In a recent episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff expressed doubts about The Rock’s reasons for missing at WrestleMania 41. Bischoff voiced his thoughts, stating,
“I don’t even know how to frame it. It’s unusual, to say the least. Look, if you take your emotion out of it and just step back without any bias and ask yourself, ‘Does that sound plausible? Could that have actually happened that way?’ And I think the answer to that is yes. We weren’t in the room. We weren’t a part of those discussions. Is it a possibility that the way Rock laid it out is the way he really saw it? Absolutely. Does it have some holes in terms of logic? Sure does.”
While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, The Rock explained his absence, stating he wanted to allow Cody Rhodes and John Cena to have the spotlight.
However, many doubt his claims, pointing out that Travis Scott ended up taking some of the spotlight when he interfered in the match.
The Rock’s absence from the buildup to the Cena Vs. Rhodes match still remains a mystery and there hasn’t been a clear explanation regarding The Rock’s involvement in John Cena’s heel turn. Here’s a link to the “83 Weeks” podcast where Eric Bischoff discusses these issues with The Rock and WrestleMania.