Major Match OFF As WrestleMania 42 Gets Huge Reshuffle (WWE News)

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes III is now OFF!

by Andrew Pollard
Cody Rhodes Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Despite previous reports that WWE was planning to run back Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns once again at WrestleMania 42, those creative plans are now off.

Recent weeks saw various sources note that the creative direction for this year's Showcase of the Immortals was for Reigns to challenge Rhodes for the WWE Championship, with Bron Breakker the favourite to face World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk this April. In the instance of the Tribal Chief and the American Nightmare, this would mark a third WrestleMania singles match between the two, and a fourth 'Mania match, period, when you include Roman and the Rock facing off against Cody and Seth Rollins on Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.

However, speaking on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer says that plans have changed, and that Rhodes vs. Reigns III now won't be happening at WrestleMania 42. This decision was made last Wednesday, which is when WWE decided that Drew McIntyre would be beating Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title on last week's SmackDown.

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While Meltzer doesn't know concrete details on what will be happening at WrestleMania 42, he speculated that it "may" be a triple threat WWE Championship match between McIntyre, Rhodes, and the recently returned Jacob Fatu. The Observer founder also added that such a triple threat contest could possibly take place before the Granddaddy of Them All, too. As for Roman Reigns, though, there's no further information on what could be on the horizon for the OTC at 'Mania.

To circle back to Drew McIntyre's big win on Friday, both Drew and Cody pushed for that title change to happen on SmackDown, which follows similar pitches from the two talents back at Wrestlepalooza back in September. And while WWE opted against pulling the trigger on a WWE Title win for the Scottish Warrior at Wrestlepalooza, things were different this time around.

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With the Royal Rumble taking place on 31 January from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, things should hopefully be a little clearer once that PLE is in the rearview mirror and WWE embarks on its patented Road to WrestleMania.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.