Roman Reigns on a collision course with CM Punk

An argument for why CM Punk should wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41

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Courtesy WWE

Roman Reigns puts wheels in motion for WrestleMania

The more I think about it, the more it feels like WWE outlined their plans for WrestleMania 41 this past Friday on SmackDown when Paul Heyman announced that Roman Reigns is entering the Royal Rumble.

Now that we know Reigns will be in the Rumble, and given what we’ve seen from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who appears unlikely at the current moment to get back into his tights at WrestleMania, it makes the most sense for Reigns to wrestle CM Punk and headline the first night of the event.

And here’s why.

Without The Rock on the card, a Reigns-Punk showdown would be the biggest possible match to headline the opening night of the two-night show. It would also allow Cody Rhodes to wrestle John Cena in the main event of night two. That is the most compelling match possible for the company, and it has the potential to elevate Rhodes to an entirely new tier.

Cody Rhodes and John Cena/WWE

Rhodes was not positioned well on last week’s Raw. Somehow, in all the grandeur of the Netflix debut, he was in the crowd while The Rock took center stage in the ring. How is that possible? And that isn’t a knock on Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who oversees the company’s creative direction. It had to do with Johnson, who wanted the spotlight on Raw, while it should have been Rhodes in the ring surrounded by pyro.

Would any other world champion have been treated that way? There is no way the red-and-yellow Hulk Hogan would have been sitting in the crowd during WWE’s golden era, and neither would “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had this taken place in the midst of the Attitude Era. Yet Johnson’s ego continues to interfere with the show, and that didn’t do Rhodes any favors, even if Johnson was complimenting Rhodes from his pulpit in the ring.

Cena is the perfect opponent, particularly given the emotion surrounding his final year in wrestling. With Cena quarterbacking the match, and not The Rock, this is bound to work out best for Rhodes.

Rock’s ego stands in stark contrast to Punk, who has fit in seamlessly since returning more than a year ago. If he cashes in his favor and asks Heyman for a match against Reigns, that has the potential to be incredible. There’s even more intrigue considering both will be vying to win the Rumble.

In this scenario, Seth Rollins is the odd man out. But he will add value to the show wherever he is placed.

For a third straight year, WrestleMania will be built around Reigns and Rhodes. This time, however, it looks like it will be on different nights, with Punk and Cena both prominently involved.

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What will AEW have in store for All In?

May we fantasy book All In?

Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are destined to headline AEW’s massive stadium show at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. By the time All In comes around in July, it will have been more than seven years since Omega and Okada last wrestled each other.

And there is no better time than the present.

Courtesy AEW

It is a sobering thought to think AEW had Bryan Danielson and CM Punk on the roster at the same time, yet never had the two wrestle. There were likely significant plans for it to eventually happen, but then Punk was removed from the company and any potential of that match disappeared. Especially with Omega’s recent health issues, making this match happen as soon as possible is in the best interests for the company.

Since it is six months away, there is time to get the world belt on either Okada or Omega and turn it into a world title bout.

Another potential match for All In is a TLC-type affair with The Young Bucks, Adam Copeland and Christian, and FTR. Of course, that means Copeland and Christian would have to team together, but somehow forcing the two rivals back together could be a compelling story.

Courtesy AEW

Instead of a TLC match, the best move would be to make it a Ladder Wars match. The Bucks made that their signature match in Ring of Honor, and adding FTR, Copeland, and Christian would give this one a distinctly unique appeal.