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With SummerSlam 2026 in the bag, we head into the Fall, which can often be a bit of a lull for the WWE calendar. Admittedly, having Money in the Bank in October does help to liven things up this year, but it’s still true that all of those long-term booking eyes will now be casting their gazes towards getting everyone in the right place for next year’s Royal Rumble, and ultimately, WrestleMania.
It may be way too far in advance to actually predict exactly what the WrestleMania 43 card will look like, but here are some matches that we’d like to see based on what’s being set up right now in the wake of SummerSlam.
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rey Mysterio and Penta during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Frankly, it’s amazing this hasn’t happened already, because this is the biggest match that people have been clamouring for since Penta joined WWE last January. Mysterio getting injured earlier in the year has put this off for a while, but if Mysterio is potentially going to be winding down his career soon, it would be a massive shame to leave this match on the table. Plus, if Penta were to retire Mysterio, it would be a perfect passing-of-the-torch moment.
Charlotte Flair celebrates winning the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
We haven’t seen AJ Lee in WWE since WrestleMania, and while she may soon be coming back to help Paige with those pesky Bella Twins, by next April, I’d rather see her take on something bigger. Assuming WWE doesn’t somehow put off the Charlotte vs Jade Cargill match they want so badly, AJ Lee feels like the perfect big-match opponent for Charlotte Flair, as they carried their respective generations while completely missing each other in the mid-2010s.
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Bron Breakker during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Breakker and Theory may be the tag champs together right now, but given how little this is doing for Bron Breakker – a guy who should be in the main event scene by now – he’s got to break away from it sooner rather than later. Bronson Reed’s imminent return seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, as the two powerhouses can go on a tear, culminating in a glorious squash of their two former stablemates.
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seth Rollins during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
There isn’t much of a justification behind this one; it just sounds like something cool that I’d like to see. Still, if you want something on the line, I think Trick is one of the leading candidates to win Money in the Bank this year, especially now he’s dropped the US title, so this would be a good way to keep his momentum going and to elevate his position in the card in the build-up to a cash-in.
The Judgement Day is surely on its last legs at this point. While this faction has endured to the point where none of the original members are still in the group, the whole thing feels like it’s one miscommunication away from total collapse. Both Raquel and Roxanne are primed and ready to be elevated in the wake of the group’s dissolution, and in the likely event that Liv Morgan holds onto her title until WrestleMania (probably without defending it at all), it would be the perfect time to tell the story of her underlings rising up.
Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Gunther kicks CM Punk during the Men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
It is wildly unclear whether or not Brock Lesnar is actually retired following SummerSlam. He did call himself “the past”, but it’s not been confirmed by anyone that he’s actually done. Even in the post-SummerSlam press conference, Triple H said that Brock will do what he wants to do, so there’s every possibility we’ll see him again. With that in mind, there is one major match that Brock would still be good for, and that’s Gunther. Gunther needs a reignition after the summer he’s had, and officially retiring the Beast would be a good way to do it.
Jan 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Rhea Ripley celebrates after winning the women s WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
While there may not be enough time to do it properly now, in truth, I think a monster heel Rhea vs super-babyface Iyo might be one of the biggest-possible main events WWE could do right now. It probably won’t done as well as that, but I do think that Iyo Sky is one of the frontrunners to win the 2027 Royal Rumble right now, and Rhea Ripley would be the perfect opponent. The two have bucketloads of history and, most importantly, they have 5-star matches every time they step in the ring together.
Cody Rhodes poses in the ring during the WWE Road to WrestleMania show, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena at Lubbock.
With a handful of live-action flops under his belt, the time seems ripe for The Rock to pick up the phone to WWE and crash another WrestleMania. While it’s true that he’d more likely want to fight Roman Reigns, I think a match with Cody Rhodes is far more interesting. Rock pinned Cody in the main event of Mania 40 Night 1, and then he instigated Cody’s downfall in 2025 when he got Cena to turn heel. All the pieces are there for an incredible story, and if The Rock is going to be around, this is the best way to use him.
Sami Zayn fires up during his match during the WWE Road to WrestleMania show, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena at Lubbock.
Sami Zayn is in a very interesting position right now, and while you may call me a fool, I’m still optimistic that Zayn’s nine-day WWE title reign was just part of the build to something bigger. With WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia, it is the right time to give Zayn the mega-babyface push. He can slow-burn the face-turn over the Fall/Winter, as at the same time, Punk slowly turns heel. With those pieces in place, Zayn can win the Rumble and finally take his place as the ultimate hero of WWE.
Oba Femi is introduced during WWE Friday Night SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday, July 10, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
While I don’t think WWE should wait with Oba Femi, I think – for better or worse – the company probably will find a way to stall Oba’s ascension until WrestleMania, and if they’re going to do that, the reward should be a dominant victory over the Tribal Chief. With Seth Rollins out of the way, I can’t see Roman losing that title to anyone other than Oba, it’s just a matter of when the Ruler will finally take his place atop the world.
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It may be way too far in advance to actually predict exactly what the WrestleMania 43 card will look like, but here are some matches that we’d like to see based on what’s being set up right now in the wake of SummerSlam.
Penta vs Rey Mysterio
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Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rey Mysterio and Penta during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Frankly, it’s amazing this hasn’t happened already, because this is the biggest match that people have been clamouring for since Penta joined WWE last January. Mysterio getting injured earlier in the year has put this off for a while, but if Mysterio is potentially going to be winding down his career soon, it would be a massive shame to leave this match on the table. Plus, if Penta were to retire Mysterio, it would be a perfect passing-of-the-torch moment.
Charlotte Flair vs AJ Lee
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Charlotte Flair celebrates winning the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
We haven’t seen AJ Lee in WWE since WrestleMania, and while she may soon be coming back to help Paige with those pesky Bella Twins, by next April, I’d rather see her take on something bigger. Assuming WWE doesn’t somehow put off the Charlotte vs Jade Cargill match they want so badly, AJ Lee feels like the perfect big-match opponent for Charlotte Flair, as they carried their respective generations while completely missing each other in the mid-2010s.
Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed vs Austin Theory & Logan Paul
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Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Bron Breakker during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Breakker and Theory may be the tag champs together right now, but given how little this is doing for Bron Breakker – a guy who should be in the main event scene by now – he’s got to break away from it sooner rather than later. Bronson Reed’s imminent return seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, as the two powerhouses can go on a tear, culminating in a glorious squash of their two former stablemates.
Seth Rollins vs Trick Williams
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Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seth Rollins during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
There isn’t much of a justification behind this one; it just sounds like something cool that I’d like to see. Still, if you want something on the line, I think Trick is one of the leading candidates to win Money in the Bank this year, especially now he’s dropped the US title, so this would be a good way to keep his momentum going and to elevate his position in the card in the build-up to a cash-in.
Liv Morgan vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Roxanne Perez
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The Judgement Day is surely on its last legs at this point. While this faction has endured to the point where none of the original members are still in the group, the whole thing feels like it’s one miscommunication away from total collapse. Both Raquel and Roxanne are primed and ready to be elevated in the wake of the group’s dissolution, and in the likely event that Liv Morgan holds onto her title until WrestleMania (probably without defending it at all), it would be the perfect time to tell the story of her underlings rising up.
Brock Lesnar vs Gunther
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Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Gunther kicks CM Punk during the Men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
It is wildly unclear whether or not Brock Lesnar is actually retired following SummerSlam. He did call himself “the past”, but it’s not been confirmed by anyone that he’s actually done. Even in the post-SummerSlam press conference, Triple H said that Brock will do what he wants to do, so there’s every possibility we’ll see him again. With that in mind, there is one major match that Brock would still be good for, and that’s Gunther. Gunther needs a reignition after the summer he’s had, and officially retiring the Beast would be a good way to do it.
Rhea Ripley vs Iyo Sky
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Jan 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Rhea Ripley celebrates after winning the women s WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
While there may not be enough time to do it properly now, in truth, I think a monster heel Rhea vs super-babyface Iyo might be one of the biggest-possible main events WWE could do right now. It probably won’t done as well as that, but I do think that Iyo Sky is one of the frontrunners to win the 2027 Royal Rumble right now, and Rhea Ripley would be the perfect opponent. The two have bucketloads of history and, most importantly, they have 5-star matches every time they step in the ring together.
Cody Rhodes vs The Rock
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Cody Rhodes poses in the ring during the WWE Road to WrestleMania show, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena at Lubbock.
With a handful of live-action flops under his belt, the time seems ripe for The Rock to pick up the phone to WWE and crash another WrestleMania. While it’s true that he’d more likely want to fight Roman Reigns, I think a match with Cody Rhodes is far more interesting. Rock pinned Cody in the main event of Mania 40 Night 1, and then he instigated Cody’s downfall in 2025 when he got Cena to turn heel. All the pieces are there for an incredible story, and if The Rock is going to be around, this is the best way to use him.
CM Punk vs Sami Zayn
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Sami Zayn fires up during his match during the WWE Road to WrestleMania show, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena at Lubbock.
Sami Zayn is in a very interesting position right now, and while you may call me a fool, I’m still optimistic that Zayn’s nine-day WWE title reign was just part of the build to something bigger. With WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia, it is the right time to give Zayn the mega-babyface push. He can slow-burn the face-turn over the Fall/Winter, as at the same time, Punk slowly turns heel. With those pieces in place, Zayn can win the Rumble and finally take his place as the ultimate hero of WWE.
Roman Reigns vs Oba Femi
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Oba Femi is introduced during WWE Friday Night SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday, July 10, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
While I don’t think WWE should wait with Oba Femi, I think – for better or worse – the company probably will find a way to stall Oba’s ascension until WrestleMania, and if they’re going to do that, the reward should be a dominant victory over the Tribal Chief. With Seth Rollins out of the way, I can’t see Roman losing that title to anyone other than Oba, it’s just a matter of when the Ruler will finally take his place atop the world.
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