel on The American Nightmare.

There are several routes WWE can take en route to building up to this massive potential WrestleMania main event. The Viper could head into The Grandest Stage Of Them All as champion or as challenger. And the WrestleMania match could be the first or decisive one of their feud.

#2 Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk: Undisputed WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk share perhaps the most intriguing dynamic in WWE today. They are two of the most impactful and disruptive superstars of this century, and have treaded similar paths.

They have the common AEW past, and they are two of the very best promos and characters in WWE, and among the best in-ring performers in the company as well. Their two promo battles in WWE so far, leading up to the Royal Rumble last year and then this year, were both among the best segments of the year.

There is so much potential there, and the surface has barely been scratched. Punk vs Rhodes remains an unmissable home run whenever it happens, and it is a match that deserves to main event at WrestleMania. With Seth Rollins now injured, they are unarguably WWE's two biggest full-time superstars, too.

#3 Roman Reigns vs CM Punk

With Seth Rollins likely set to be out of action for six to nine months, his WrestleMania status is unconfirmed, but he will probably end up missing the show, and almost certainly won't be factored into major plans considering the cut-and-go timeframe.

Rollins was originally expected to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42, but now that that possibility is seemingly off the table, WWE may choose to have Reigns go up against CM Punk instead. With his part-time schedule, Reigns can realistically only main event opposite Punk or in a rematch with Cody Rhodes, unless he is involved in a World Title match with someone like Bron Breakker.

Rhodes vs Reigns has been discussed internally and is an exciting prospect, but doing it as soon as Mania 42 does not seem like the right use of both men. As such, depending on WWE alters plans, Reigns vs Punk could very possibly main event WrestleMania next year.

#4 Sami Zayn challenging for a World title

When next year's Royal Rumble was announced to be held in Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn was among the favorites to go all the way and challenge for a World Title at WrestleMania. However, the following year's WrestleMania also being announced for Saudi opened that prospect wide open.

Nevertheless, while Seth Rollins would have been a great opponent for Sami Zayn, he also has compelling dynamics with Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes (assuming Kevin Owens isn't back anytime soon).

As such, Zayn challenging for a World title at WrestleMania after winning the Royal Rumble remains a possibility, even though with WrestleMania 43 set to be held in Riyadh, that may be an even better timing for Zayn's first World Title win.

#5 Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair

It is rather surprising that despite her meteoric rise to fame, Rhea Ripley is yet to main event a WrestleMania. WrestleMania 39 and 40 were just too stacked and had there was virtually no chance there, but at WrestleMania 42, the Triple Threat match that opened Night 2 could have legitimately main evented Night 1.

While WWE chose to go with Punk vs Rollins vs Reigns as the main event for Night 1 instead, and these two Triple Threat Matches stole the entire weekend, the fact that serious conversations were had and leaned towards the Women's World Championship match being a main event reinforces that women will be back in that spot sooner or later.

With the overall quality of women's wrestling at an all-time high and Rhea Ripley being presented in the undercard and Bianca Belair out injured, expect the two to be pushed heavily, come WrestleMania season. And that could finally translate into one of the most anticipated matches in WWE today finally happening next year, and very plausibly main eventing WrestleMania.

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Edited by Tathya Sachdev