The Rock WWE WrestleMania 43 Replacement

WWE

For years now, fans have been anticipating when a showdown between Roman Reigns and The Rock may be happening in WWE.

While ‘The Final Boss’ is always a busy man due to his acting commitments, there has long been hopes that we could see him wrestle in Saudi Arabia for next year’s WrestleMania 43 event.

With that now appearing increasingly unlikely, WWE may have to look elsewhere for a marquee name to wrestle at ‘The Show of Shows,’ whether as an opponent for Reigns, or for a match elsewhere on the show.

Here are some potential replacements for The Rock at WWE WrestleMania 43.

5. Oba Femi

Whether The Rock is available or not, it seems pretty obvious which match WWE should be booking as the main event of WrestleMania 43: Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi for the World Heavyweight Championship.

‘The Ruler’ has established himself as WWE’s ‘Next Big Thing’ in 2026 after becoming this year’s King of the Ring, and later retiring Brock Lesnar.

While Femi already relinquished a guaranteed World Heavyweight Title match in order to face off with Brock that one last time at SummerSlam, it’s a matter of time before he gets his shot, even if he has to win the 2027 Royal Rumble to get it.

Reigns passing the torch to Femi would be a major moment in WWE history, and something that monumental should only be happening in the main event of WrestleMania.

4. Cody Rhodes

At Clash in Italy back in May, WWE dropped the latest tease that a third match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns may be happening.

While many assumed this would be a Champion vs. Champion match at Crown Jewel 2026 – as has been the tradition over the past two years – WWE has yet to confirm whether that event will even be happening.

Cody Rhodes is also not even the Undisputed WWE Champion at this point in time, so even if Crown Jewel is happening, he would not be competing against Reigns.

If The Rock isn’t available to compete, WWE may decide to book the next biggest box office match on offer and have Reigns and Rhodes close out their WrestleMania trilogy at next year’s event.

3. Solo Sikoa

While it certainly wouldn’t be the biggest box office match available, the most popular option currently to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 43 may very well be Solo Sikoa.

Sikoa’s popularity has hit an all time high in recent months, and his war against The Bloodline is only further fuelling the fans’ desire to see him get his big moment.

It’s far more likely that we see Sikoa get his shot at Reigns some time this Fall/Winter, as the company may not be able to effectively maintain Sikoa’s momentum for the next seven-eight months before WrestleMania 43.

If WWE could pull it off and continue to build Sikoa up as a babyface however, a match between he and Reigns in Saudi Arabia may be the most satisfying story on the table.

2. LA Knight

Although fans are loving everything Solo Sikoa is doing right now, they have been waiting far, far longer for LA Knight to finally reach the top of WWE.

Knight has been a WWE World Champion in waiting for years at this point, yet he seems to fall short every time he gets close to achieving his goal.

As much momentum as he has right now, very few fans actually believe WWE will pull the trigger on him – especially when it is Reigns he’d have to beat.

While ‘The OTC’ is beloved by many, Knight losing yet again will likely not go down too well with the majority of the fanbase, and could lead to even more of an outcry to see ‘The Megastar’ receive his opportunity heading into WrestleMania season. Much like the fan pushes for Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan in years gone by, we could see ‘The YEAH Movement’ take over WWE en route to Riyadh.

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

If WWE can’t get The Rock for WrestleMania 43, the next biggest name available would absolutely be his long-time rival Stone Cold Steve Austin.

‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ has been out of the ring since his WrestleMania 38 match with Kevin Owens, but he did make an appearance at ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ two years ago to announce the show’s attendance.

Austin has been non-committal on a potential in-ring return due to undergoing knee replacement surgery, but has said he could do one more match if he wanted to.

If those in charge of SaudiMania want the biggest names to appear, then they may be able to make Austin an offer he can’t refuse. Whether for a match with Reigns, CM Punk or otherwise, Austin wrestling at next year’s ‘Show of Shows’ would certainly make up for The Rock’s absence.

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• wwe
• WrestleMania
• The Rock

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