6 WWE matches that could be bigger than Canelo vs. Crawford

Boxing has one of its biggest events in years coming up with Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford set for this Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. And with the bout streaming worldwide on Netflix without a pay-per-view wall, the historic matchup is expected to break several box-office and viewership records. Hopefully, the bout itself lives up to all the hype, for that is a major point of discourse in all of combat sports, including professional wrestling.

While Canelo is defending the Undisputed Super-Middleweight Championship, Crawford, undefeated and already a two-division former Undisputed Champion and four-division former World Champion, is moving up in weight class, chasing history. While the nature of building up to and delivering on the biggest matches in professional wrestling and professional boxing is quite drastic in distinction, the superfight, being jointly promoted by TKO and Saudi Arabia's Sela, has featured a ton of promotions via WWE.

With next year's WrestleMania set to return to Las Vegas and WWE's recent announcement (in Vegas itself) that Mania will be heading to Riyadh in 2027, it has been abundantly clear that Saudi Arabia is looking at The R

ock headlining that show, against either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes. While WWE is looking at a humongous $250 million payday in guaranteed money for WrestleMania Weekend in Riyadh, major stars like The Rock also have the opportunity to potentially claim the biggest paychecks of their wrestling careers.

TKO undoubtedly facilitates unprecedented commerce for combat sports, especially with its partnership with Saudi Arabia, and while it is tough to look at that in a vacuum while discarding any ethical or political suggestions that might have, it does open up the opportunity to have some of the biggest matches ever in professional wrestling, whether in Vegas or Saudi. With that said, in this article, we shall discuss the possibility of WWE promoting six matches in the near future that could be even bigger than Canelo vs Crawford.

#1 The Rock vs Roman Reigns

The Rock vs Roman Reigns is perhaps the biggest match in terms of mainstream appeal and opportunity that WWE has in its vault, and it not only has a natural story but has actually been built toward quite spectacularly during The Final Boss Run in 2024. WrestleMania 40 showcased that Dwayne Johnson can still go, and the build to the match illustrated just how captivating he can be as a character.

The determinants at hand, besides Rock's physical ability by the time 2027 arrives, would be availability and motivation. As for the former, negotiations are on, and WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia isn't something Dwayne Johnson will back out on. As for motivation, if the love for the game isn't enough by itself, then a few dozen million dollars surely ought to do it. For Roman Reigns, it could make him more mainstream than ever.

#2 The Rock vs Cody Rhodes

The Rock and Cody Rhodes' on-screen dynamic turned out to be brilliantly captivating and uncomfortable on the Road to WrestleMania 40 and on the few occasions since. And yet, a match or proper feud never materialised, much like the aforementioned one. On the contrary, The Rock's presence, and then lack thereof, left a sour aftertaste to Rhodes' incredible first reign as the WWE Champion.

The Rock's involvement with Cody has been subject to polarising debate, and rightfully so, and while speculation regarding their real-life equation is not the subject of this article, it is quite evident that Dwayne Johnson wrestling either Reigns or Rhodes will be The Final Boss's decision, and WWE Creative will have to make that work. There is potential either way, and a lot would be on the line behind the scenes in this scenario.

#3 Steve Austin vs CM Punk

Saudi Arabia is looking at getting Stone Cold Steve Austin back for WrestleMania 43, and if Austin were to make a return, there is no man better suited to be his opponent than The Best in the World, CM Punk. There are plenty of massive matches waiting for Punk: from his imminent blowoff vs Seth Rollins to massive box office potential and layered storytelling nuance waiting to be explored against Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns.

However, if Austin vs Punk were to ever be a reality, WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh would be the only time and place for a match of such extraordinary proportions. There are a ton of roadblocks in the way of making the match happen; the biggest one being Steve Austin's willingness and physical shape. Nonetheless, in professional wrestling, we never say never.

#4 Sami Zayn winning his first-ever World Championship

Until a few years ago, Sami Zayn was barred from appearing on WWE's shows in Saudi Arabia. Since 2023, he has been the biggest babyface in the country. Saudi fans have embraced a man of Syrian origin as not just one of their own, but as the man who represents them on the global stage. Sami is no less than a national Saudi icon now.

When WWE announced that Royal Rumble 2026 would be held in Riyadh, fans anticipated a Royal Rumble win for The Ultimate Underdog in his home far away from home of sorts, before going on to WrestleMania 42 vying for a World Championship. While that may still happen, WrestleMania 43 being in Riyadh opens up the potential for something even bigger: Zayn becoming World Champion in Saudi Arabia.

The story and moment would be unique to professional wrestling, for this is the only form of sports or entertainment that could deliver something of such magnitude and magnificence. As for who his opponent could be, Sami Zayn's character has unique and compelling dynamics with almost every major main event star in WWE, unlike perhaps anyone else in WWE. The man standing between Zayn and his destiny could be Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, or even Jey Uso.

#5 Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk

In terms of exploring humongous untapped potential, the biggest story WWE has to tell would be, in the words of Jim Cornette, "the biggest match in AEW history (that never happened)." That match would feature The American Nightmare against The Voice of the Voiceless.

There are multiple stories on multiple planes waiting to be told between the two men, and their two wars of words ahead of Royal Rumble 2024 & Royal Rumble 2025, perhaps among the very best of their individual segments since their respective returns to WWE, which have had an extraordinary batting average throughout, only scratched the surface of the magic the two can create.

The best thing about this match is how fresh it would be, despite their shared history, and the lack of any reliance on nostalgia or the desperate quest for mainstream attention or box office returns. Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk would be a program between two men who have mastered their craft, unlike almost anyone in the history of professional wrestling, and that is what draws people to the art form that is pro wrestling in the long term. The match could headline WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, with the WWE Championship on the line.

#6 Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins

WWE is very clearly building towards the defining clash of the Seth Rollins-Roman Reigns rivalry, very plausibly for WrestleMania 42. The history between the two is perhaps the most comprehensive one fans can find between two wrestlers in the modern era. Despite having wrestled on countless occasions, they haven't gone one-on-one in almost four years, and have, in fact, not had a match that ended decisively in almost a decade.

Reigns vs Rollins may not be as fresh as Rhodes vs Punk, but there are years of lore to be unraveled in what is one of the biggest matches WWE can promote involving active members of the roster, much like Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk. Seth Rollins' heel turn back in 2014 and the implosion of The Shield remains the genesis of modern WWE, and perhaps the greatest "Plan B" anyone has ever had. WWE may choose to go in an alternate direction for WrestleMania 42, in which case, it can always be saved for WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh.