WWE's biggest annual event returns to Hollywood for WrestleMania 39. A marquee match between undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns and Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes is expected to headline SoFi Stadium for a two-day event in Inglewood, California on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2.
This year's WrestleMania features a main event that would have been described as a fantasy dream match just two years earlier. Reigns has established himself as this generation's superstar with a record-setting, dual championship campaign. Rhodes upgraded to a main event talent and a crucial component in the formation of AEW, the second-biggest North American promotion since WCW folded in 2001. Rhodes' WWE return at WrestleMania 38 received much fanfare. Rhodes won the Royal Rumble in January to secure his spot against Reigns in his return from a seven-month lay-off due to injury.
Matches have also been announced for the SmackDown and Raw women's championships. Women's Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley elected to face the blue brand's champion, Charlotte Flair. As a consequence, six superstars will compete inside February's Elimination Chamber to cement themselves as the top contender for Bianca Belair's Raw women's championship.
Take a look below at the confirmed and predicted matches for the 2023 WrestleMania 39. The card is subject to change, particularly if champions lose their titles between now and WrestleMania. Check back for updates and predictions.
2023 WWE WrestleMania 39 matches
Undisputed WWE Universal championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes: Rhodes returned at the Royal Rumble following a seven-month lay-off healing a completely torn pectoral muscle. Rhodes entered the eponymous match at No. 30 and eliminated GUNTHER to punch his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania. Generally, the winner of the Rumble gets to choose which championship to compete for. Since Reigns currently holds both the WWE and universal championships, Rhodes vs. Reign was automatically set to headline WrestleMania 39.
SmackDown Women's championship -- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley: Ripley was the frontrunner to win the women's Royal Rumble match and did just that. Entering at No. 1, Ripley set the record for the longest performance in a traditional women's Rumble match en route to winning the bout. Ripley officially challenged SmackDown women's champion Flair the following evening over a match against Raw women's champion Bianca Belair.
Raw Women's championship -- Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka: Ripley's decision to challenge Flair left Belair without a match at WrestleMania. Authority figure Adam Pearce announced that an Elimination Chamber match would determine the No. 1 contender for Belair's Raw women's championship at WrestleMania. Asuka was able to outlast Liv Morgan, Carmella, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross and Natalya to win that match and punch her ticket to WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos: Despite not truly settling things with Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber, Lesnar was quickly shuffled into a new program when MVP laid out a challenge for Lesnar to face the towering Omos at WrestleMania. Lesnar appeared on Raw, asking MVP to sell him on the match, which MVP did to Lesnar's satisfaction. After being surprisingly cordial, Lesnar did eventually hit MVP with the F5 after MVP accidentally spit moonshine in his face as they toasted to celebrate the newly official bout.
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul: Celebrity appearances have been tied to the fabric of WrestleMania since its inception. Paul has emerged as one of the most athletically brilliant celebrity crossovers in professional wrestling. His match against Reigns at Crown Jewel received rave reviews. Certainly, Reigns did the heavy lifting but Paul over-delivered on his part. Paul returned from injury as a surprise entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match and eliminated Rollins. Then, as Rollins was one of the last two men standing in the Elimination Chamber, Paul interfered, taking out Rollins and allowing Austin Theory to retain his United States championship. A match between the two is now officially set to take place on the big stage.
United States Championship -- Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena: A match between Theory and Cena has been discussed since Theory was on the independent scene. So, when Cena was set to appear on Raw ahead of WrestleMania, it seemed a no-brainer what the end result of that all would be. Indeed, Theory confronted Cena and laid out the challenge, which Cena refused before running Theory down on the microphone, saying Theory was not ready for that level of competition. By the end of the segment, Cena agreed to the match but to please the fans, not to give Theory what he wanted.
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL: Lynch's issues with Damage CTRL have been going for quite some time. Lita made her return to WWE to help Lynch defeat Bayley in a steel cage match, which led to the pair teaming to battle Dakota Kai and IYO SKY for the women's tag titles. Lynch and Lita managed to take the belts with the help of a returning Stratus. This led to the expected challenge for a six-woman tag at WrestleMania, which Damage CTRL was quick to accept.
Edge vs. Finn Balor (Hell in a Cell): Edge and Balor have been engaged in a heated feud since Balor turned on Edge and took over The Judgement Day. After winning their "I Quit" match by threatening to have Rhea Ripley deliver a Con-Chair-To to Beth Phoenix, Balor seemed to have gotten the better of his rival. Phoenix and Edge came back to win a mixed tag match against Balor and Ripley at Elimination Chamber. Now the two men meet one more time, this time on the biggest stage in wrestling and inside Hell in a Cell.
Intercontinental Championship -- Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre: McIntyre and Sheamus battled on SmackDown with the winner punching his ticket to a match with Gunther at WrestleMania. Imperium attacked both men during the match leading to a disqualification with no clear winner. As a consequence, both men were named challengers for the title at WrestleMania. Sheamus and Gunther have already had a series of great matches.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. TBA and TBA vs. TBA and TBA vs. TBA and TBA: It was announced on the March 17 episode of SmackDown that a fatal four-way tag team WrestleMania showcase match would take place. Mogan and Rodriguez were the first to qualify by beating Emma and Tegan Knox.
2023 WWE WrestleMania 39 predictions
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens: Zayn and Owens have had their own issues with The Bloodline. Jey Uso stood by Zayn after Zayn's falling out with the group but a Zayn spear during his match with Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber errantly hit Jey. In wrestling, common sense and true intentions rarely matter and Jey will likely view that as a legitimate attack, solidifying his position with his twin brother and cousins in The Bloodline. That should lead to a match with a reunited Zayn and Owens battling The Usos for the tag titles on the biggest stage of them all.
Bobby Lashley vs. Bray Wyatt: With a match with Lesnar out of the picture, Lashley was put into a program with Wyatt. Wyatt had claimed before Elimination Chamber that he would target the winner of Lesnar vs. Lashley and after Lashley won by disqualification, the two immediately began to exchange words. Lashley has been aggressive in his attitude toward Wyatt while Wyatt has been his typical odd self, alternating between menacing and overly playful. The match seems a lock for WrestleMania but has not yet been confirmed.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio: After a long build that has seen Rey leave Raw for SmackDown to get away from his son, Dominik finally made an official challenge for a match at WrestleMania. Rey declined, leading to Dominik insulting him. While Rey insists he will never wrestle his son, the match happening seems a foregone conclusion.
