The ‘Role Model’ and the ‘American Nightmare’ will be headlining WrestleMania. Bayley and Cody Rhodes emerged as the winners of the women’s and men’s Royal Rumble matches, guaranteeing themselves championship matches at WWE’s flagship event.
The two stars are some of the most decorated people in wrestling, and the wins on Saturday could add to their legacies, with championship opportunities on the table when they get in the ring at WrestleMania 40 on April 6 and 7 at Lincoln Financial Field.
But the biggest event in WWE is still more than two months away. Who will Bayley and Rhodes face at WrestleMania? And what will be in store for them leading up to it?
Here’s a look at what could be ahead for the two Royal Rumble winners:
What’s next for Bayley?
To start off, the win gives even more power to Damage CTRL, who already claim a women’s championship and tag team titles.
Before the Royal Rumble, Bayley told USA TODAY Sports she planned on challenging Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship since Iyo Sky holds the WWE Women’s Championship. But is it really that clear?
There has obviously been some on-screen awkwardness when it comes to Bayley and the rest of Damage CTRL. Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai have been celebrating the success of the group while seemingly isolating Bayley from it. It hasn’t turned into much tension for Bayley, but it’s clear there’s on-screen disconnect with the presumed leader. It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone from − or all of − Damage CTRL turn on Bayley, which could lead to Bayley challenging Sky at WrestleMania in a match fans would love to see.
Bayley was a popular pick to win the Rumble, and she clearly had the crowd rooting for her, making it easy to turn her face for the first time since she ditched the ‘hugger’ persona. She isn’t shying away from the hype, and playing into it might even give this possible match more buildup.
‘Everything I’ve been doing has been real and genuine and natural. This is who I am now,’ Bayley said in the post-event press conference. ‘If you guys are liking it and you guys want to see me win, then hell yeah. I’ve been telling you guys that I’m supposed to be winning these matches. Let’s celebrate together.’
She didn’t say anything about who she’d face, but it doesn’t seem far-fetched to see her take on her current teammate. If it is Ripley she chooses, it gives the women’s division a main event caliber matchup between two of its most popular stars.
What’s next for Cody Rhodes?
While Bayley’s path isn’t as clear, there’s no question as to what’s next for Rhodes.
‘I want to be back in the ring with Roman Reigns, and I want to finish the story,’ Rhodes said after his win.
It was clear from the moment he won what was next for the ‘American Nightmare.’ After pointing to the WrestleMania 40 sign, Rhodes then pointed at Reigns, who was in a suite at Tropicana Field. Rhodes shouted words at Reigns, while the champion shouted back.
As everyone knows, Rhodes came to WWE to ‘finish the story’ by winning the company’s top title. He fell short when he lost to Reigns at WrestleMania 39, but now he gets a second chance.
‘I’m very big on keeping my word,’ Rhodes said. ‘If I say something silly on TV, but it’s a promise, I intend to keep the promise. I don’t know if two time’s the charm with Roman. We’ll see.
‘We still got to finish the damn story.’
Let the buildup begin.
