7 WWE Superstars in Danger of Missing WrestleMania 40

Even with several Superstars sidelined from WrestleMania 40 due to injury, WWE will have no issue filling out the card and delivering an epic two-night event.

There's an embarrassment of riches with the Raw and SmackDown rosters right now, meaning there are bound to be members of both brands who are left off The Show of Shows.

Most of the marquee matches are already locked in, and some names don't have an obvious direction en route to WrestleMania.

Of course, anything can change between now and April 6-7, especially with Elimination Chamber still to come on February 24. However, there are only so many spots between the two nights of 'Mania and not everyone will be able to be included.

Seth Rollins' injury means his WrestleMania match—whatever it ends up being—could also be in jeopardy, but as of now, all signs point to him being cleared to compete in time.

CM Punk and Charlotte Flair won't be as fortunate, while others will be forced to miss 'Mania as a result of not having any creative plans in place.

It's egregious to think of a WrestleMania 40 card without Kevin Owens anywhere in the mix after he headlined the last two installments.

Neither of those back-to-back main events were a coincidence, either. His outing against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38 exceeded all expectations, while his and Sami Zayn's Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship win over The Usos was a beautiful masterpiece and the strongest story heading into last year's showpiece.

Owens went on to have an enjoyable five-month title run alongside Zayn before being traded to SmackDown, where he's had a solid stint so far in feuds with Austin Theory, Grayson Waller and Logan Paul.

Although he failed to take the United States Championship from Paul at the Royal Rumble, the disqualification finish was designed to keep the program alive. It's expected to wrap up at Elimination Chamber and pave the way for LA Knight challenging the YouTuber at WrestleMania 40.

That leaves KO without an obvious opponent for the event. He has no connection to Randy Orton, but if he were to turn heel in the not-too-distant future, that could be a bout worthy of the 'Mania billing.

Owens previously missed The Show of Shows in 2019 due to plans changing last minute, and he shouldn't have to suffer a similar fate in 2024.

AJ Styles finds himself in a similar spot to Kevin Owens in that once his current storyline runs its course, he has no clear-cut path to WrestleMania 40.

He resurfaced on SmackDown in December following a three-month hiatus, donning a dark persona and attitude. He immediately set his sights on Roman Reigns while also making enemies out of Randy Orton and LA Knight.

The Phenomenal One came up short in his pursuit of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, so beyond continuing to feud with Knight through Elimination Chamber, it's unknown what more WWE has in store for him.

Styles boasts an incredibly impressive 'Mania résumé with matches against the illustrious likes of Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Edge, Orton, Shane McMahon and Shinsuke Nakamura under his belt.

WrestleMania 39 was the only installment he missed due to injury, and it would be booking malpractice for him to be left off this year's card as well.

There's no need for him to rekindle rivalries with Orton or Owens, and Knight and Paul will potentially be busy with each other, so not many credible options are left unless he takes on a returning or debuting star such as Bron Breakker or Kazuchika Okada (if WWE is somehow able to land the latter).

Last August, Liv Morgan was put on the shelf with a shoulder injury that was credited to Rhea Ripley in storyline. She made her triumphant return in the women's Royal Rumble match last weekend but was the last one eliminated for the second straight year.

It's safe to assume she won't rest until she exacts revenge on Ripley, but the issue is that the women's world champion already has an opponent lined up for WrestleMania 40 in Becky Lynch, an objectively bigger name.

Ripley vs. Lynch is not yet set in stone for The Show of Shows, but the seeds were planted prior to the Royal Rumble and it's been in the works for many months.

If Ripley vs. Morgan did happen, Lynch wouldn't have a high-profile match at 'Mania unless she resumes her rivalry with Nia Jax and avenges that loss from Day 1.

WWE could go the Triple Threat route, but Ripley vs. Lynch one-on-one is the much likelier option. It would be a bummer for Morgan to make it back for WrestleMania season only to be left off the card for the first time since joining the main roster.

If WWE brings back the WrestleMania Showcase tag team matches, it's possible she reunites with Raquel Rodriguez, but that's only if Rodriguez can return by then. As such, Morgan's plans for The Showcase of the Immortals remain in doubt.

Shinsuke Nakamura deserves plenty of credit for the career resurgence he is currently experiencing.

The Artist coasted for a good five years before finally finding his footing as a heel last summer, and he's been on an outstanding run in that role ever since.

Although he's racked up losses to Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes, Nakamura has been featured more prominently on programming than at almost any other point in his WWE career.

However, despite the excellent work he's been doing as of late, there's been no indication he'll factor into plans for WrestleMania 40. At best, he could be competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-WrestleMania SmackDown, which would be a waste of The King of Strong Style.

At the same time, no other match makes sense. He's already feuded with Rollins and Gunther, and the only non-title bout he could have would be against Kazuchika Okada.

That appears to be as much of a long shot as Nakamura being in action at WrestleMania this year.

On the road to WrestleMania 39, Dominik Mysterio was far and away the hottest member of The Judgment Day with more heat than the other members combined.

That was a direct result of his rivalry with Rey Mysterio, which culminated in a show-stealer between the two on Night 1 of WrestleMania last year. He's managed to maintain that nuclear heat since then and has had a presence across Raw, SmackDown and NXT.

Dominik dropped the NXT North American Championship for a second time at Deadline in December and subsequently became an afterthought in the group. Even JD McDonagh gets more focus as part of his program with R-Truth.

Rhea Ripley will be defending her Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 40 no matter what, while Finn Bálor and Damian Priest will likely take the tag titles into the weekend as well.

That leaves Dominik without a storyline of his own. He's bound to appear in some capacity, but in terms of being in a match, he might have to miss 'Mania the same way Priest did last year (before battling Bad Bunny at Backlash a month later).

Bianca Belair not being involved with WrestleMania 40 may sound asinine on paper, but Charlotte Flair getting injured when she did drastically hurt The EST of WWE's chances of competing at the event.

If Bayley vs. Iyo Sky for the WWE Women's Championship was always penciled in for WrestleMania, it stands to reason that Belair and Flair would have been on a collision course of their own.

Amazingly, WWE has never had a non-title singles match for the women at WrestleMania that didn't have a silly stipulation attached to it. That could have changed with The Queen and The EST, but now Belair is without a WrestleMania dance partner.

Naomi and Jade Cargill couldn't have come into the company at a better time, though. WWE could find a way for Belair to work with either of them, as opponents or as partners.

The EST is currently promoting a new reality show with husband Montez Ford and is also one of the biggest female faces in the company, so it would rather shocking if WWE doesn't end up carving out a spot for her somewhere on the card.

Bobby Lashley's presence at WrestleMania throughout his career has never been consistent, and this year is no different.

After being involved in forgettable midcard matches at The Show of Shows in 2019 and 2020, he successfully defended the WWE Championship in spectacular fashion against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 37. He then ended Omos' undefeated streak at WrestleMania 38.

Prior to WrestleMania 39, he kicked off a storyline with Bray Wyatt that was dropped due to Wyatt having to take time off from television for health-related reasons. With that contest canceled, WWE instead slotted Lashley into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-WrestleMania SmackDown and had him win that as a consolation prize.

It was a disservice to The All Mighty for him to not take part in WrestleMania last year, making it all the more important that he redeem himself with a match on the grand stage this year.

Despite being entrenched in an angle with The Final Testament, there's no guarantee it will play out at 'Mania, which puts his status for the show into question.

A clash of titans between him and Bron Breakker would have a better chance of making the card, but either way, it's imperative he compete at WrestleMania 39 coming off last year's debacle.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.