John Cena lost to Austin Theory at WWE's WrestleMania 39 event. (Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty ... [+]
John Cena and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin may not wrestle at WWE WrestleMania 40, but the company has hinted at the two marquee stars playing a major role at its flagship show.
This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw closed with The Rock laying a brutal beatdown on one of his WrestleMania opponents, Cody Rhodes, and it didn't go unnoticed that both Cena and Austin were shown in the background on WWE production trucks during the segment.
According to WrestleVotes, that was done by design—not by accident:
Where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire.
Just last week, it was reported that both Cena and Austin were expected to appear at WrestleMania 40. With WWE’s flagship event less than two weeks away, however, any substantial match for Cena or Austin almost surely would have been confirmed by now. While a match may be out of the question, a WrestleMania moment sure isn’t.
It’s already been confirmed that The Rock and Roman Reigns will team up on Night One of WrestleMania 40 to take on Rhodes and Seth Rollins. If Rock and Reigns win, Reigns vs. Rhodes on Night Two will be contested under “Bloodline Rules,” which will stack the odds against Rhodes as Reigns is bound to get an assist or two from The Bloodline.
How can WWE even the odds for Rhodes? By utilizing arguably the two biggest stars in company history in Austin and Cena.
Cena is reportedly looking to do something “short” and “meaningful” at Wrestlemania 40, and outside of a main event caliber match, there may not be anything more meaningful than playing a significant role in one of the most important WrestleMania matches of all-time. The same is true for Austin.
While both Austin and Cena have shown in recent years that they can still go in the ring, the lack of build toward any match for either star would largely negate its potential impact. That isn’t true, though, for Cena and Austin joining Rhodes to form an Avengers-level superteam to combat The Bloodline.
Consider that Reigns has won many of his Univeral title defenses thanks to interference from The Bloodline, and it’s not difficult to remember that none of Reigns’ opponents have been able to adequately even the odds. With The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and—at one point—Jey Uso watching Reigns’ back, the babyface opponents Reigns has faced have almost always had insurmountable odds to overcome.
That could change at WrestleMania 40.
With Triple H running WWE’s creative process, the company has consistently delivered on its major teases. That includes The Rock hinting at a possible match with Reigns months ago and then returning on a semi-regular basis to help catapult The Bloodline to the next level.
Would WWE tease such a major storyline development without firm plans to deliver on that tease? Highly unlikely.
WWE continues to set attendance records and set social media ablaze because of its quality storytelling and memorable moments. That should be no different at WrestleMania 40, especially if and when Cena and Austin show up to a deafening reaction that makes Rhodes vs. Reigns truly unforgettable.
