We now have more information regarding what happened on SmackDown last night between The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.
Last night on SmackDown, Men’s Rumble winner Cody Rhodes was set to announce who he would challenge at WrestleMania 40. Despite Rhodes making it perfectly clear at the end of the Royal Rumble, it would be Roman Reigns.
The American Nightmare would go on to step aside for The Rock to challenge Reigns instead. This opens the door for Rhodes to challenge Seth Rollins at WrestleMania instead.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, The Rock has been pushing hard for this match and has recently been painting it as a way to “save WrestleMania” amidst all the drama caused by the recent Vince McMahon lawsuit and the injury to CM Punk.
One source compared The Rock’s newfound power in WWE to that of what occurred during his run with DC Comics. Rock signed on to play Black Adam, which eventually led to an attempt to take over the entire movie brand.
Despite how last night came across, this wasn’t done to “target or politic” Rhodes out of the main event of WrestleMania.
It’s also being reported that Brian Gewirtz will return to be The Rock’s voice during the creative process going forward.
Unless things change once again, the current plan is for Cody Rhodes to challenge Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40. Beyond this, there are already discussions that the winners of the two main events of WrestleMania 40 will go on to face each other at SummerSlam to unify the two titles. Obviously, this isn’t set in stone right now, and it’s just something currently being talked about backstage.
Many within WWE are upset with the shift to The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40
Additional information from Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select) states that as of the afternoon of the Royal Rumble premium live event, The Rock had agreed to work a match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Despite that, WWE still had Cody Rhodes win the Rumble and openly challenge Reigns at the end of the event.
Sapp reports that not only has Rock pushed for this, but some say he’s also pushing to win the match.
Online reactions have been very vocal over this decision, resulting in WWE receiving the most disliked YouTube video in the history of their channel. Some in the company are “cautiously optimistic” that things can still pivot since things haven’t officially been announced.
Sapp has spoken to dozens of people within WWE regarding this move, which has been universally panned by everyone he’s spoken to.
One WWE talent told Fightful Select the following:
“I’ve known Dwayne a long time,” one wrestler told Fightful. “Not only did the look on Cody’s face tell a story, the look on Dwayne’s told a story. I think in that moment he knew that this decision wasn’t going to work out quite the way that he imagined it. He was experiencing the same thing that he and Roman experienced in Philadelphia. He was being co-signed for something the vast majority didn’t want.”
You can check out several other quotes from people within WWE in the report on Fightful Select.
The Rock Confronts Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes Not Facing Reigns At WrestleMania
What do you make of the finish of WWE SmackDown last night? Should Cody Rhodes be challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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