{"id":123435,"date":"2024-03-19T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=123435"},"modified":"2024-03-19T00:22:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T04:22:48","slug":"who-could-miss-wwe-wrestlemania-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/19\/who-could-miss-wwe-wrestlemania-40\/","title":{"rendered":"Card Subject to Change: WWE Superstars Who Could Miss WrestleMania 40"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In roughly three weeks, <strong>WWE&#8217;s<\/strong> biggest show of the year, perhaps its biggest ever, will be live over two nights in Philadelphia. Even with two distinct cards, some superstars could miss <em><strong>WrestleMania 40<\/strong><\/em>. Only some people can make it onto the grandest stage of them all. Even the most ardent fans know their favorite might not get their <em>WrestleMania<\/em> moment. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, some shockingly popular acts are in danger of missing out. A few still have an outside chance, but several seemingly don&#8217;t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John Cena\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">At first glance, <strong>John Cena&#8217;s<\/strong> being one of the wrestlers who could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em> isn&#8217;t a huge deal. He is not a full-time talent, and they have a big name returning for the show already in The Rock. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, his comments during an interview with <strong>Jimmy Fallon<\/strong> have sparked rumors and speculation that he will be at <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em>. Nobody has even teased a feud with Cena, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/16\/the-champ-is-gone-who-could-retire-john-cena\/\" target=\"_self\">most likely opponents<\/a> from his last few runs are busy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Will <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnCena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnCena<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheRock<\/a> be facing off in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WrestleMania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WrestleMania<\/a> 40?! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FallonTonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#FallonTonight<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WrestleMania?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WrestleMania<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Cqd1SiwyrU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Cqd1SiwyrU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FallonTonight\/status\/1765602271394467894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That poses a unique problem for WWE. Any time they give to John Cena is time that somebody else isn&#8217;t getting. A match with Cena could elevate a new star, but only if given time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Likewise, Cena works best when he can verbally spar with younger talent, especially as we have seen his in-ring work get more limited over time. Hinting at an unlikely return is odd and will only make his missing the show feel like a mark against the weekend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bianca Belair\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Bianca Belair<\/strong> made a lot of noise about finding her way to <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em>. Currently on a winning streak at WWE&#8217;s biggest event, she probably wouldn&#8217;t be someone who could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With the debut of <strong>Jade Cargill<\/strong> at <em><strong>Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em>, fans online felt they had defined her destiny. A tag team or singles match with Cargill would give Jade a massive win to launch her WWE career. Three weeks out, and Jade has disappeared from WWE programming. She was last seen on TV debating which brand she would sign with, a segment in which Bianca was also featured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jade Cargill put the whole locker room on notice: Royal Rumble 2024 exclusive\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fPP0btDeXcY?list=PLqIVmFaHA8BoFgJrH6MHo017D6autUY4O\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just throwing that match together at the last minute would be a mistake. Jade can debut the <em><strong>Raw<\/strong><\/em> after <em>WrestleMania<\/em> to a similar pop and start a feud with <strong>Rhea Ripley<\/strong> on night one. Bianca, though, only has one shot to lose her streak. It is only a few matches long, so it needs to be sold as a legitimate accomplishment as <strong>The Undertaker&#8217;s<\/strong> did once upon a time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What makes it all harder for Bianca is that taking a year off at this point would also diminish the streak. Missing a <em>WrestleMania<\/em> is bad; losing with no build at <em>WrestleMania<\/em> is even worse. Bianca Belair needs to win a match at <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em>, and nothing indicates she is going to. Of the two, she should sit this show out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Rey Mysterio<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Rey Mysterio<\/strong> returned on <em>SmackDown<\/em> with a few weeks until <em>WrestleMania<\/em>. He also has a feud with <strong>Santos Escobar<\/strong> that is already boiling. Another legend who could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em>, Rey was a fixture on WWE until he was out with an injury. His match with <strong>Dominik Mysterio<\/strong> last year did wonders for both men and was regarded highly by fans. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His absence this year would come down to the lousy timing of being injured when the bulk of the card was chosen. It also has to do with how cold the story is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rey Mysterio to Santos Escobar, \u201cI will slap that stupid, arrogant smile off your face!\u201d\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F2ZgdCncW2E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite having plenty of time on Smackdown, Carlito and Rey&#8217;s Latino World Order couldn&#8217;t keep the heat on their feud with the new <strong>Legado Del Fantasma<\/strong>. There are a ton of stars who are significantly more popular than Santos and the rest of <strong>LWO<\/strong> and Legado. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That is why they have been short-changed on many premium live events. This dynamic will change now that Mysterio is back, but will they have enough time to add a match to the <em>WrestleMania<\/em> card? That remains to be seen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The New Day<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite being one of the most popular and decorated teams in WWE and professional wrestling history, WWE can&#8217;t get <strong>The New Day<\/strong> right during <em>WrestleMania<\/em> season. The duo is facing off with <strong>Alpha Academy<\/strong> on <em>Raw<\/em> for a shot at the titles at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>. The Alpha&#8217;s are coming off a groundswell of support for their leader, <strong>Chad Gable<\/strong>, after his unsuccessful bid for another match with <strong>Gunther<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Getting Gable into the tag title match is a no-brainer. Although <strong>Sami Zayn<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/13\/chad-gable-vs-gunther-should-not-happen-at-wrestlemania\/\" target=\"_self\">deserves his momen<\/a>t as much as Chad, many fans wanted to see him get a big win in Philadelphia. That momentum could get the legendary New Day booted from another mania card.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The New Day is back! - WWE RAW 8\/7\/2023\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s-wzOzohjIQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">New Day has &#8220;hosted,&#8221; essentially missing, a ton of <em>WrestleMania&#8217;s<\/em> over the years. One more thing is not going to make a difference.\u00a0 Their inclusion as an act that could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em> is unsurprising this year. Instead, it is a much more significant problem that the promotion needs to rectify. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Xavier Woods<\/strong> and <strong>Kofi Kingston<\/strong> are two of the best performers on the roster, not just from a particular perspective or in a certain way either. No matter what they have to do, they are usually two of the best at doing it. That sort of talent and perpetual fan support deserves more respect than it has been getting on the road to <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Liv Morgan<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fans&#8217; enthusiasm for <strong>Liv Morgan<\/strong> to compete against Rhea Ripley at <em>WrestleMania<\/em> faded almost immediately. The way her star fell is probably justification for WWE sticking with <strong>Becky Lynch<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, she has to be among the most prominent names who could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em> without a match with Ripley. Unlike a lot of talent, though, Liv doesn&#8217;t have much of a shot at becoming a late addition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Liv Morgan\u2019s Revenge Tour is over when she says it&#39;s over! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWERaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WWERaw<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LfQga7E6bI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/LfQga7E6bI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; USA Network (@USANetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USANetwork\/status\/1769038819381145707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Liv Morgan and <strong>Nia Jax<\/strong> have been Becky Lynch&#8217;s chief rivals as she prepares to face off with Rhea for the title. Morgan is part of Becky&#8217;s road to <em>WrestleMania<\/em>, which means she <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/27\/the-paths-for-the-womens-elimination-chamber-participants\/\" target=\"_self\">has no one<\/a> to jump to on April 6th. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After recently returning to WWE from a long hiatus, it is unfortunate that WWE didn&#8217;t have anything for Liv. She still has a ton of fan support that would have been great to include for the crowd in Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bobby Lashley\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Bobby Lashley<\/strong> is no stranger to his current predicament. Last year, Lashley got a <em>WrestleMania<\/em> moment on the <em>SmackDown<\/em> before the show. He won <em>WrestleMania&#8217;s<\/em> Battle Royal to very little fanfare. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That Bobby was a world champion and main event act just a few short years ago makes his current situation even more unfortunate. As one of WWE&#8217;s biggest stars, they should have a spot for Lashley at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Xfinity Highlight of the Night showcases Lashley winning the Battle Royal: WrestleMania 39 Sunday\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XceIEpl45dU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He may accompany <strong>The Street Profits<\/strong> into a tag team title match, getting him physically onto the show. Even if The Profits walk away with tag team gold, it will still be a significant waste of Lashley. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His current rivalry with <strong>Karrion Kross<\/strong> is so cold right now that it seems unlikely they get a match on that show. While <em>SmackDown<\/em> may be at peak performance thanks to <strong>The <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/17\/end-to-the-nostalgia-return-in-wwe\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Rock&#8217;s<\/strong> return<\/a> run, it has yet to translate down to the rest of the card. Bobby can still be a World Champion, but his trajectory to <em>WrestleMania<\/em> doesn&#8217;t show it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Possible Plans for Stars Who Could Miss WrestleMania 40<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There is a good chance that WWE will try for two showcase matches to include the talents who could miss <em>WrestleMania 40<\/em> without one. They may run a free men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s Battle Royal for viewers to kick off the preshow. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That move would get more people involved, which would be great. It would be a partial substitute for nearly half of the names above who might miss <em>WrestleMania<\/em> this year. Disappointment with this reality won&#8217;t fade, but WWE can use it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><em>WrestleMania<\/em> serves as the season finale for a perpetual circus of superstar wrestling. With the new season starting the next night on Raw, the people who don&#8217;t get a <em>WrestleMania<\/em> moment can get a shot at those who did. It will create fresh matchups that give fans and performers hope that missing <em>WrestleMania<\/em> is a temporary issue, not a nosedive down the company ladder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In roughly three weeks, WWE&#8217;s biggest show of the year, perhaps its biggest ever, will be live over two nights in Philadelphia. Even with two distinct cards, some superstars could miss WrestleMania 40. Only some people can make it onto the grandest stage of them all. Even the most ardent fans know their favorite might [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4470,"featured_media":123451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2192,4,3],"tags":[1445,183,165,4565,886,223,396,8417],"class_list":["post-123435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-bianca-belair","tag-bobby-lashley","tag-john-cena","tag-live-morgan","tag-rey-mysterio","tag-the-new-day","tag-wrestlemania","tag-wrestlemania-40"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}