A potential Round 3 between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns is officially on WWE’s internal board.
But it is not yet locked in for WrestleMania 42.
Over the last week, buzz picked up after the WWE Survivor Series: WarGames premium live event ended with a subtle but unmistakable tease. Rhodes and Reigns found themselves on the same side inside the cage, only for a masked man, widely believed to be Austin Theory, swing the match in favor of the heels.
The show closed with Rhodes and Reigns exchanging heated words, immediately sparking speculation that their rivalry may not be finished after all (see photo below).
Now we have an update on where things stand.
In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE does indeed have another Rhodes vs. Reigns match mapped out, specifically for the Undisputed WWE Championship that Rhodes currently holds.
“It’s been confirmed to us that a Rhodes vs. Reigns match for the WWE title is in the plans, although not necessarily at WrestleMania,” Meltzer wrote, before adding some information about other potential top matches for the two-night premium live event on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All.’
Meltzer added, “[Seth] Rollins vs. [Bron] Breakker, Reigns vs. [CM] Punk and Rhodes against someone else could be done. Or Rollins vs. Breakker. Rollins has talked about wanting to wrestle at Mania. We’ve been told this week that it is a possibility but it’s too early to determine if it can happen.”
Rhodes and Reigns are tied 1–1 heading into a potential third showdown. Reigns won their first meeting at WrestleMania 39. Rhodes evened the score at WrestleMania 40, finishing his story and ending Reigns’ record-breaking championship run. Also at WrestleMania 40, the two stood on opposite sides of the ring during the night one main event, where Rhodes teamed with Seth Rollins and Reigns joined forces with The Rock in a high-profile tag-team tilt.
During an appearance on the SI Media Podcast this past summer, Rhodes admitted that pulling off another match with Reigns would be challenging.
“I’m very happy with what we put out there,” Rhodes stated. “I always try to wax poetic about [Reigns], anytime I’ve ever said something a little snarky, I guess it’s been more for entertainment. But I can tell you, that’s probably a very hard match to have happen.”
Regardless, he knows the fans want it.
“But I could see it being very significant, it happening again,” he continued. “And for the fans who really make this all up… for that, you can’t just have two, you know? We split it. So that third exists. And a lot of times, sometimes matches can go in the file of the greatest match that never happened.”
He concluded, “I’m certainly not adverse to it. I don’t know what his outlook on it is. We’re different than we were. And, again, not adverse to it, because we’re split. He won one, I won the other.”
WrestleMania 42 is scheduled to take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. on April 18 and April 19. Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 4/18 and 4/19 for live WrestleMania results coverage.
