Ringside Rumors: Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 41 Plans, Gunther vs Ilja, Charlotte Flair

There's still one more story to finish.

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These are just rumors and nothing more. The Takedown is not implying that the following are facts, but rather speculation on the latest rumors in the world of professional wrestling.

Cody Rhodes vs The Rock At WrestleMania 41

On a recent installment of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that WWE plans to have The Rock face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Now, that's just hearsay, and even if Rhodes is slated to face The Rock there could always be an audible thrown between now and then.

But, it makes sense.

MORE: Cody Rhodes on One Major Difference as WWE Champion

Rhodes and Rock have unfinished business stemming from their violent altercations surrounding WrestleMania 40. The last time we saw The Brahma Bull, he whispered something into Cody's ear and took off into the sunset toward Hollywood. We still don't know what he said.

Additionally, Rock's return for his program with Roman Reigns and Rhodes did amazing business. He looked better than ever in his heel persona. WWE would be stupid to not continue to capitalize on Rock's renewed passion and appeal.

Take all rumors with a grain of salt, of course, but this one would be surprising if it didn't happen.

Charlotte Flair Returns

Apr 1, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Charlotte Flair during Wrestlemania Night 1 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Charlotte Flair was last seen on a December 2023 episode of Smackdown. She injured her knee in that showing and has since had surgery to repair it.

Viper Reports mentioned that Flair is working hard on her rehabilitation with her impending return to Smackdown on the horizon. If all goes according to plan, she'll possibly challenge Nia Jax before moving on to a program with Tiffany Stratton.

MORE: WWE Bash in Berlin 2024 Results (8/31/24): Winners & Match-By-Match Recap [UPDATED]

Flair has long been a stalwart of the WWE women's division. There's little doubt she'll continue to be that as long as she's healthy. She's also one of the best WWE performers of the past decade, so it makes sense that she'd be thrown into a high-profile program on her return.

Gunther vs Ilja Dragunov

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This one was mentioned by WRKD Wrestling but is also apparent to anyone paying attention.

Gunther and Ilja ran back their banger feud from NXT UK during WWE's European tour leading up to Bash in Berlin. By all accounts, they tore the house down on each occasion.

MORE: Gunther Wins World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam

The reigning World Heavyweight Champion and The Mad Dragon have a ready-made style that suits each other: stiff, believable, and altogether brutal.

It's likely only a matter of time before WWE pulls the trigger on these two battling over the gold, perhaps at a PLE or on a series of TV bouts.

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If you have any pro wrestling rumors you'd like to share with us, send them to Dariel Figueroa: @figgyflow on X.

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