The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid out to get itself a WrestleMania and there’s little doubt they’ll seek some huge names and big storylines to make good on that investment. It’s far too early to get too serious about predicting the card for 2027 when injuries, booking twists, and fan reactions are all but bound to yield major impacts. Just the same, a year out, it’s fun to imagine just where WWE might go.
The Bloodline Runs To The Final Boss
Roman Reigns has had minimal tension and has had off and on kinship with his cousins, The Usos, for the last year and half. The Raw after WrestleMania seemed to solidify that the three are going to be running buddies again as WWE strives to recapture some of the Bloodline magic of years past.
Moreover, Jacob Fatu emerging as the first challenger to The Tribal Chief’s World Heavyweight Championship reign harkens back to the family tensions that largely defined the original Bloodline run.
It would be easy to say that, from 2020 to 2024, The Bloodline ran its course and there were no stories left to tell. There is, however, one very big angle they never arrived at: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock.
The dream match was supposed to go down at WrestleMania 40, but the more organic angle of Cody Rhodes finishing the story derailed that showdown. With each passing year, it increasing feels like “now or never” for The Final Boss to have one last match or to clash with Reigns.
A WrestleMania held in Saudi Arabia feels all but custom made for a night two headliner of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns as a draw that the Kingdom might sweeten the pot on financially, and a match with the kind of name recognition clearly valued in that venue that saw more than its share of Goldberg and Undertaker matches, not to mention Shawn Michael coming out of retirement. A babyface Bloodline dominating the top of the card into 2027 seems very likely and a heel Final Boss is one of the few credible challengers to try to bring it all crashing down at The Showcase of the Immortals.
Cody Rhodes Vs. CM Punk Finally Happens
WrestleMania 42 weekend was bookended by Cody Rhodes and CM Punk cutting promos together. First, they spoke as the two reigning men’s world champions walking out of SmackDown, into Allegiant Stadium. By Raw, Rhodes still had his belt, but Punk didn’t as he teased one day coming for The American Nightmare’s hardware.
Rhodes vs. Punk was briefly teased in AEW and WWE has repeatedly returned to the concept—including the two duking it out at the end of the 2023 men’s Royal Rumble—without ever pulling the trigger on a proper match between the two. Within the last four years, both men have headlined WrestleMania with Roman Reigns. Both have worked extended feuds with the likes of Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre.
Looking ahead to WrestleMania 43, Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk has a nice ring to it as a Saturday main event. Whereas Roman Reigns vs. The Rock would have star power and aesthetic appeal, Rhodes and Punk could offer a more surefire hot feud on the mic week in and week out in the build to ‘Mania, besides a greater likelihood of a top-shelf match in Saudi Arabia.
Oba Femi Defends The WWE Championship
After all but squashing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, it feels like less a question if than when Oba Femi will be a world champion. There are lots of possibilities that include him challenging Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes, and possibly doing so as late as WrestleMania 43.
It’s hard to imagine WWE holding off a whole year on a world title reign for The Ruler, though. Reigns feels fresh as a champion again, while Rhodes feels anything but. So, despite Femi teasing going after the World Heavyweight Championship at the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, it seems smarter for Femi to give Rhodes a fresh challenger and to unseat The American Nightmare, perhaps at SummerSlam.
Part of the beauty of Rhodes vs. CM Punk is that they don’t need a world title to justify a match, and potentially to even close the first night of WrestleMania 43. Rather Femi could do something a lot like what he did this year, kicking off the show with a squash over another top name next year, belt in hand, or else work a more conventional, competitive ‘Mania match with no shortage of fresh opponents to meet him. Names like Gunther, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre jump off the page as intriguing challengers.
Liv Morgan’s Reign Hits The One-Year Mark
There was a lot of buzz around Liv Morgan getting a huge push last summer, culminating at SummerSlam in her home state of New Jersey. But then she got injured. Morgan didn’t miss a beat coming back, though, getting pushed to win the Royal Rumble, getting her music video moment, getting perhaps the most memorable entrance of WrestleMania 42, and most importantly taking the Women’s World Championship off Stephanie Vaquer in Allegiant Stadium.
A lot can happen in a year, but it seems WWE knows what it has in Morgan who combines in-ring ability, mic work, and sex appeal like few others on the WWE roster while still feeling reasonably fresh on top. It’s not too far-fetched to imagine her reigning for a full year.
But what would Morgan do at WrestleMania 43? One path might see WWE lean into the kind of nostalgic legends they often turn to in Saudi Arabia and at WrestleMania alike. Fans who attended the Trish Stratus-centric Flankermania proceedings at the Mandalay Bay casino over WrestleMania weekend heard the legend talk about potentially coming out of retirement for a run at Morgan, and ‘Mania would be a perfect stage for that to happen.
On the flip side, WWE could also make another traditional WrestleMania move and elevate a fresh star to the highest level. Roxanne Perez or potentially even Raquel Rodriguez have history with Morgan and could present an emotional angle opposite her going into the biggest show of the year. Meanwhile, Sol Ruca surprise appearance on Raw, giving Morgan all she could handle in an impromptu match, may well signal what’s to come with the popular, innovative star ascending to a new level in Saudi Arabia.
This feature is all about fantasy booking, subject to the limitations of not knowing what’s on Triple H or the powers that be at TKO’s minds, not to mention the potential for people to get hurt between now and then or fans to turn the tide of WWE creative with their live and social media reactions. We’ll have to wait and see what’s ultimately in store for WrestleMania 43.