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It's that time of the year when we speculate about how the top stars will factor into WrestleMania season.
WWE is thriving following a highly publicized partnership with Netflix to start the year and record gates in 2024. The company will start the road to The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment at Royal Rumble, the first major premium live event of 2025, on Feb. 1.
The debut episode of Raw set up some interesting plotlines as John Cena became the first competitor to announce his entry into this year's men's Royal Rumble match. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns finally defeated Solo Sikoa to reclaim the Ula Fala and the honorary title of Tribal Chief.
CM Punk also seemingly settled the score with Seth Rollins. This could set the 46-year-old on the path to challenge for championship gold and realize his dream of headlining The Showcase of the Immortals.
Fans hope that The Rock's back-to-back appearances on the WWE's flagship series and NXT didn't signal an abrupt change of direction. However, The Final Boss is the most glaring wild card in the equation now.
Let's try to decipher what all this means and answer the biggest questions about these five superstars ahead of WrestleMania 41.
John Cena
Cena effectively kicked off his farewell tour and left fans with plenty to digest on the latest episode of Raw.
Last summer, the star of Peacemaker announced that he plans to retire from in-ring competition at the end of 2025, making the upcoming event his final WrestleMania. It's a bittersweet realization for many viewers who grew up watching him, but he still has a chance to end his storied career on a high note.
As such, the 47-year-old declared himself for his last men's Royal Rumble match and vowed to earn a shot at breaking Ric Flair's record to become a 17-time world champion. Attempting to make history on the road to retirement is the best use of his final year because it sets up matchups with Gunther, Cody Rhodes, or even CM Punk.
Of course, this raises the question of who will be his final opponent on The Grandest Stage of Them All. According to recent reports, Cena vs. Rhodes is the "working idea" for the two now that plans for The Rock are unclear.
This could be the perfect way to pass the torch or cement Big Match John as the greatest superstar of all time. Even if it is a contingency plan, this high-profile match is an exciting option worthy of the bright lights in Las Vegas.
CM Punk
Most of us assumed CM Punk's aspirations to win a world title and headline WrestleMania for the time in his career would lay the groundwork for his match with Rollins at the event.
Instead, the two faced off for the first time since 2013 in the main event of the debut episode of Raw on Netflix. That certainly doesn't close the door on the possibility of a rematch at The Show of Shows, but it's enough to make us second-guess our initial prediction.
After all, WWE would've likely kept them apart until April if that was the endgame. Although this rivalry is probably far from over, this doesn't feel like the build to a bigger match at Allegiant Stadium.
Like Cena, Punk declared himself for the men's Royal Rumble match and called out Gunther again. So, could The Ring General be his WrestleMania opponent following their steel cage match at the live event in his hometown to end 2024?
That would put him in contention for the world heavyweight championship, but it will be interesting to see how his favor from Paul Heyman will come into play. If The Second City Saint wants to compete in the main event, a long-awaited clash with his client would guarantee that spot.
Seth Rollins
Right now, it's unclear what this means for Rollins. If his heated rivalry with Punk doesn't culminate at WWE's biggest show of the year, what's next for The Visionary?
The inaugural world heavyweight champion spent much of 2024 recovering from injuries or seeking revenge, but his sacrifice made him the MVP of WrestleMania 40. Maybe it's time for him to enter the Rumble and fight to regain the title he established.
Cena, Punk, and The Rock currently have better odds of winning, but it's not that farfetched to predict Rollins could win the iconic stipulation match or Elimination Chamber. If he wants to refocus on leading the company into the future, that's his best chance of earning a title shot.
According to Ibou of WrestlePurists, Rollins is slated to challenge Gunther at The Showcase of the Immortals. That would make sense because the two have been circling each other for a while now.
In fact, many expected The Ring General to be the one to dethrone him last year as he rose to prominence as the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion. So, this matchup is long overdue.
The Rock
As usual, The Rock remains one of the most unpredictable elements heading into WrestleMania season.
The coveted dream match Reigns has been a talking point in speculation for the event every year since at least 2018. It seemed like it was finally going to happen last year until WWE pivoted to a rematch against Rhodes instead after The American Nightmare won his second consecutive men's Royal Rumble match.
In the process, a showdown between The Final Boss and the second-generation star became an intriguing prospect. Still, there was no way the company could pass on the opportunity to deliver this highly anticipated battle of two generational superstars again, right?
The company even planted the seed for a much better story than what could've been in 2024, However, The Rock seemingly assured us he wouldn't be involved before we could see it come to fruition.
We don't know how else you could perceive his latest appearances on WWE programming. After all, he made amends with Rhodes and acknowledged Reigns after he defeated Sikoa in Tribal Combat.
In one night, The Great One dropped the heel character he popularized last year and wrapped up the two storylines we expected him to advance. Then, he didn't give us any new breadcrumbs to close NXT New Year's Evil.
It was a real head-scratcher that won't stop many viewers from speculating, but it's safe to assume The Rock isn't currently in play.
Roman Reigns
That leaves us with Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief has headlined The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment for eight of the last 10 years.
The Samoan star holds the record for most WrestleMania main event appearances with nine. That unparalleled accomplishment ensures he will be a focal point again at this year's event, but what role will he play?
For the first time since 2021, Reigns might not step onto The Grandest Stage of Them All as the company's top champion. It has been five years since his last entry in the men's Royal Rumble match.
Ironically, it has also been 10 years since he won the contest and The Rock awkwardly raised his hand to a chorus of boos in 2015. Today, his avid fans would be elated if he became a two-time winner and staked his claim to his fifth consecutive WrestleMania main event appearance.
Still, it's difficult to guess who his opponent will be if it's not The Final Boss. Given the story WWE has presented since November, Rollins makes the most sense, but Punk immediately stands out as a sufficient replacement for The Rock.
Their encounters during the build to Survivor Series: WarGames generated millions of views on YouTube. Considering their history, this could be one of the biggest matches of this generation, and WWE should strike while the iron is hot.
