WrestleMania 40 Match Card Projection After Royal Rumble, CM Punk Injury

The road to WrestleMania 40 is anything but a straight shot after Saturday night’s Royal Rumble premium live event.

Although Cody Rhodes and Bayley locked in their spots for the Showcase of the Immortals by winning the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, respectively, there’s still some question as to who they’ll each challenge for WWE championship gold at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

CM Punk — the last man eliminated by Rhodes — suffered a significant injury at the Royal Rumble. It seemed like he was on a collision course with WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins, with Rhodes likely to challenge WWE undisputed universal champion Roman Reigns, but Punk now is expected to miss WrestleMania with a torn triceps.

How will WWE pivot with Punk sidelined? Monday night’s edition of “RAW” might’ve offered a glimpse, but Rollins also implored Rhodes to challenge for his title (not Reigns’) and The Rock’s recent return still looms large, as well.

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So, with WrestleMania scheduled for April 6 and 7, here’s what we’re projecting the two-night extravaganza to look like when the dust settles.

(The following match predictions are in no particular order.)

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (undisputed universal championship)
Reigns and The Rock might square off at some point for the right to be called the “Head of the Table.” But it doesn’t appear Dwayne Johnson’s recent tease will stand in the way of Rhodes vs. Reigns II, with the former again attempting to “finish the story” one year after coming up short.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn (world heavyweight championship)
This is the biggest question mark, with Punk out and Rollins nursing a knee injury. Rollins vowed to do all he can to perform at ‘Mania, so let’s assume he recovers in time and carries the belt into the City of Brotherly Love. He might simply face McIntyre, who attacked Punk on Monday, setting up a juicy feud for later. But we saw that match recently, admittedly before McIntyre’s full-blown heel turn. Adding Zayn, who’s in a weird spot yet capable of building momentum over the next couple of months, creates another layer.

Gunther vs. Bron Breakker (intercontinental championship)
Some are pushing for Gunther to challenge Rollins for the world heavyweight championship. Understandable. The Ring General’s intercontinental title reign has been very impressive. But why end that streak before WrestleMania? Gunther brought prestige back to the IC gold and defending that belt on the biggest stage against a formidable opponent is a worthwhile path in its own right. Brock Lesnar initially was the pick here, but recent allegations against him might open an opportunity for someone else. Why not Breakker, a future star who impressed at the Rumble?

Kevin Owens vs. LA Knight (United States championship)
WWE could keep the U.S. title on Logan Paul for the foreseeable future. But what if Owens using Paul’s own brass knuckles against him at the Royal Rumble, and thus getting disqualified, jumpstarts a heel run for KO that involves winning the belt at the Elimination Chamber? (More on Paul later.)

Austin Theory + Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes + Trick Williams (tag team championship)
This is a total shot in the dark. But Damian Priest and Finn Bálor need to drop their tag team titles at some point, perhaps to escalate a feud between the two, and the Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, would be the perfect place for Waller (a native of Australia) to win gold alongside Theory. The duo has immense potential, either in singles or tag-team competition. And the same can be said for Hayes and Williams.

Bobby Lashley + Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Cross and Authors of Pain)
They might settle the score at the Elimination Chamber. Or they could wait. Who knows. But we’ll roll with it. Gotta get these guys on the card somewhere, right?

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso (with Rikishi as special guest referee)
This feels inevitable, especially with Jey and Jimmy drawing No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the men’s Royal Rumble match. Yeet or No Yeet?

Randy Orton vs. Solo Sikoa (last man standing match)
We’ve seen it. So, it’s not really fresh. But Orton’s rivalry with The Bloodline is alive and well. This is an opportunity for Solo to earn another huge win over a legend — after his dominant victory against John Cena at Crown Jewel.

John Cena vs. Logan Paul
Speaking of Cena, here’s where Logan Paul comes into play. The latter just hosted the 16-time world champion on his “Impaulsive” podcast. They didn’t tease a match or anything — they got along very well, in fact — but there’s nevertheless a foundation off which to build. This matchup would go mainstream based on the star power. And WWE even could put Cena’s career on the line, if they want to get really weird. He’s been talking about retirement a lot more recently, including on Paul’s podcast.

Damian Priest + R-Truth vs. Finn Bálor + Dominik Mysterio
At some point, The Judgment Day is going to have a falling-out. And when that happens, Priest and Bálor likely will be on opposite sides. The real debate lies within the details — where do Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Rhea Ripley stand when the rubber meets the road? — and R-Truth is the ultimate wild card, much like Sami Zayn was at the height of The Bloodline saga. WWE should really lean into Truth’s involvement, with Priest’s low-key affinity for him leading to a face turn.

Santos Escobar vs. Rey Mysterio
Another showdown that feels inevitable. Maybe there’s more here (think Bad Bunny), but a 1-on-1 match works, too, with the right build. Escobar has really popped at times.

Bayley vs. Iyo Sky (SmackDown women’s championship)
Bayley said Monday night — after Nia Jax attacked Rhea Ripley — she’ll make her decision Friday night on “SmackDown.” Obviously, Bayley choosing Iyo would coincide with a Damage CTRL breakup, but they’ve long been teasing that, anyway. Jax taking aim at Ripley could be used as a vehicle for such.

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch (RAW women’s championship)
Ripley will need a challenger if Bayley chooses to face Iyo Sky. Nia Jax is a possibility, given her attack Monday night, but they’ll probably throw hands at the Elimination Chamber, where Ripley will be arguably the biggest star in the building as a native of Australia. Enter The Man, for better or worse.

The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka + Kairi Sane) vs. Liv Morgan + Naomi (women’s tag team championship)
Total dart throw here, much like with the men’s tag-team division. But Liv Morgan and Naomi absolutely should be on the card in some capacity. Them joining forces might just work, no?

Bianca Belair vs. Jade Cargill
Cargill made quite an impression at the Royal Rumble and deserves a marquee ‘Mania matchup. WWE could play the long game here, with Belair and Cargill casually crossing paths before going toe to toe at a later date. But neither is entrenched in a feud right now. Let’s make it happen.