WrestleMania is the Superbowl of Sports Entertainment and preparing for it takes months, sometimes years, of planning. This, of course, means that rumors and speculation over who will be performing on the Grandest Stage of Them All are constantly being discussed by fans. WrestleMania 39 A.K.A. WrestleMania Goes Hollywood is no exception. Here we will discuss the rumors that swirled around this year’s WrestleMania and then the reality of what actually got booked.
Rumor: John Cena vs Logan Paul
Reality: John Cena vs Austin Theory
John Cena hasn’t had an actual wrestling Mania match since WrestleMania 34 when he lost to The Undertaker. (He had a match against The Fiend at WrestleMania 36, but that was a cinematic Firefly Funhouse.) It would have been a shame for his return in Hollywood to be against a celebrity rather than an active wrestler. Granted, Logan Paul has proven to be an entertaining and capable celebrity to have in the squared circle, which is all the more reason why the John Cena pairing did not make much sense. Instead Paul will be the facing fan favorite, Seth Rollins. Between Rollins’ consistency and Paul’s athleticism, they are sure to deliver a fun match with spots that are likely to go viral.
Meanwhile, John Cena will be facing Austin Theory. This was also a rumor that had been floating around for quite some time, but it didn’t become official until an episode of RAW on March 6, 2023. After a bit of back and forth, Cena accepted Theory’s challenge of facing him at WrestleMania with a warning to “remember this moment because you just made the biggest mistake of your life.” Throughout the promo, Cena proved that he can still hang on the mic with the best of the best as he brutally roasted Theory and pointed out how he is not ready for such a challenge. I really think this match was a great choice. Austin Theory has always been a huge Cena fan so he is undoubtedly excited for this opportunity. He really is a talented wrestler and this should be an excellent way for him to showcase his abilities. Hopefully, he can also win some favor back with fans after his unfortunate push from Vince MacMahon that hindered his growth rather than progressing it. I also think this pairing can be mutually beneficial because Theory can certainly use the rub from Cena and Cena will benefit from having such a young and athletic partner in the ring.
Rumor: Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch
Reality: Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus vs Damage CTRL
The Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch rumor stuck around far too long for my liking. I can almost understand some of the thought process behind it since we never truly got closure on the rivalry between the two, but really the time to have done it would have been at Wrestlemania 35. (And even then I was personally fine with the Triple Threat match because I think Ronda needed to be carried by Charlotte and Becky’s in-ring chemistry.) Besides the fact that I am certain Becky could have carried the promo for that pairing and made it a viable match up, I am glad the WWE decided to go another direction instead of making her do that kind of heavy lifting. Ronda being teamed up with Shayna Baszler right now makes perfect sense so to break that up would be silly. When Becky and Lita pulled off the upset win for the tag team titles, it was an exciting moment, but many worried that this opened the door to have Ronda and Shayna step in to face them for the titles at WrestleMania 39. Luckily, it soon was revealed that the plan was for Trish to join the tag team and together they’d face the Damage CTRL stable of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky in a Six-woman tag team match. I know many wrestling fans are relieved by this booking. It keeps Ronda out of the title picture for now, although her and Shayna are being featured in Night Two’s Fatal 4 Way Women’s Tag Team Showcase where they are likely to win the next shot at the tag titles. It is a shame that it appears the Tag Team titles won’t actually be defended at Mania this year, but considering the legendary past, present, and future star power of this match, I think that is a fair trade off!
Rumor: Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley
Reality: Brock Lesnar vs Omos
It really seemed like the feud between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar was going to get extended through to WrestleMania until Bray Wyatt called next for the winner after Elimination Chamber. Rumor has it that this caused a bit of shuffling backstage. Lesnar was originally booked to come out on top against Lashley, but he didn’t feel like Wyatt’s supernatural elements would mesh well with his more no-nonsense approach. So the switch was made with Bobby Lashley becoming the opponent for Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. (Lashley’s WrestleMania status is currently unknown since Wyatt is now out of action due to physical issues.)
Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania status became a bit of a mystery until Omos, through his mouthpiece MVP, challenged him on the February 20 episode of RAW. Over the next few weeks, the match was built between interactions between Lesnar and MVP and the hype was hard to deny by the time The Beast and the Nigerian Giant finally came face to face. The clip of their staredown, from RAW’s March 13 episode, quickly reached over a million views on Youtube. Their interactions since have continued to build the excitement and the (literal) big match feel. End of the day, we all love watching big meaty men slappin meat and that is exactly what this match is certain to deliver! And if Lesnar delivering an F5 to Omos isn’t enough to get the big man over then nothing will!
Rumor: Roman Reigns vs The Rock
Reality: Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes
The Rock sharing the stage with Roman Reigns in Hollywood seemed like an almost certainty. He even teased the match during season two of Young Rock. Sadly, once WrestleMania season started to come around, The Rock blamed his unavailability on his busy schedule and not being in the right physical shape for the big event.
Enter The American Nightmare. Cody Rhodes was on a great start for his return to the WWE in 2022 when he suffered an unfortunate injury last June. After his now infamous Hell in a Cell match, where he faced and defeated Seth Rollins despite a torn pectoral muscle, he underwent surgery and physical therapy to prepare for his next big return. He was gone less than 9 months before returning at the 2023 Royal Rumble in January where he won his ticket to a title shot at WrestleMania 39. In hindsight, I think this injury has worked in his favor as a face. It has helped give him an underdog vibe despite his dominance since his return, his journey to “finish the story” doesn’t feel dragged out, and fans haven’t had a chance to grow weary of his push.
During Rhode’s absence, Roman Reigns continued to dominate while also elevating the rest of the Bloodline. Sami Zayn joining the Bloodline was one of the best storylines the WWE has produced in years. As Zayn’s popularity grew, many speculated that maybe he should be the one to face Roman at WrestleMania. This opinion became a popular one as Zayn’s ties to the Bloodline fell apart and reached a fever pitch when Roman accepted his challenge to face him in his hometown of Montreal at Elimination Chamber. Roman ended up winning the match and since has focused on keeping his family together while Sami has pivoted toward the tag titles. I, personally, never thought Sami was the right choice to face, let alone defeat, Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. As entertaining as his relationship and break up with the Bloodline was, Sami’s story was always more intertwined with the Usos and Solo than it was with Roman himself. This has been cemented within the story as the resentment of Sami’s betrayal caused Jey to rejoin his brother and the Bloodline and as Sami’s friendship with Kevin Owens has been restored. Rhodes was involved with the reunion of Owens and Zayn and in doing so the good will of fans hasn’t swayed with all three receiving huge pops weekly.
The build up to WrestleMania consisted of several weeks of Rhodes delivering passionate promos and having a few heated verbal sparring sessions with Paul Heyman. The first face to face between The American Nightmare and The Tribal Chief occurred on Smackdown on March 3. The chemistry and main event energy between the two was felt instantly. That first confrontation started civilly enough with Cody respectfully warning Roman that he should take him seriously. But Roman quickly made things personal when he brought his connection to Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes, into the conversation and the segment ended on an emotionally tense note. Since that encounter, Rhodes has shifted from a man chasing a dream to a man on a mission. The confrontations since have been fiery sparring sessions between the two. Roman has demeaned Rhodes and even referenced his failure to get over in AEW. Rhodes punched back by pointing out the fractures in the Bloodline and by ending Solo Sikoa’s undefeated streak on the main roster. By the time WrestleMania comes around I think the hype for this main event is going to be off the charts!
Wrestlemania 39: Wrestlemania goes Hollywood airs live on Peacock on April 1 (Saturday) and April 2 (Sunday) at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
