Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 39 Night 2 to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. Many people expected Rhodes to win, so this came as a surprise.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, WWE officials decided on Reigns’ victory several weeks ago. There were numerous people who were aware of Rhodes losing, but it is uncertain when the talent were informed.
It was revealed that the Rhodes vs. Reigns match was planned as far back as the summer of 2022, following internal pitches for Rhodes vs. John Cena even after his injury. There was no plan for Reigns to lose the titles, let alone for Rhodes to win them, when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was in charge. When Vince left, and WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H took over, the plan was set in motion for Rhodes to compete in the match.
People within WWE began to defend the idea of Reigns winning this week, and there had been some speculation that he would win last week. It has now been confirmed that the plan for Reigns’ victory was in place for several weeks and that multiple people were aware of it.
When asked if WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was involved in the decision-making process, WWE sources and a representative all said no.
It was also claimed that many of the match’s interference elements were not relayed to talent, referees, and ringside personnel until Sunday, and the involvement of many parties was previously unknown. Interference came from Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, The Usos, and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the Rhodes vs. Reigns match.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
