Roman Reigns' WWE WrestleMania 42 Opponent Changed

Roman Reigns has long been touted as a challenger for one of the world titles at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. He opened night one this year in a triple threat match, suffering defeat after Seth Rollins pinned him.

Dave Meltzer has suggested that the plan was for Reigns to face Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at next year's Mania. Those plans changed when Rollins sustained a shoulder injury and was forced to vacate the title and undergo surgery.

The plan now is for Reigns to face WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at the Show of Shows and it looks likely this will be night two's main event. Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

"The last time I asked about Mania and (Seth) Rollins it was that the option was still open but it was far from a sure thing. Rollins vs. (Roman) Reigns, at the time for the title, was the planned main event of one of the nights, but obviously that as a title match is out the window and it’s looking like (Cody) Rhodes vs. Reigns as the big match of the show."

Rollins earlier this week that he was 3–4 months away from returning to the ring, which could mean he returns just in time for WrestleMania 42. But this wouldn't give him enough time to build a storyline for a Reigns match, and WWE would need to put the title on the Tribal Chief before the big event.

A third entry in the Reigns-Rhodes rivalry looks to be on the cards and is an intriguing direction for WWE to take, given that both are currently babyfaces. They are tied at one apiece at WrestleMania, so whoever comes out on top next April may well have won the war between two of WWE's fiercest rivals.

WWE Could Use Seth Rollins in Other World Title Match

CM Punk remains World Heavyweight Champion but he puts his title on the line against Bron Breakker on the RAW on Netflix anniversary show on January 5th. It could mean Breakker wins the gold on the Road to WrestleMania 42.

Reports coming out of Survivor Series: WarGames claimed that WWE were eyeing Reigns to challenge Rhodes and for Punk to collide with Breakker at Mania. Whether those plans have changed following their title match being booked for next month's special episode of RAW remains to be seen.

WWE might be keeping an eye on Rollins' recovery and whether it could come in time for him to get revenge on Breakker who wrote him off TV by betraying him with The Vision. They could book a rematch between Breakker and Punk at Mania and either use Rollins' return to make it a triple-threat or to have him return on the night.

Rollins could cost Breakker against Punk at the Show of Shows in a shocking twist, given he'd be helping the very man he has been determined to prevent from holding the world title. But it seems that his rivalry with Reigns won't be revisited at least until after next year's Mania.