Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes Is Reportedly WWE's Long-Term Direction

Roman Reigns defeated 2023 men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the second night of WrestleMania 39. While many people thought that was not the right booking decision, Wrestling Observer Newsletter has indicated that "Reigns vs. Rhodes is the long-term direction for the ultimate destination match." The report suggests their next bout could take place at WrestleMania 40.

"The American Nightmare" spoke with ComicBook earlier this month and made it clear that he's still aiming to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. At the moment, Rhodes is entangled in a feud with Brock Lesnar on WWE programming — "The Beast" attacked Rhodes on the first episode of "WWE Raw" following WrestleMania 39. The pair collided on May 6 at Backlash, where the former WWE Intercontinental Champion managed to overcome Lesnar by turning the Kimura Lock into a pin. The two rivals will battle again at Saturday's Night of Champions premium live event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

Meanwhile, Reigns is set to celebrate 1000 days as WWE Universal Champion on Saturday — "The Tribal Chief" defeated Braun Strowman and The Fiend in a No Holds Barred match to win that belt at Payback 2020. Reigns will be in action at Night at Champions this weekend for the first time since defeating Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. The Bloodline leader and Solo Sikoa will challenge Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at the event. Reigns is reportedly scheduled for July's Money in the Bank premium live event in the United Kingdom and for SummerSlam in August.