5 ways WWE can make WrestleMania in 2023 their biggest ever

WrestleMania 38 is yet to take place, but there are reports suggesting WWE is already gearing up for Mania 39 next year from the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

In his Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported how WWE is planning to make WrestleMania 39 in 2023 "its biggest ever."

That in itself is an ambitious task to take upon considering the sheer magnitude of some of the past installments we've seen of The Show of Shows. WWE would need all the planning in the world to execute such a feat, and fortunately, the two big matches it has reportedly planned so far appear to be in the right direction.

The aforementioned report goes on to claim that the tentative idea for Mania next year includes the long-awaited showdown between Roman Reigns and The Rock and Ronda Rousey finally taking on Becky Lynch in a one-on-one setting.

But how practical are these plans? And more importantly, are they good enough to propel WrestleMania 39 into a legendary status?

Dive in as we dissect the possible routes WWE might want to consider with its biggest stars way in advance for its biggest show of 2023 and possibly ever.

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#5.One way WWE can make WrestleMania in 2023 their biggest ever: Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey

It feels like an eternity since fans have been wanting a one-on-one showdown between The Baddest Woman On The Planet and the current WWE RAW Women's Champion. But in a traditional WWE manner, their much-anticipated encounter en route to WrestleMania 35 was marred by overbooked angles, over-exposure, and of course, Charlotte Flair's involvement.

WrestleMania 35 also marked the last time we saw of Rousey in WWE programming for nearly three years until her recent return to win this year's Women's Royal Rumble match.

And to no one's surprise, she felt the need to go after Charlotte Flair on SmackDown rather than the woman who handed Rousey her first WWE loss (controversially, might I add) to take her title.

Flair is WWE royalty, so it's a no-brainer at this point to hope WWE can ever look past her when plotting its WrestleMania card in any given year. But as frustrating as it may sound, Rousey opting to go with Flair instead of Lynch this year could potentially be one of the better decisions the company has taken in a long while.

For starters, it leaves room for someone like Bianca Belair to challenge Big Time Becks for her RAW Women's Championship at The Grandest Stage of Them All. It is a story WWE has not-so-subtly been building towards ever since the latter returned from her maternity leave last year.

More importantly, it also lends Lynch and Rousey some time to breathe some life into their respective characters ahead of their inevitable showdown. Part of the reason their 2019 rivalry became so instantly iconic was because of the outpouring of fans' support that Lynch accumulated that year thanks to her "The Man" shtick.

Ever since returning last year, though, Lynch has taken up the mantle of a heel champion on RAW - something that, despite her ever-engaging character work, hasn't really surpassed her previous babyface role.

Rousey, meanwhile, hasn't fared well in her limited TV appearances yet either, sometimes coming across as a no-nonsense badass tweener and sometimes pretty dislikeable.

In a year's worth of build, WWE would be wise to keep the two women apart as much as possible and let the fan receptions dictate its course of action towards their clash.

Fighting the crowd cheers in favor of drawing cheap heat for Lynch, for example, won't do much good for what currently looks like the main event of WrestleMania 39.

#4. Roman Reigns vs. The Rock as the main event of WrestleMania 39

Speaking of main-eventing WrestleMania, if this match happens, we know what spot on the card this one will take. But the key here is "if this match happens." We've been in this situation a couple of times now where they tried its best to lock Dwayne Johnson for its big shows, but due to the former WWE Champion's Hollywood commitments, nothing really came of those plans.

This year was no exception as The Rock was penciled in for a very long time to clash with his cousin Roman Reigns at The Show of Shows, only for plans to be scrapped once again due to the Brahma Bull's filming schedule.

Reportedly, WWE would try to go to this well one more time come WrestleMania 39, and rightfully so. Bringing arguably Hollywood's biggest draw to clash with its own biggest homegrown star is an opportunity WWE will never turn its back on, especially since the Showcase of The Immortals is in Hollywood next year.

It only helps that the two are real-life cousins who have both gone on record claiming how they, too, want this match.

As Universal Champion on Smackdown for well over 500 days now, Roman Reigns has comfortably been doing his career-best work. Coupled with Paul Heyman and his other real-life cousins, The Usos, his new "Head of the Table" gimmick has allowed Reigns to explore a new side of him that WWE has been reluctant to do for a very long time.

The company's commitment to presenting Reigns as its current biggest star, coupled with the champion's ability to draw inspiration from his rich wrestling lineage, has been one of the only few highlights in the company of late.

The way this story has been built so far - with both Jey and Jimmy Uso at some point standing up to Reigns for their family's honor - it is only a matter of time before a certain "Great One" takes exception to Reigns' claim as the family's alpha.

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#3 The Undertaker gets inducted into WWE Hall of Fame

In WWE terms, you either retire at the perfect time (see Shawn Michaels), or you keep clinging onto your past glory until it becomes abundantly clear that you cannot do this anymore.

The Undertaker should have retired a long time ago - arguably at WrestleMania 30 when his streak got broken. Instead, The Deadman kept going for a few more years, looking worse off with each passing match.

His matches with the likes of Roman Reigns, DX, and Goldberg all died slow, methodical deaths in front of the live crowd; however, the 56-year old was still able to redeem himself towards the end thanks to his 'Boneyard Match' against AJ Styles in the main event of WrestleMania 36 night 1.

As it stands, The Undertaker has gone on record claiming that he's "officially retired" and even started appearing in the media as the man behind the character. Perhaps it was that last good match he was looking to go out with.

But as much as this retirement was essential, it still leaves a deep void in any WrestleMania card - a show The Undertaker has appeared in a record 25 times over his illustrious career.

Should WWE really consider breaking attendance and viewing records for the 39th installment of its annual extravaganza, it would need to incorporate The Undertaker on the show in some form or the other.

Now, if this was 2020, the most creative way to do this would've been to have a Demon Balor vs. The Fiend match to figuratively crown The Undertaker's successor.

WWE could've even brought in Taker to acknowledge the winner in some sort of a dark "passing of the torch" moment.

Vince managed to botch both of Taker's successors in the same year, and a Hall of Fame induction for the veteran would be the next best alternative. WWE can really take various creative routes when it comes to The Undertaker's Hall of Fame induction.

#4. John Cena goes for his record-breaking WWE Championship victory at WrestleMania

Can WWE realistically plan its "biggest ever" WrestleMania without the one man whose name has been synonymous with the company for almost two decades?

John Cena has transcendent star power from even before his current stint in Hollywood. He is arguably the greatest to have ever done it.

The once polarizing figurehead in WWE has seamlessly transitioned into Hollywood - much like The Rock before him - but still finds himself appearing on WWE programming more often than his predecessor.

However, this may not last long as the 16-time world champion figures to be a major player in the DC Extended Universe going forward, along with his other acting gigs.

The 44-year old veteran is no longer the "Face That Runs The Place," which is precisely why the fans have started appreciating him on a more universal level in recent years.

His willingness towards his later wrestling years to selflessly put over the US Championship, along with a plethora of young up-and-comers (Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and The Fiend, just to name a few), has resonated with even the most critical of WWE fans while restoring his popularity as a beloved babyface.

Should Cena agree to return in time for WrestleMania next year, WWE should absolutely have him go for his record-breaking WWE Championship run.

He could go up against the champion on RAW at that time, and while Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, and Edge all make for compelling cases to be champion come WrestleMania 39, the one man who would make most sense is Randy Orton.

Cena and Orton are no strangers to each other, but while they have faced off (what feels like) hundreds of times in their parallel running careers, it's baffling to realize how WWE has never booked its two long-standing cornerstones in a one-on-one contest at its biggest stage.

With 2014's Hell In A Cell being the last time they collided on pay-per-view, both men have stepped away from their seemingly permanent main event slot to let others take the spotlight.

A potential showdown at WrestleMania next year could be termed as their last (a la "End Of An Era") in hopes of bringing back lapsed WWE fans specifically from the past ten years or so.

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#5. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin makes his in-ring return at WrestleMania 39

And speaking of bringing back lapsed fans, should WWE want to appeal to the its fans from its most popular era, it doesn't get bigger than 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

Recent reports have clearly indicated that WWE has already started discussing Austin's in-ring return at WrestleMania 38 from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, just over a month from now.

In all fairness, if ever the Texas Rattlesnake were to return, his home state of Texas would be the ideal place. Imagine the fan reaction he would command, easily triumphing over anyone else competing that night.

But if WWE is genuinely considering blowing all editions of their biggest show away with the one they would put up in 2023, such a monstrous return should be savored for that event instead.

Think about it. We are already halfway through the "Road to WrestleMania," which means most of the card has already been set for the event this year. A return as big as that of Austin should be presented as the biggest thing going in wrestling.

The last thing WWE would want to do is rush Austin's return to TV just a few episodes away from WrestleMania and then have him compete somewhere in the middle of the card, which no one remembers post April.

If it is, in fact, Kevin Owens that WWE wants Austin to face in his first (and maybe only match back), a better creative decision would be to have Owens go on this unusual rivalry with the residents of Texas over the next month or so.

At WrestleMania 38, Owens should come out for a heel promo on the fans, only to be interrupted by the glass shattering sound, and out comes Steve Austin. Now that's a reaction yours truly would love to see.

WWE can then use the entire year to build towards this match - something similar to how The Rock announced his match with Cena a year in advance. Not only would it give WWE time to build anticipation for Austin's inevitable return to action this way, but it would also allow them to book Owens strongly for once.

What do you think WWE should do to make Mania 39 its greatest ever?

Let us know in the comments below.