Update On When WWE Started Planning Roman Reigns-Cody Rhodes Match

The WrestlaMania main event between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes may now be upon us, but it was well before Rhodes’ win in January that plans were in place.

Cody Rhodes made a dramatic return as the final entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble, and by eliminating number one entrant Gunther stamped his card for WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood and a match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

Knowing that it’s ‘The Showcase Of The Immortals’, it’s clear the big decisions wouldn’t be left until the last minute. However, now an insider insight has let it be known quite how far the planning went.

WWE Executive Producer Bruce Prichard discussed on The Press Box how, although plans can change given the nature and volume of live events the company has, this match was put in the schedule as far back as August last year.

I would say that getting to this place, where we are, started probably in August. We were really shooting for that and trying to make things work so that by the time we got to WrestleMania, we were looking at it in August.

Bruce Prichard went on to talk about the intricate nature of the storytelling and how well thought through it needs to be.

Even still today, we like to look at what is the end goal? Where do we want to be at the end of this story? What’s the ending? And then work backward. When you look at the Bloodline story and integrating Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens and now Cody, it’s very deep storytelling. There were so many hints and things along the way that when you look back at it, you go, ‘Wow, I remember that. That meant this.’ You start putting the pieces together.

The match between Reigns and Rhodes is set to close the weekend of WrestleMania festivities, with many believing that ‘The American Nightmare’ will be the one to finally end the undefeated streak of ‘The Head Of The Table’.

With thanks to Fightful for the transcription.