On a recent edition of his “Hall Of Fame” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T discussed the WWE WrestleMania 40 situation between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
[This episode was released on February 5th, before yesterday’s WrestleMania XL Kickoff press conference.]
On The Rock replacing Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania: “Well you know me, I’m not about booking the show or anything. But I must — you know, I got to talk about it. Because I said that if The Rock came back, how could you not do it? So I’m not gonna sit here and say, ‘Oh, I don’t know…’ I’m not gonna do that. I’m gonna tell you exactly how I feel, and the way I think things went down to where perhaps, you know, how we got to where we are right now. Or let me just go back. I feel like the timing is off, okay? That I feel like the match; you know, Roman [vs] Rock, that’s something that the people, dammit, they’re gonna want to see it when they see it. All right, but the timing is off because Cody won the Royal Rumble. So you don’t get a chance to call your shot and then say, ‘Here, I’m gonna give it [to you]. That’s hard for anybody who has been a layperson to swallow. It’s almost like saying, ‘Hey, I got a lottery ticket, and I’m gonna give it to someone.’
“So I’m not gonna book the match or anything like that. But I do feel like the match with Roman [and] Rock can still happen, but maybe something else may also have to happen. Because you do not want to go into WrestleMania with the fans feeling a certain way about a match before it ever happens. That’s just me, I could be wrong about that. If Cody wouldn’t have won the Royal Rumble, it might be a different story today. The fans may even a totally different way. Will they be pis*ed off Cody didn’t win the Royal Rumble? Probably. But I think doing it this way is almost like putting yourself in a corner. But one thing I’ve always had the faith in is WWE trying to figure its way out of that corner and make the fans go, ‘Man, dammit!’ So I’m thinking like that as well. Right now, it may look like we’re in a little pickle. Okay. But at the end of the day, I think it can be corrected and make the fans get even more out of their money.”
On the fan movement behind Rhodes: “Like I say it’s a match that you can’t let pass. If The Rock can do it now, just get him in there. I don’t know if it’s all because of the changes [with Rock joining TKO] and what not. Because I’m not privy to that information. I’m not looking for that information as well. But I do feel like the fans — at the end of the day their voices, a lot of times they have to be be heard. Especially going into a situation like this, which is WrestleMania, the biggest event of the year. And we don’t want any hiccups. We don’t want any mishaps going into WrestleMania. That’s just me speaking as a promoter. But I do feel like it can be fixed, it can be rectified. We can find some common ground and get there.“
On it potentially turning it into the new version of the YES movement: “Aw man. It’s hard to say, man, it’s hard to say. As far as addressing the issue, I think it’s gonna have to be addressed in some way. Whether it’s on the show or not, you know, we’ve been doing these press scrums and everything knows. Everyone’s an insider now.”
In a recent episode of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T discussed the situation surrounding WWE WrestleMania 40 and the involvement of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. Booker T shared his thoughts on the match and the fan movement behind Rhodes.
Booker T began by acknowledging that he is not involved in booking the show but felt compelled to talk about it. He expressed his belief that if The Rock were to return, it would be hard to pass up the opportunity for a match between him and Roman Reigns. However, Booker T felt that the timing was off because Cody Rhodes had won the Royal Rumble. He explained that it would be difficult for fans to accept Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble only to give his spot to someone else.
While Booker T didn’t want to book the match himself, he suggested that something else might need to happen to rectify the situation. He emphasized the importance of not going into WrestleMania with fans feeling a certain way about a match before it even happens. Booker T acknowledged that if Cody Rhodes hadn’t won the Royal Rumble, the situation might be different, but he still had faith in WWE’s ability to figure things out and make the fans happy.
Booker T also addressed the fan movement behind Cody Rhodes. He believed that if The Rock could participate in the match, it should happen. He recognized that fans’ voices needed to be heard, especially leading up to WrestleMania, which is the biggest event of the year. Booker T expressed his confidence that the situation could be fixed and common ground could be found.
When asked about the potential for this situation to become the new version of the YES movement, Booker T admitted it was hard to say. He believed that the issue would need to be addressed in some way, whether on the show or through other means. Booker T acknowledged that with the prevalence of insider information and press scrums, everyone has become an insider in the wrestling industry.
In conclusion, Booker T shared his thoughts on the WWE WrestleMania 40 situation involving The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. He expressed his belief that the timing was off due to Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble, but he had faith in WWE’s ability to rectify the situation and make the fans happy. Booker T also recognized the importance of addressing the fan movement behind Rhodes and finding common ground.