Cody Rhodes

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Top WrestleMania 39 Matches Reportedly in Place

WrestleMania 39 is 11 months away, but WWE reportedly already has an idea of what it wants to do at the massive event.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), WWE chairman Vince McMahon has plans in place for some of the top matches at WrestleMania 39.

WrestleMania 39 could be one of the biggest events in WWE history, as it will take place at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

There are many big matches and moments that WWE could put on the card, including a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock, as well as Cody Rhodes possibly achieving his lifelong dream of becoming WWE champion.

WWE often catches flak for booking on a week-to-week basis and not having a long-term vision, but when it comes to WrestleMania, one can only assume that the company has plans in mind throughout the year.

That is especially true if WWE does want someone like The Rock to be part of the show. Since The Rock is one of the biggest and most successful movie stars in the world, he has to be locked in well ahead of time.

WWE hasn't given any indication that Reigns vs. The Rock is on for WrestleMania 39, but it is considered by most to be the biggest possible dream match WWE can do, so it is a safe bet that WWE would jump at the chance to make it happen.

Money in the Bank Stipulation Reportedly Not Changing

Despite confusion regarding the stakes at this year's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, WWE reportedly isn't straying from the traditional format.

In a Money in the Bank preview that has aired multiple times since last weekend's WrestleMania Backlash event, Rhodes said that the winners of the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches will earn the chance to main event WrestleMania.

Since its inception, the Money in the Bank ladder matches have earned a contract for a guaranteed title match that can be cashed in at any time.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), many within WWE believe that will continue to be the case this year and that the wording in the commercial may have simply been a mistake.

A source within WWE also indicated to Meltzer that the top matches being considered for WrestleMania 39 are not expected to involve Money in the Bank winners.

It is possible that WWE accidentally conveyed a confusing message in the Money in the Bank commercial, but it is notable that it aired the commercial more than once rather than making any changes.

Winning Money in the Bank technically could mean that someone cashes in for a title shot in a big match at WrestleMania, but they aren't confined to doing so.

Since many seem to expect Rhodes to be in a world title match at WrestleMania, perhaps the plan is for him to win Money in the Bank and ultimately use it for that purpose.

MJF Reportedly Considering Leaving AEW When Contract Expires

MJF is reportedly frustrated with AEW and may choose to leave the company when his contract expires.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Middleton), MJF is "leaning toward" departing AEW when his contract expires on Jan. 1, 2024. If that happens, WWE would be the only logical landing spot for the 26-year-old rising star.

MJF has been open about his impending free agency and his intention to test the market in interviews. Per Fightful, his desire to hear multiple offers is legitimate and not simply part of his heel persona.

It was also noted by Fightful that there was previously an issue between MJF and AEW president Tony Khan because of MJF doing an interview with Ariel Helwani without notifying AEW or asking for permission first.

MJF and Khan reportedly hashed things out during a meeting, but the "sentiment hasn't necessarily lasted" for MJF.

Another part of Fightful's report noted that MJF and AEW have had contract negotiations, but it isn't believed that the two sides are anywhere close to striking a deal.

One thing potentially working in WWE's favor when it comes to signing MJF is that he has links to the company.

WWE executive Bruce Prichard worked closely with MJF in MLW before MJF joined AEW. Also, MJF is close with Rhodes, who has been booked like a massive star since making the leap from AEW to WWE last month.

WWE undoubtedly has the money needed to compete with AEW to sign MJF, and now that it can present MJF with an example of an AEW guy being pushed to the top in WWE, it may be a highly attractive option for the remarkable talent.

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On Sunday night, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins faced each other in a fantastic WrestleMania rematch. The two have great chemistry together and they managed to tell an even better story this time around. It hardly seems like WWE is finished with this rivalry, so what is Backlash? 

There was a lot of pressure on Rhodes’ first feud since his return to WWE. His time with AEW was so important to the company’s early success, but The American Nightmare became so divisive among its fanbase towards the end of it. As such, he had quite a bit to prove after such a high-profile exit and murmurs that his refusal to turn heel hindered his character.

The Atlanta native had a strong showing during his re-debut at The Showcase of the Immortals but that was kind of a given. The true test would be how well could he ingratiate himself with WWE’s fanbase after the initial shock of his return and consistently play a role on WWE programming.

The Ideal First Opponent

Honestly, the change of scenery has revitalized and vindicated the second generation so far. His current character work seems more focused and his motivation to become a world champion is crystal clear. Surprisingly, he may be the hottest babyface on Raw right now.

That’s what makes Rollins such a perfect opponent. The Visionary is a truly great heel. He’s at his best when he has a stone-faced protagonist to work with because he will work twice as hard to get under their skin.

In return, the 35-year-old will force competitors to tap into the type of resolve that is hard not to root for. We saw a great example of this last Monday as he mocked Dusty Rhodes’s failure to win a WWE Championship. In the process, he got The Son of the Son of a Plumber to emote and capture the fire that made him so captivating during his early run with AEW.

With time to build to their second match, Rhodes and Rollins crafted a simple but entertaining story. The Prodigal Son is back to prove his worth to the company that initially overlooked him by accepting a challenge from one of the biggest stars of this generation. Meanwhile, The Drip God seeks to prove his loss to the returning superstar was a fluke in his ongoing pursuit of validation from an audience that rejected him.

If that’s not enough to get you excited, the video package should have. The clip ahead of the opening match of WrestleMania Backlash beautifully encapsulates the best moment of this build. These competitors went on to deliver the match of the night on an uninspiring card.

More Stories to Tell

The rematch wasn’t quite as good as their impromptu WrestleMania showdown but it did depict a convincing story. With that in mind, logic would dictate that revisiting the match a third time could lead to diminishing returns. However, the finish of their latest encounter leaves the door open for another bout and there’s still more that these two can do while WWE sorts out its world title situation.

This time around Rollins studied his foe. That played a big part in the match but The American Nightmare had also scouted his opponent. This led to a great matchup filled with reversals and attempts at one-upmanship.

In the end, the Davenport, Iowa native was hoisted with his own petard as Rhodes reversed his O'Connor roll and grabbed his tights to secure the win. Of course, The Visionary will just say he had to cheat to beat him but his adversary just outsmarted him because he tried it first.

This would be an excellent way for Rhodes to remain undefeated and leave room for contention so Rollins can demand another rematch. After all, he didn’t win fair and square but he did overcome WWE’s tendency to present its babyfaces as gullible do-gooders. Nevertheless, there is still more ground to cover with this feud and this does justify another match at the next pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell.

This will be an interesting exercise because one could argue that AEW’s program with Malakai Black lasted too long and it ultimately harmed the former TNT champion’s reputation. The company also didn’t do as many longforms feuds as its distinguished competition does regularly. As a matter of fact, WWE tends to book too many rematches sometimes.

Nonetheless, Rollins excels at this kind of storytelling as we saw last year during his ongoing rivalry with Edge. The two took part in a phenomenal trilogy of matches starting at SummerSlam and ending in the fall at Crown Jewel. Expect him to do something desperate or cross another line to raise the stakes and goad Rhodes into giving him a rematch.

A Fight to Crown the Next Contender

It’s unclear what this will mean for The Visionary or who his next target will be. However, the point of this program should be to prepare The American Nightmare for a shot at Roman Reigns. That has been his goal since he came back to WWE so he should keep picking up wins until he earns a title match.

Rollins fit a similar role last year when he gave Cesaro a big win en route to his bout against The Tribal Chief. The Swiss Cyborg was unable to unseat The Head of the Table but his work with The Drip God legitimized his ascent to become the number one contender.

The next move should be for Rhodes to win the WWE Championship. As of now, he is the most viable option to hand Reigns his first loss in over a year and bring the title back to Raw.

Conversely, Rollins still has some claim to a rematch because his former stablemate didn’t beat him at Royal Rumble. It would stand to reason that one of these men will earn a trip to The Island of Relevancy soon. Rhodes should be the one who comes out on top if this continues next month at Hell in a Cell and moves on to challenge the Samoan superstar.