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Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 40 opponent remains a topic of debate among fans and wrestlers. In a recent podcast episode, AEW star Matt Hardy named Cody Rhodes as the most likely man to face and possibly dethrone The Tribal Chief.
Reigns defeated two-time Intercontinental Champion Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. For many months, The American Nightmare and The Rock appeared to be the only two candidates to face the Bloodline leader at WrestleMania 40. However, CM Punk has now emerged as another realistic contender.
On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy addressed whether Rhodes could beat Reigns at The Show of Shows on April 6-7, 2024:
"I think so. I hope so. I was just gonna say, too, I thought it was really interesting he had an interaction with CM Punk where CM Punk said he wants to actually be in the last match, main event of WrestleMania, and he wants to finish his story, so there was already a good dynamic with them in the Royal Rumble." [56:38 – 56:57]
Rhodes is currently feuding with Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW. Reigns, meanwhile, is scheduled to face AJ Styles, LA Knight, or Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2024.
How Cody Rhodes could set up Roman Reigns rematch
On January 28, Cody Rhodes outlasted 29 other superstars to win the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble match. He went on to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, where interference from The Bloodline ultimately cost him from winning the title.
As Matt Hardy referenced, CM Punk and Rhodes have already declared their entries into the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match. Realistically, a second successive Royal Rumble victory represents Rhodes' most probable route to a WrestleMania 40 rematch with Reigns.
The former AEW Executive Vice President is assigned to the RAW brand, while Reigns is a SmackDown roster member. For that reason, they are unlikely to cross paths again unless one superstar switches brands or Rhodes wins the Royal Rumble.
Do you think Cody Rhodes will dethrone Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
