Buy or Sell Nixed WrestleMania 41 Matches, Rock's Failed Rhodes Plan, More WWE Rumors

The pro wrestling rumor mill, believe it or not, ramps up after WrestleMania, rather than quieting down for a cozy “offseason” of sorts.

And it’s not that hard to see why, right? 

Exiting WrestleMania 41, there is buzz around major scrapped matches, injuries, changed booking plans, Superstar absences and so much more. 

This is especially true coming out of this year’s ‘Mania, specifically, and more interest than ever in rumors after the weird absence of The Rock around John Cena’s title win. 

To help fans keep pace before the rather quick turnaround to the Backlash PLE, here’s a look at the most notable rumblings and whether fans should buy or sell on each. 

The Rumor

About one of those matches that fell apart. According to Fightful Select (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the Wyatt Sicks vs. The Judgment Day match collapsed due to an injury suffered by Bo Dallas. 

Reaction

It’s an outright shame the card didn’t have this stable vs. stable matchup to get everyone a showing. But might it end up being a blessing in disguise? Perhaps WWE can get some good long-form storytelling going here and give the payoff match a major spotlight on a less-crowded PLE.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. Some of the wrestlers in the orbit of these factions were around for ‘Mania. But it obviously all comes screeching to a halt if Bo Dallas couldn’t make it work. 

The Rumor

When it comes to the chaos around Becky Lynch, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Ortman) reported that she pitched everything that happened. 

Reaction

To review, after Bayley was written off, Lynch linked up with Lyra Valkyria at ‘Mania and won the women’s tag titles, only to drop them on the Raw after ‘Mania, turning heel on Valkyria in the process. 

Buy or Sell?

Buy. This doesn’t have to be some super-negative thing the internet seems to want it to be, though. If Bayley is dealing with an injury or otherwise couldn’t make it work, Becky coming back and taking the spot made sense. Immediately dropping the titles is a little weird, but if it ends up helping Valkyria and the women’s intercontinental title scene, it’s a good move.

The Rumor

When it comes to wrestlers missing at ‘Mania, Solo Sikoa was one of the most notable. According to Bodyslam.net‘s Cory Hayes (h/t Ortman), Sikoa was never in the plans for the big show. 

Reaction

This is a little surprising, but the report does go on to shoot down suggestions that Sikoa could’ve been involved in some way between John Cena and Cody Rhodes or been the mystery opponent for Randy Orton. Both of those things would’ve drawn a poor fan response.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. At the end of the day, there are just only so many spots on ‘Mania cards. Sidelining Sikoa momentarily, letting him cool off, then potentially getting him in a feud with Jacob Fatu over time would make sense.

The Rumor

How did Joe Hendry challenging Randy Orton come about? According to Hayes (h/t Ortman), Orton actually handpicked Hendry as the mystery challenger. 

Reaction

On one hand, Orton having some say in the mystery opponent makes sense after his previous plans went off the rails. Whether his liking of Hendry’s work was the deciding factor, though, is hard to say. 

Buy or Sell?

Sell. A lot of factors go into a decision like this. TNA was probably asking for something. And once Orton’s spot on the card was up in the air, his actual time was likely cut down to give other things on the card more shine. Orton squashing a non-WWE wrestler while generating an amazing reaction beats him squashing a WWE wrestler without a comparable reaction. 

The Rumor

Get ready, ‘Mania main event haters. According to Hayes (h/t Ortman), there’s a pitch for Cena to team up with Travis Scott in a tag-team match in 2025. 

Reaction

Scott was far and away the most hated aspect of the main event. The fact fans thought he would lead to The Rock showing up was a big part. So was the fact Cena could’ve had help from literally any wrestler and it would have made sense. Alas, it’s not shocking to think Scott will get back involved in some way. 

Buy or Sell?

Huge sell on a tag match happening. Scott isn’t going to be Logan Paul or Bad Bunny in the ring. And to think that WWE would waste one of Cena’s final appearances on a tag match like that would be devastating. The farewell tour should be about dream matches and goodbyes, not desperately grabbing at social media clout. 

The Rumor

The Rock’s shadow remains over WWE right now. According to Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer (h/t Ortman), Rock’s plan for Cody Rhodes was to have him turn heel—and while that didn’t happen, he could still force it at a later date. 

Reaction

It sure feels like there’s a power struggle going on in the background of WWE between Triple H and Rock. Maybe they’re leaning into it in order to create that perception for entertainment. But one can connect the dots between Rock’s interactions with Cody, Cody not turning heel, then Cena abruptly turning heel as a result.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. It’s a shame things have ended up like this. Rock wanting Rhodes as a heel is believable enough. That his absence played a huge role in the disappointment around a ‘Mania main event and Cena’s long-requested heel turn has soured things with no great resolution in sight.