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One of WWE’s most anticipated matches, the Royal Rumble, isn’t too far away, with talk beginning about who should win the historic bout. Someone whose name has often been thrown into contention for the 2023 event is Cody Rhodes, but with him being out with a long-term injury, and only spending a few months on WWE TV over the last five or so years, it poses the question of whether or not he should be the one to be pushed to the main event scene by winning the Royal Rumble, even if he does recover from injury in time for the show.
Roman Reigns Vs The Rock Is Likely WWE’s Preferred Match-Up
One of the more intriguing things ahead of the Road to WrestleMania is the fact that WWE’s men’s division has just one world champion - Roman Reigns, who is undergoing a legendary and record-breaking run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. With how much WWE has put into him and his reign, it does feel unlikely that he will lose the titles prior to WrestleMania, though it would be better if WWE had two separate titles, especially since Reigns is now more of a part-time performer.
There has been a lot of talk about both who the man should be to defeat Reigns, and who will be the one to face him at WrestleMania 39. The Rock’s name has been someone who is constantly spoken about, with that being one of the biggest money matches WWE has left to put forth when it comes to the legends who are still available for in-ring competition. The story writes itself, but if the match is to be Reigns vs The Rock, then it feels highly unlikely that The Rock would compete in the Royal Rumble match, especially with his outside commitments and the fear of injury ahead of WrestleMania.
Cody Rhodes Is The Best Choice On WWE’s Full-Time Roster
When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, it was clear that he was going to be booked as a major star. His return promo told a story about how Dusty Rhodes never managed to win the WWE Championship, with it being something he was hellbent on achieving during his time back. It felt like he could have even been the one to defeat Reigns, as he was built up strongly during his feud with Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, disaster struck, with Rhodes tearing a pectoral muscle, ruling him out of action at least until the end of the year.
His return timetable seemed as though it could see him ready for the Royal Rumble, and when looking at WWE’s current roster, there is perhaps no one else who is as exciting of a possibility as Rhodes. If The Rock is unavailable, then Rhodes is undoubtedly the right man to challenge for the titles, and to even win them, in what would be a huge WrestleMania moment, with his journey from leaving WWE to returning and winning the biggest prize being a fairytale one. Even if The Rock does come back for WrestleMania, then there is an argument to be made that Rhodes should still win the Rumble.
A Two-Night WrestleMania Is The Answer To WWE’s Problems Ahead Of The Royal Rumble And WrestleMania
WrestleMania is now a two-night event, and that gives WWE a get out of jail free card ahead of the main event title scene, especially with it looking like more of a last minute thing if The Rock does agree to a match at the show. Although it has only been done for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles so far, there is no reason as to why Roman Reigns can’t pull double duty, facing Cody Rhodes and The Rock on alternate nights. Of course, booking this is a challenge, but there are a whole number of possibilities. Reigns could take on The Rock in a dream match on Night One, defeating his family member before then dropping the gold to Rhodes the night after. However, this could threaten to overshadow the huge moment of Reigns beating The Rock.
A better option would be for Reigns to defeat Rhodes on Night One and then also beat The Rock on Night Two. This would further Reigns’ growing status as someone who could well be a living legend in WWE, but it would also set Rhodes up for a redemption story. Rushing a title win is the wrong thing to do, and setting him up for a huge win at SummerSlam 2023 would be much better. Either way though, if he is healthy in time for the event, it would make a big statement for Rhodes to win the Rumble as a surprise entrant. A defeat at WrestleMania could strengthen his babyface run, and it would get fans to rally behind him even more.