WWE WrestleMania 40 is shaping up to be one of the most star-studded WrestleMania events in both recent years and, arguably, of all time. On top of the shocking return of CM Punk after almost a decade away from the company, The Rock appeared to sow the first seeds of his long-awaited dream match with Roman Reigns just a few weeks ago. Not to mention Cody Rhodes’ hopes of finishing his own story with Reigns, Randy Orton’s recent return, and this year’s WrestleMania being the first to have Paul ‘Triple H’ Leveque in control of the WWE creative reins.
With the Royal Rumble just over a week away, it won’t be long until we get our first look at what the WrestleMania card will look like this coming April. It’s safe to say most fans are clamoring most to find out the plans for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, as he heads into his fourth WrestleMania in a row as Universal Champion, as well as CM Punk.
Dave Meltzer reports in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the current WrestleMania plan regarding Punk is for him to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, the seeds of which have been planted since their face-to-face confrontation on Raw last month. Reigns, meanwhile, is expected to defend his title in one of three scenarios: A singles match against The Rock, a rematch with Cody Rhodes, or a Triple Threat against both The Rock and Rhodes.
As for how the respective matches will be built in the coming months, details are currently unknown. Over the last three years, Reigns retained his Universal Championship at WrestleMania against Edge, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, and Cody Rhodes. Punk, meanwhile, has not competed at The Showcase Of The Immortals since WrestleMania 29 almost 11 years ago. At that event, Punk faced The Undertaker and unsuccessfully attempted to break The Streak, becoming the final star to lose to The Deadman at WrestleMania while his undefeated streak was active.