Cody Rhodes and six other WWE stars who could be affected by The Rock main-eventing WrestleMania 40

The landscape of WrestleMania 40 drastically changed once The Rock stepped in to essentially challenge Roman Reigns on SmackDown. The move has been met with cheers and jeers, but one thing is certain - it has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the WWE roster.

Winners of the Royal Rumble are 'guaranteed' a title shot at The Show of Shows, but it doesn't always translate into a main-event spot. Winners still mention that in promos to keep with the tradition of earning an event-closing honor.

With The Rock possibly taking a spot that many felt Cody Rhodes earned, the rest of the potential matches have been affected as well.

The American Nightmare is one star who may miss out on a main-event spot this year. The following six stars may join Cody on the outside looking in when it comes to closing one of the nights of WrestleMania 40.

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#6. LA Knight has unfinished business with The Tribal Chief

Nearly every star who has challenged Roman Reigns has grounds for a rematch. As Drew McIntyre mentioned on RAW this week, The Bloodline has interfered in almost every one of Reigns' title defenses.

LA Knight suffered that fate at Crown Jewel and again in the Fatal Four-Way at the Royal Rumble. The Megastar is still one of the most popular stars in WWE and has earned a prime spot at WrestleMania 40.

With The Rock sliding into that spot, it takes a match away from a full-time SmackDown star like Knight.

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#5. Drew McIntyre and #4. Gunther could have replaced CM Punk

Two former rivals could have battled The Architect at The Show of Shows.

Both Drew McIntyre and Gunther have hovered around Seth Rollins over the last few months. The Scottish Warrior has had a few title shots.

Gunther stepped up to Rollins before the Royal Rumble to stake his claim to a match with the World Heavyweight Champ at WrestleMania 40. Once CM Punk's injury was confirmed, Seth Rollins needed a new challenger.

If The Rock faces Roman Reigns, then Rhodes will be forced to face The Visionary. Should that be confirmed at the Kickoff event, then both McIntyre and Gunther could miss out on challenging Rollins at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

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#3. Bayley and #2. IYO SKY were the first match announced for WrestleMania 40

Bayley has her own story to finish at WrestleMania 40.

WWE always hypes that the winners of both Royal Rumble matches will 'main-event WrestleMania.' It's often just lip service as the likes of Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, and Charlotte Flair won the match but didn't close The Show of Shows.

Bayley won the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble, so her path to main-eventing Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 shouldn't have been too hard. Should Roman Reigns close the entire weekend and not face Cody, then a 2024 winner wouldn't net a main-event slot this year.

The former allies still could have battled in the last contest on Night 1 due to the story around Damage CTRL. If Rhodes is swapped over to face Rollins, however, then that becomes even less of a possibility.

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#1. The plans are greatly altered for Seth Rollins

Rollins has never main-evented WrestleMania but could have this year against CM Punk. With The Rock stepping in, it means that one of the Royal Rumble winners will not have the honor of closing one of the show's two nights.

Reigns has main-evented The Show of Shows seven times and was a slam dunk to do so again at WrestleMania 40. A match with The Rock, however, may be better in hype and build than actual in-ring action.

Conversely, Rollins has proven to be the workhorse champion of WWE. He's there every week to take on every challenger. The Rock's involvement throws a wrench into a lot of plans, especially for someone who has always dreamed of main-eventing 'Mania.