WWE WrestleMania 40 Predictions: The Rock Will BURY Cody Rhodes
By Mark Justice
Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn [InterContinental Championship]
Gunther will retain the InterContinental Championship against Sami Zayn because Sami Zayn was never the original plan to battle Gunther for the IC Title at WrestleMania 40. The original plan was clearly Brock Lesnar, and Sami Zayn was originally planned to battle Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania due to the personal rivalry they already built up on Raw. With that being said, Sami Zayn is a highly credible opponent for Gunther and will produce a show-stealing match on the Show of Shows, but there is absolutely no reason for Gunther to lose his championship to a Plan B option.
Nonetheless, Sami Zayn does not even need the IC Title, as he has outgrown the IC Title a long time ago. If anything, Sami Zayn would be a prime candidate for future Mr. MITB in his home country of Canada this year. Zayn would be eminently entertaining with said briefcase and can use that briefcase to finally win his first World Title on the main roster. Taking a loss to Gunther here won't hurt those aspirations by any means, and Gunther can walk into Bash at Berlin in August to defend that IC Title against the one man who really should dethrone him for that prestigious championship, Chad Gable.
Prediction: Gunther
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens [U.S. Championship]
Randy Orton needs a consolation prize after failing to win matches at both Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. He lost his World Title Match to Roman Reigns in a Fatal Four Way with LA Knight and AJ Styles. He then lost a potential world title shot to Drew McIntyre inside the Chamber, thanks to Logan Paul's distraction. Other than his return victory at Survivor Series, Orton has not picked up a major PPV victory since returning from injury. Since Logan Paul has not done much with the U.S. Title, the established Orton can bring back prestige to the belt but he doesn't need the belt.
Kevin Owens needs payback from that screwy finish against Logan Paul at the Royal Rumble and he really needs a singles title after not winning one since 2018, which was five years ago. However, Owens has had so many WrestleMania Moments, including defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36, battling Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event of WrestleMania 38, winning the tag titles with his best friend, Sami Zayn, at WrestleMania 39, and especially dethroning Chris Jericho for that same U.S. Title at WrestleMania 33 that he does not really need another WrestleMania moment this year.
Logan Paul will defeat RKO and KO to retain the U.S. Title because WrestleMania History has shown that the heel champion is highly likely to retain his title against two babyface challengers in a triple threat match. This was substantiated by Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 24 and even more recently by Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania 39. Logan Paul has that outward publicity to bring more eyes to the U.S. Title., and he will walk into SummerSlam in his hometown of Cleveland with the title to lose it to a rising star who actually needs it: LA Knight.
Prediction: Logan Paul