CM Punk’s dream of main eventing WrestleMania 40 was shattered at the Royal Rumble, as he tried hard to win the 30-man Royal Rumble match but ended up as the runner-up. At the end of the match, Punk seemed uncomfortable with his hand, and on tonight’s episode of RAW, Punk confirmed that he sustained an injury to his right triceps and will be unable to compete in WrestleMania 40.
The potential showdown between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, was almost confirmed for the main event of WrestleMania Day 2. However, Punk’s injury might change the opponent for Rollins in the main event.
Who are Seth Rollins’ possible WrestleMania 40 opponents?
After tonight’s announcement of CM Punk’s injury, the possibility of him battling Seth Rollins at WrestleMania has diminished. With Punk missing the event, WWE has to announce Rollins’ opponent sooner to promote the event.
One potential opponent for Rollins is said to be the Intercontinental Champion, Gunther. Gunther and Rollins had a face-off on last week’s RAW episode, with Gunther challenging Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight title. It would be great if WWE possibly set up a title vs title match as the main event of WrestleMania.
With CM Punk officially out of the #WrestleMania card, who do you honestly see facing Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on the show now? pic.twitter.com/3H9vm1kRSP
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 30, 2024
Rollins’ long time rival, Drew McIntyre is also a worthy opponent for Rollins at WrestleMania. McIntyre has participated in the main event of WrestleMania 36, where he defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. McIntyre and Rollins has faced three times for the title, but McIntyre was unable to capture the title.
The last and final opponent for Rollins could be the two-time Royal Rumble winner, Cody Rhodes. Rhodes earned his opportunity to main event the grandest stage by winning the 30-man Royal Rumble match yesterday. The American Nightmare can choose any Championship for WrestleMania, but if The Rock intervenes in Rhodes’ storyline, WWE may set up the match between Rollins and Rhodes.
Seth Rollins challenges Cody Rhodes to Wrestle Mania match
On today’s Monday Night RAW, the 2024 Royal Rumble Winner, Cody Rhodes, came out to kick off the show in front of the fans, where he received a huge applause. When Rhodes was set to reveal his opponent for WrestleMania, Rollins interrupted and had a heated argument for why they should square off at the grandest stage of them all.
Rollins argued that Rhodes would make a mistake if he chose to face Roman Reigns, the Universal Champion, instead of him. He asserted that Reigns was not the real champion but the Hollywood champion, the one who cheated his way to the top and rarely defended his title. Rollins made a compelling case for himself, claiming that he is the true champion of WWE, holding the most prestigious title, and referred to Reigns as a “Poser and a Fraud.”
Cody Rhodes says he’ll think about it when Seth Rollins asked Rhodes to choose him for #WrestleMania 40.#WWERAW pic.twitter.com/cD7VsyLvi1
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 30, 2024
For the past one year, Rhodes was eager to finish the story by becoming the WWE Undisputed Champion and he also pointed out Roman Reigns as his opponent after the Royal Rumble match. However, following today’s segment, The American Nightmare appeared confused about whether he’s on the correct trajectory.
Will Cody Rhodes look forward to finish his story by challenging Roman Reigns or change directions to challenge Seth Rollins for the title? Make your prediction in the comment section.
