Nic Nemeth Analyzes Potential Scenario For Rhodes Vs. Reigns At WWE WrestleMania 40
Roman Reigns is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes for the second consecutive year at WrestleMania 40. Nic Nemeth discussed the title clash on "Busted Open Radio," and the former WWE star initially wondered what would happen to the 2023 and 2024 men's Royal Rumble winner if he were to get pinned on both nights in Philadelphia. Last year at "The Show of Shows," Reigns retained the gold against Rhodes following interference from The Bloodline.
This time, however, the Reigns vs. Rhodes championship match at WrestleMania will have a stipulation attached to it, which will be determined on the opening night at Lincoln Financial Field, with Rhodes teaming up with Seth Rollins against Reigns and "Dwayne" The Rock" Johnson. If Rhodes and Rollins win, then The Bloodline will be barred from ringside for the championship encounter, but if Rock and Reigns pick up the victory, then Reigns vs. Rhodes will be contested under "Bloodline Rules."
Nemeth hopes there is a plot twist on the first night to make people think that Rhodes will not finish his story again. "The story is the chance to have a shot at the title," Nemeth explained. "The story is about fighting through all of the other people to get to this unbeatable Roman ... Not every story has a happy ending; most of them don't actually. So I don't know where this is going, and I hope we get a couple more dips and dives." However, Nemeth did disclose what he thinks could potentially play out at "The Show of Shows" next month while interacting with former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas on the SiriusXM show.
Nic Nemeth pitches booking idea for WrestleMania 40
If WrestleMania's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship bout turns into a "Bloodline Rules" match, Jimmy Korderas, who was a guest on "Busted Open" during Nic Nemeth's appearance, suggested that WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque could bring out Jey Uso, The Undertaker, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to wipe out The Bloodline before the match, allowing Rhodes to take on Reigns on his own under that stipulation. "Busted Open" co-host Dave LaGreca also suggested the possibility of Dustin Rhodes, Cody's brother who works for AEW, helping "The American Nightmare" out. In response, Nemeth said he wouldn't have Levesque introduce those legends and went on to explain his idea.
"Tell the story from the last two years — everything that's happened [since] last year's WrestleMania — [and] counter all that because we've learned more, and Cody's better now," Nemeth said. "And if you can get Dustin, of course, that's huge, and it becomes that family story, and it's the last piece he needed to even out The Bloodline. But I think you could still have all those stars, and you could have that coronation of, 'We made Cody the guy with 'Stone Cold,' The Rock, possibly Triple H.' They're holding his hands up, going, 'Here we go.' ... But now you're splitting the time up, the big WrestleMania win. 'You finally told your story; you overcame all the odds, and it's all because all my heroes saved the day for me.' I think there's a happy compromise."
Nemeth then expressed some of his expectations for Rhodes at WrestleMania, noting "The American Nightmare" might not win at the "Showcase of the Immortals" for the second year running.
Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will headline the second night of WrestleMania 40
Nic Nemeth suggested that if those legends do make an appearance and take out The Bloodline, Rhodes should not immediately defeat Reigns but instead find his own way to overcome "The Tribal Chief." Meanwhile, the current TNA star hopes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson won't be Rhodes' savior at WrestleMania because he wants the former AEW talent to overcome the odds. He also doesn't think Rhodes will emerge victorious at WrestleMania if the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match isn't contested under "Bloodline Rules."
Since the high-stakes tag team match between Rock and Reigns and Rhodes and Rollins was added to the WrestleMania 40 card, various wrestling personalities have attempted to predict what might go down. WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry believes Rhodes will finally "pull it off" and win his first WWE world title at WrestleMania, while ECW legend Tommy Dreamer doesn't think Rhodes will finish his story in Philadelphia, predicting "The American Nightmare" will taste defeat on both nights.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.