Way-Too-Early Predictions For WWE WrestleMania 40 Match Card

WrestleMania 39 is barely in the rear-view mirror but, as is the case every year, all eyes have turned to 2024 and what WWE might have in store for fans at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The creative uncertainty amid reports Vince McMahon is back in charge of WWE makes it harder to predict, mostly because things can change on a whim.

However, there have already been hints of what fans might see play out on The Grandest Stage of Them All come April 6-7 next year..

One would assume that WWE will be looking for something of substance for AJ Styles to do when he returns from an ankle injury that has kept him out since December.

The Phenomenal One has not wrestled Roman Reigns since Extreme Rules on May 6, 2016, and he would be a fresh opponent for a champion who has defeated everyone in his path.

If nothing else, Styles would represent someone different for Reigns to work with and, more importantly, set up a secondary WrestleMania match for the rest of The Bloodline.

Solo Sikoa and The Usos would likely interfere in any match between Styles and Reigns, as has been the case in most of The Tribal Chief's big title defenses, and necessitate the arrival of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

The O.C. have sat on the sidelines, awaiting a return to television since Styles' injury. Interjecting them into the story and setting up a six-man tag between them, Sikoa and The Usos gives all of the Superstars something to do while Reigns moves onto a different program.

Beyond that, Gallows and Anderson can claim they are the one team The Usos have not beaten in their most recent run of dominance. The two teams have not battled since 2019, which adds another layer of freshness to the program.

This has enough layers to be worthy of a WrestleMania spot if booked by the right person.

Given the situation on Monday's Raw, though, that is a gigantic "if."

Gunther nearly battled Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 39 before WWE officials rightly decided he needed another year of television exposure and strong booking before that match could happen.

Having successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus in a hard-hitting show-stealer on Sunday, The Ring General appears to be well on his way to achieving that.

Assuming Gunther can sustain his momentum, and Triple H still has any say in the direction of the WWE product this time next year, a clash with Lesnar is tailor-made for a stage like the one The Showcase of the Immortals offers.

Let them hit the ring and beat the life out of each other and tell the story of The Beast Incarnate chasing an intercontinental title he has never had the opportunity to compete for, let alone win.

It boosts the stocks of both Gunther and the championship, while giving Lesnar a real shot at the best wrestling match he has had since his series with Kurt Angle and the No Way Out 2004 match with Eddie Guerrero.

There was a time when it seemed Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley would clash for the Raw Women's Championship at this year's WrestleMania.

The match had been teased in a handful of backstage interactions between the women before Ripley ultimately chose to avenge her WrestleMania 36 loss to Charlotte Flair.

One five-star classic and a new SmackDown women's champion later, and the Australian again confronted Belair, this time in the center of the ring on Monday's Raw.

This was not an Easter egg tease, though. This was an up-front, high-profile altercation that ended with Ripley telling The EST of WWE they would get back to this down the road. There is no better time to "get back to this" than 'Mania when it could headline Night 1 in 2024.

The Eradicator proved she is one of the best women's wrestlers on the planet at this year's Show of Shows, while Belair has been showing as much over the last three WrestleManias.

Taking those two women, who will lead the sport into its future, and letting them battle for supremacy on The Grandest Stage of Them All is as star-affirming as it gets. It would also likely result in another instant classic and further establish both as the best of their generation.

We have seen this story play out before.

Cody Rhodes expected to knock off the established star at WrestleMania but was left sitting in the middle of the ring in disbelief while his opponent celebrated. Fast-forward to the next night, when he extended his hand to Brock Lesnar, only to be obliterated by The Beast.

Longtime fans of WWE may recognize this as being eerily similar to the story of John Cena, who lost to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 and then endured a beating at the hands of Lesnar the following night.

Cena would embark on a year-long journey back to the top of the company, where he would battle The Great One and defeat him for the WWE Championship at the following year's Show of Shows.

It is probably too early to assume that is where Rhodes is heading, but it would seem he is still the guy to dethrone The Tribal Chief.

The alternative would be The Rock returning to do so, but the idea of a 50-something part-timer coming back to WWE to knock off the seemingly unbeatable Reigns isn't really desirable.

The time for The Great One was this year and it didn't happen. In Philly, Rhodes finishes his story successfully, even if he is unlikely to be as hot as he was entering the 2023 show.