A new report indicates that The Rock is ready to embrace being a villain in WWE.
The road to WrestleMania 40 has been anything but smooth, and many of the twists and turns along the way have to do with Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship defense at WrestleMania 40. When Cody Rhodes won the men’s Royal Rumble match, he pointed directly at Reigns and indicated he was coming for The Tribal Chief.
However, on the February 2nd episode of SmackDown, Cody Rhodes indicated that while he was coming for Reigns, it wouldn’t be at WrestleMania. He then introduced a face-off between Reigns and The Rock, a move that was widely criticized by fans and also panned backstage as many believe this is the time for Rhodes to finish his story and claim the championship that has until now eluded his family.
The WrestleMania 40 Kickoff press conference told a different tale, as Cody Rhodes declared he wanted to face Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania after all. Earlier in the day, Rock coined the term “Cody crybabies,” taking a jab at the most vocal of Rhodes’ fans and teasing a heel turn in the process. After Rhodes made his decision official, The Rock told Triple H to “fix it.”
A new trailer for WrestleMania 40 indicates that Rock and Reigns are likely set to team up against Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on night one of the big event, though this has not yet been confirmed.
The Rock Has New WWE Merch In The Works
According to a new report from WrestleVotes, the real life Dwayne Johnson is on board with embracing a villainous persona going forward, calling back to his time in the mid-2000’s when he appeared in WWE as Hollywood Rock. He also has plans to capitalize on the “Cody crybaby” phrase with new merchandise. WresteVotes reported:
“Sources suggest that The Rock is expected to fully embrace his heel turn, drawing inspiration from his past ‘Hollywood’ Rock persona. Additionally, I’m told to anticipate the release of Rock branded ‘Cody Crybabies’ merchandise. The story is just beginning…”
Sources suggest that The Rock is expected to fully embrace his heel turn, drawing inspiration from his past ‘Hollywood’ Rock persona. Additionally, I’m told to anticipate the release of Rock branded ‘Cody Crybabies’ merchandise. The story is just beginning…
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) February 12, 2024
Back in January, it was announced that The Rock had joined the board of WWE parent company TKO.