As we previously reported here on eWn, The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is currently planned to headline this year’s WrestleMania 40 pay-per-view event.
On this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes revealed that he wouldn’t challenge Roman Reigns at this year’s “Showcase of the Immortals” event. He then introduced The Rock.
We reported earlier that The Rock is believed to have pushed hard for the match to happen. According to a report from Fightful Select, The Rock was even pushing to win the match. However, that’s unconfirmed at this time.
The Rock making the push for the main event was said to have been inevitable due to his $30 million stock options payout as a recently announced board member for TKO. The Rock’s payday is partially contingent on him hitting certain financial milestones. One of those milestones was expected to be Johnson making an in-ring return this year.
It is said that The Rock was pushing for this match prior to the news of the latest Vince McMahon scandal surfacing. One source noted that this isn’t exactly going to hurt WWE’s attempt to pivot away from the negative media attention that story has been giving the company over the past week or so.
Several top TKO executives believe a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns will result in more “immediate” money than a match between Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns would have. And that’s likely true from a business standpoint.
It is said that TKO and WWE do still see the value in Rhodes and may have underestimated the negative reaction from the always passionate WWE fanbase. It’s worth noting that The Rock and Ari Emanuel have had a relationship for many years now and The Rock is said to be Endeavor’s biggest star. There was actually a pitch made around three weeks ago to have him be a talent as well as part of the TKO board. It is said that both sides wanted to make the most of the deal.
One WWE source compared this move by The Rock to his attempts to take over the creative side of the DC Universe at Warner Bros. While The Rock was originally expected to portray the character of Black Adam opposite Shazam in the planned Shazam movie, those plans later changed with The Rock leading his own solo film as Black Adam. The Rock wanted the character to eventually face Superman and attempted to go over the heads of the executives to their superiors to get some of his ideas approved. It’s alleged that Johnson wanted to gain control of the entire DC film franchise, but that was jettisoned following Black Adam‘s poor box office performance. Warner Bros. later named James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new heads of DC Studios.
As far as Cody Rhodes is concerned, he reportedly found out about the change on Friday before SmackDown. Rhodes didn’t travel to SmackDown without knowing in advance. It was added that all of the talent booked for next Thursday’s press conference were already booked at that time.
As of this writing, The Rock will be wrestling a full-length match at WrestleMania 40. There have been some concerns about him working a WrestleMania main event after his recent appearances where he seems to run out of gas fairly quickly and seems winded. Beyond WrestleMania 40, there is no word on if The Rock will continue to wrestle.
The response among talents and staff in WWE have been universally negative, as Cody Rhodes is well-liked backstage and they believe he should get his moment now. The belief is that this will be good for short-term business but not long-term.
One wrestler who has known The Rock for many years noted that the look on his face on WWE SmackDown suggests that “this decision wasn’t going to work out quite the way that he imagined it,” as it was “the same thing that he and Roman experienced in Philadelphia.”
Another former WWE World Champion stated that the match would have worked “several years ago” or this year if Cody won the title last year.
As far as creative is concerned, it is said that several of them were “demoralized” by the move and it sounded like something the previous regime might have done. There were reportedly “numerous” meetings and pitches to acquire The Rock for a match for years, with the excuse being that the story didn’t make sense. Many believe that is the case now, but the match will still be happening.
Once source said that while The Rock is a “great guy”, this decision might hurt his relationship with the one fanbase he had “almost universal goodwill with.”
It is said that former WWE creative member Brian Gewirtz, who worked for The Rock at Seven Bucks Productions, will be in the mix for The Rock’s creative process moving forward. One source believes Gewirtz will be physically involved for all of the major shows The Rock is featured on. Additionally, if TKO is planning to pivot the company’s creative direction with a “Johnson-backed creative team” later down the road, Gewirtz would almost surely be one of the people involved.
The current plan is for Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins to take place at WrestleMania 40. There are some people in WWE who are openly talking about Cody Rhodes winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title and then challenging the winner of the main event of WrestleMania 40 (Rock/Reigns) at SummerSlam in a title unification bout. It remains to be seen if that’s the plan or not.
And finally, it was added that The Rock’s family had pulled ahead of the McMahon family this week as far as power in pro wrestling is concerned. One person said WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H) would “lose” a “power struggle with Johnson at this point” if he were to wage one right now.
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns to Headline WrestleMania 40: What You Need to Know
In exciting news for wrestling fans, it has been confirmed that The Rock and Roman Reigns will be facing off in the main event of this year’s WrestleMania 40 pay-per-view event. This highly anticipated match has been a topic of discussion among wrestling enthusiasts for quite some time, and now it seems that their wishes have been granted.
The announcement was made on a recent episode of WWE SmackDown by Cody Rhodes, who revealed that he would not be challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Instead, he introduced The Rock as Reigns’ opponent. This revelation came as a surprise to many, but it seems that The Rock himself had been pushing for this match to happen.
According to reports from Fightful Select, The Rock had even been advocating for a victory in the match. However, this information remains unconfirmed at this time. It is believed that The Rock’s desire to win the match stems from his recent appointment as a board member for TKO, which includes a $30 million stock options payout contingent on certain financial milestones being met. One of these milestones was expected to be The Rock’s return to the wrestling ring.
Interestingly, The Rock’s push for this match coincided with the recent scandal involving Vince McMahon, the chairman and CEO of WWE. Some sources suggest that this match could help divert attention away from the negative media coverage surrounding the scandal and allow WWE to focus on more positive aspects of their business.
From a business standpoint, several top TKO executives believe that a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns will generate more immediate revenue than a match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns would have. While TKO and WWE still recognize the value of Rhodes, it seems that they may have underestimated the negative reaction from the passionate WWE fanbase.
It is worth noting that The Rock has a longstanding relationship with Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of TKO. The Rock is considered to be Endeavor’s biggest star, and there were discussions about him becoming both a talent and a member of the TKO board. Both parties were eager to maximize the potential of their partnership.
Some individuals within WWE have drawn parallels between The Rock’s push for this match and his previous attempts to exert creative control in the DC Universe at Warner Bros. In that instance, The Rock wanted to take over the entire DC film franchise but was ultimately unsuccessful. This comparison has led to speculation about The Rock’s intentions and his level of influence within the wrestling industry.
As for Cody Rhodes, it is reported that he found out about the change in plans shortly before SmackDown. Despite the disappointment among talents and staff in WWE, who believe Rhodes deserves his moment in the spotlight, the match between The Rock and Roman Reigns will proceed as scheduled.
Concerns have been raised about The Rock’s ability to perform in a full-length match at WrestleMania 40, as he has appeared to tire quickly in recent appearances. However, beyond this event, there is no information regarding whether The Rock will continue to wrestle in the future.
The decision to replace Cody Rhodes with The Rock has been met with mixed reactions. While it may benefit short-term business, many believe that it may not be in the best interest of long-term success. Some wrestlers and creative members have expressed their disappointment and likened the move to decisions made by the previous regime.
There is speculation that Brian Gewirtz, a former WWE creative member who has worked with The Rock at Seven Bucks Productions, will be involved in The Rock’s creative process moving forward. If TKO plans to change its creative direction with a Johnson-backed team, Gewirtz is likely to play a significant role.
In terms of future plans, it is rumored that Cody Rhodes will face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40. There are discussions within WWE about Rhodes winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title and then challenging the winner of the main event (Rock/Reigns) at SummerSlam in a title unification bout. However, these plans have not been confirmed.
Finally, it is worth noting that The Rock’s family is currently considered to have more power in pro wrestling than the McMahon family. This shift in power dynamics has led some to speculate about the potential outcome of a power struggle between Triple H (Paul Levesque), WWE’s Chief Creative Officer, and The Rock.
In conclusion, the announcement of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns as the main event of WrestleMania 40 has generated significant excitement among wrestling fans. While there are mixed opinions about the decision to replace Cody Rhodes, it is clear that this match will be a major draw for both TKO and WWE. As the event approaches, fans eagerly await the clash between these two iconic figures in the wrestling world.