Finally, The Rock has come back to WWE, and while his exact plans haven’t been made public, all indications are his return will culminate with a match against Roman Reigns. It’s a dream scenario for both WWE and the real life cousins who have long dreamed of wrestling each other, but it also presents WWE with a huge decision to make, specifically as it relates to Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania plans.
After Cody Rhodes returned as Seth Rollins’ heavily rumored WrestleMania 38 opponent back in 2022, he told fans he was back to finish the story. His father, wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, tried and failed to win The WWE Championship back in his day, and like a dutiful son carrying on his father’s legacy, he was back to beat Roman Reigns and claim the belt for their family. The majority of fans thought he’d do just that in the main event at WrestleMania 39 last year, but a funny thing happened on the way to his victory, he lost. I was there, and to say fans were surprised would be an understatement. Most walked out of the venue in complete silence, and the reaction even from former wrestlers was shock.
A year later, Cody has, to his credit, remained just as popular as he was when he returned to WWE, and pretty much every fan assumed he’d main event WrestleMania 40 with Roman Reigns again and finally win the title for his family. His victory would no doubt be an all-time feel good moment for wrestling fans, but now, The Rock has come back to WWE, just months ahead of WrestleMania 40, which leaves WWE with an absolutely massive decision to make. Let’s break down the options…
Option 1: Cody Rhodes And Roman Reigns Still Main Event WrestleMania 40
We know The Rock is back with WWE in some capacity. He’s said there’s “more to come” in a social post, and he, of course, called out Roman Reigns on television, but exactly what that means is anyone’s guess. Is he going to be around and on TV for the next few months? Was that one off appearance all we’re going to get until this match inevitably happens? And where is it going to happen?
WWE has a massive stadium show (Elimination Chamber) in Australia in February that could have 60,000 people in attendance. The location for SummerSlam hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll no doubt be a massive event with tens of thousands of fans. These events don’t have quite the same buzz as WrestleMania, but if The Rock was main eventing, they’d have crossover appeal.
So, there’s always the option for WWE to say they want to stick with the original plan, have Cody and Roman main event WrestleMania 40 and do this Rock match somewhere else.
That’s what would make the most sense from purely a storyline perspective, and it would be a huge vote of confidence for Cody Rhodes who has established himself as one of the biggest babyface stars in the business. It would also be a reward for carrying the business on a week-by-week basis. Part-time stars and legends of the past are one thing. Getting people to tune in every week to watch Monday Night Raw is another. That’s the actual lifeblood of WWE, and it makes sense for the biggest star who is actually there every week to be the main storyline in the year’s biggest event.
Option 2: Roman Reigns And The Rock Main Event WrestleMania 40
But if you have the most famous movie star in the world, can you really pass on using him at WrestleMania? The point of WrestleMania has always been to create a crossover mega-event that appeals to both wrestling fans and casual pop culture fans. There’s a reason why main eventing is considered the highest honor anyone can have in the entire business, and while I absolutely love Cody Rhodes, there’s no doubt The Rock and Roman Reigns would draw a lot more eyeballs and generate a lot more mainstream press stories than Roman and Cody.
If the point of WrestleMania is to grow the business as a whole, then The Rock is the obvious, slam dunk answer. Besides, this is a match with so much wrestling lore and history behind it. When people say The Rock grew up in the wrestling business, they’re really saying he grew up with the Anoi’a Family, Roman’s family, which is arguably the most legendary in the history of the business. The Usos. Umaga. Yokozuna. The Wild Samoans. Rikishi. Peter Maivia. So many more. Watching The Rock and Roman fight it out isn’t just some sideshow attraction pitting a star from one era against a star from another. It’s a chance to tell a fantastic story generations in the making. If that doesn’t deserve to main event WrestleMania 40, I don’t know what does.
Option 3: Cody, Roman And The Rock All Main Event WrestleMania 40
The other option here is you have all three main event WrestleMania 40. How? Well, you throw The Rock and Roman Reigns on as the main event during Night 1 and you throw Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes on as the main event during Night 2. When Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to fight Kevin Owens back at WrestleMania 38, he was actually used as the night one main event. That allowed the actual storyline WWE had been telling (Roman vs Brock Lesnar to unify the titles) to go on last during the second night.
That creates a little bit of a challenge from a building the story standpoint since Roman is involved in both. The Tribal Chief would need to address both Cody and The Rock during promos for the next few months, and Triple H and the other writers would need to work on telling parallel stories. This compromise solution would allow WWE to capitalize on The Rock’s starpower while still letting Cody finish his story on the grandest stage of them all. It would likely prevent both stories from maximizing their fullest potential, but would stop WWE from having to choose one over the other. Maybe 75% of both is better than 100% of one?
To Sum Up
Like almost all wrestling fans, I am elated The Rock is back. The People’s Champion is one of the most charismatic and strongest mic workers in the history of the business. It is a joy to see him back in action, and I desperately want to see him tell one more great story. Roman Reigns is the perfect opponent. The whole world needs to see them cook together.
But I also recognize this return is a temporary thing, and it’s not building anything toward the future. The Rock almost certainly isn’t going to be around a year from now, and when he’s gone, WWE is going to need to have A-level stories to tell with the superstars who are actually around on a weekly basis. Cody Rhodes it the embodiment of those performers, and it sucks that he could miss out on his chance to finish the story at ‘Mania because The Rock felt like coming back for a match.
Personally, I think that’s what’s going to happen. I think WWE is going to go with The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, and we’ll see Cody Rhodes try to finish the story at SummerSlam or even WrestleMania 41. It’s a crushing blow, but I just don’t know how you pass up on the chance to main event with the biggest movie star in the world and one of the most popular performers in the history of the business. But we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s the most interesting choice WWE has had to make in a long time, and it’s a sign of how healthy the business is that it’s even a debate.
