On the heels of an explosive WrestleMania 40 premium live event, WWE turns its attention to the matches and rivalries that will define the remainder of 2024.

What showdowns must the company book moving forward as it looks to build on the goodwill and excitement created by The Showcase of the Immortals?

There are three obvious ones just waiting to enthrall the WWE Universe.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

This one is simple: McIntyre injured Punk at Royal Rumble, then trolled him relentlessly about it. At WrestleMania 40, moments after winning the World Heavyweight Championship, he could not help himself, taunting the Chicago native, who was on commentary for The Scottish Warrior's victory over Seth "Freakin" Rollins.

He fooled around, found out, and lost his title to Damian Priest, who successfully cashed in Money in the Bank.

The following night, Punk cost McIntyre a chance at a rematch with Priest.

Both men have motivating factors. The only thing preventing that match from taking place as soon as May 4 in Lyon, France? Punk's health.

The moment The Best in the World is cleared for action, WWE will look to promote that match, as it should.

The heat is there, as is the story.

A story that is only intensifying with every single week that the two are in the same vicinity.

It is a match that must occur at SummerSlam, if Punk is ready, or Survivor Series at the absolute latest. Either way, it has to happen here in 2024 and even without the presence of a championship, is a legitimate main event on any card.

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

There may very well be no Cody Rhodes without Randy Orton.

The Viper was The American Nightmare's first opponent way back in 2007 when he made his television debut. From there, Orton embraced Rhodes, taking him under his wing as part of Legacy, a stable of multi-generational Superstars.

They went their separate ways but upon Rhodes' return to WWE in 2022, it was Orton who was there waiting for him, against embracing him, this time quite literally.

The history is rich and undeniable. The fans know it, both men have addressed it, and Paul "Triple H" Levesque even lived it, feuding with Legacy in 2009 during one of the many D-Generation X reboots.

He knows there is plenty of meat on that proverbial bone.

Best of all, Orton does not even have to undergo a heel turn or some drastic character change. All he needs is to remind Rhodes of who started him in WWE, who taught him everything he knows, and build some tension from there before a big show of respect following their championship clash.

It is an easy story to tell and one that would almost certainly help boost premium live event views for a secondary show, if the company has other plans in store for them.

Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair

Bianca Belair rose to prominence in WWE by systematically picking off the Four Horsewomen of NXT.

At WrestleMania 37 in Tampa, she made history by defeating Sasha Banks to win the SmackDown Women's Championship in the first main event between two black women in the long history of the event.

A year later, she regained her title by defeating Becky Lynch in a Match of the Year candidate in Dallas.

Through the fall and winter of 2022, Belair warred with Damage CTRL, successfully defending her title against Bayley on numerous occasions, including a Ladder Match at Extreme Rules in October.

That leaves one woman for Belair to conquer: Charlotte Flair.

The match is definitely a WrestleMania-worthy match, but with a better option awaiting The EST for next year's show in the form of Rhea Ripley, Triple H and Co. would be wise to deliver the Belair-Flair match upon The Queen's return to the squared circle from injury.

She can boast that she has done it all, with nothing else to do, drawing out Belair, who runs down her history with the Horsewomen and reveals there is only one left to check off her list.

A match at SummerSlam or Survivor Series, the two biggest shows left on the 2024 slate, would likely be one of the best of the year and would also give those cards a star-studded women's match to go along with whatever management has in store on the men's side of things.

Best of all, it is a match with enough juice behind it that it does not need a championship.

As many improvements as the company has made to it's women's rosters, as many opportunities as they present to those Superstars in contrast to what women were previously allowed to do, the one weak spot has been developing stories away from the titles.

This is a ready-made one that Triple H and the creative team should absolutely promote.

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