7 Undercard Matches to Book for WWE WrestleMania 40

Thus far on the road to WrestleMania 40, WWE has done an exceptional job of building up the biggest bouts for the two-night event and generating excitement for each one.

The ongoing angle with The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins has kept fans buzzing, Drew McIntyre's chase for the World Heavyweight Championship has been compelling, and the two announced women's title matches are potential show-stealers.

As of March 10, those are the only matches set in stone for the blockbuster pay-per-view, though many more have been teased and are bound to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

This includes championship clashes, scores being settled, and the WrestleMania debuts of a few fresh faces.

Every active championship is on track to be defended on The Grandest Stage of Them All with most of Raw and SmackDown's top talent accounted for.

These are seven undercard 'Mania matches for WWE to book based on what we've seen transpire on Monday and Friday night since the Royal Rumble.

At one point, all signs seemed to LA Knight being the one to not only challenge but dethrone Logan Paul as United States champion at WrestleMania 40.

Somewhere along the way, plans changed–provided that was the plan to begin with–and Paul ended up with two new opponents for 'Mania in Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.

His rivalry with Owens wasn't expected to continue beyond the Royal Rumble, but Owens unintentionally getting disqualified and vowing revenge on the social media megastar created the need for a rematch.

Meanwhile, Orton eliminating Paul from the World Heavyweight Championship number one contender's Elimination Chamber match led to Paul costing him his opportunity to advance to WrestleMania by knocking him out with brass knuckles.

Both Orton and Owens have been hot on the heels of the U.S. champ since then and have come off as a cohesive unit the past two weeks on SmackDown. Triple Threat rules mean that Paul has a greater chance of dropping the star-spangled prize to either of the high-caliber competitors, but there's still a significant chance he escapes with his title reign intact.

LA Knight has been on a quest for gold for many months now and, as previously mentioned, appeared to be in line for a United States Championship opportunity at WrestleMania before WWE changed course.

Before he could punch his ticket to The Show of Shows with a win at Elimination Chamber, AJ Styles interfered and laid out Knight with an emphatic Styles Clash on a steel chair.

Styles' frustration toward Knight stems from the former Million Dollar champion stepping up in his absence last fall and getting a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship instead of him. Knight also cost Styles the chance to compete inside the Chamber on the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown.

The two are virtually guaranteed to put their rivalry to rest in a one-on-one match at 'Mania.

It isn't the most effective use of the once-white-hot Knight at the event, but it's an improvement over being left off the card entirely, which was the case for him at the 2023 installment.

Perhaps a win over the two-time WWE champion will be enough to get Knight closer to championship contention post-WrestleMania.

A six-man Gauntlet match will be held on Monday's Raw to determine Intercontinental champion Gunther's challenger at WrestleMania, and only two men have the best chance of coming out on top.

Although Chad Gable has more history with Gunther and would be the more satisfying option for some, it's hard to imagine WWE leaving Sami Zayn off the April extravaganza after he headlined Night 1 of last year's installment alongside Kevin Owens against The Usos.

Thus, expect Zayn to reign supreme in the Gauntlet and go on to face Gunther with the gold up for grabs.

From there, WWE can spend the remainder of the road to WrestleMania establishing bad blood between them. Zayn has been actively try to redeem himself for months after always failing whenever it has mattered most, while Gunther has been an unstoppable force for almost two years.

It's a simple story to tell, and if executed properly, Zayn unseating The Ring General as champion and handing him his first defeat on the main roster could be a massive moment at 'Mania–unless Gunther's reign resumes past the pay-per-view.

Prior to resurfacing earlier this month, Rey Mysterio hadn't been seen on SmackDown since being sidelined by Santos Escobar back in November. In his absence, Escobar and his new-and-improved Legado del Fantasma rose to prominence and dominated The LWO at almost every turn.

The endgame to their faction warfare was always for Escobar and Mysterio to do battle one-on-one, and with Mysterio finally back from his injury layoff, WWE can pick up where the two of them left off ahead of WrestleMania.

Escobar and Mysterio first joined forces prior to WrestleMania 39, so their story will come full circle with a match at 'Mania this year. The leader of Legado is in his element as a heel, but he can't be elevated to the next level without winning against the WWE Hall of Famer at The Show of Shows.

A multi-person tag team match with the other members of The LWO and Legado is possible, but a singles matchup would pack the most punch, as well as ensure they get the time they deserve and have the gem of a bout they're capable of.

The Judgment Day's dominance of the Raw roster in the last year has been well documented, specifically in the tag team ranks with Finn Bálor and Damian Priest at the helm.

They've conquered almost every team of importance on Raw and SmackDown in the time they've held the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship and are ready to receive their comeuppance at WrestleMania.

There are plenty of talented tandems across both brands who are worthy of taking those titles from them, but from a storyline standpoint, the most logical duo to dethrone Judgment Day is Awesome Truth.

The Miz and R-Truth reunited as a result of having common enemies in Judgment Day, and despite Truth's best efforts to join the group, they've declined his offers and laid him out on every occasion.

The only way their angle can end is with Awesome Truth beating Judgment Day for the belts at 'Mania, if only for a brief run. If nothing else, it would give R-Truth his first win of any kind at the event that the crowd would unquestionably be happy to see.

Of all the potential WrestleMania matches discussed so far, there's been little indication this one will actually happen beyond sheer fan speculation. However, that doesn't completely rule out the possibility of it coming to fruition.

After putting pen to paper with WWE last September, Jade Cargill make her highly-anticipated in-ring debut for the company in the women's Royal Rumble match, where she had a strong showing and racked up several eliminations before being tossed out.

During her time in the bout, she crossed paths with the then-undefeated Nia Jax and managed to slam her down to the mat. It was an incredibly feat of strength and an outstanding visual that has yet to be followed up on with Cargill having yet to sign with either Raw or SmackDown.

She's teased joining the blue brand, but Monday nights are where she belongs. There, she can have her first one-on-one match at 'Mania, who is still a force to be reckoned with despite suffering her first singles loss in years to Rhea Ripley at Elimination Chamber.

Jax vs. Cargill could very well be a disaster, but it could also be a surprisingly entertaining attraction if kept short and sweet.

If Raw does land Jade Cargill, that would take her out of the running as a possible opponent for Bianca Belair on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Belair has gone undefeated at the event for the last three years and needs to find her way onto the card in some form or fashion. Facing Tiffany Stratton looked to the direction WWE was headed in with her after the Royal Rumble, but they've had zero interaction on television since Elimination Chamber.

On Friday's SmackDown, Belair told Naomi in a backstage segment to not sympathize with Bayley after everything she had to endure at the hands of Damage CTRL for so long. Needless to say, that was designed to plant the seeds for something between the two of them.

Belair and Naomi should ultimately come to Bayley's aid against Damage CTRL, leading to them challenging The Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Belair and Naomi would for a fantastic pairing and the tag titles would be featured in a semi-high-profile match at WrestleMania for a change.

The EST could extend her WrestleMania winning ways by leaving as a champion for the fourth consecutive year, and Naomi would regain the gold she never lost two years ago. It's the best bout to book for all involved.

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.