The Rock has addressed what the original plans were for his return match at WrestleMania 40.
Returning on New Year’s Day and hinting that he would later confront The Head of the Table, Rock would eventually stand face-to-face with Roman Reigns, seemingly setting up the dream match that had been long-rumoured for many years. Unfortunately, while the match was what many fans wanted on paper, the timing was not ideal.
Making a second appearance shortly after the Royal Rumble, Rock made his entrance shortly after Cody Rhodes announced that he would not be facing Reigns at Mania, relinquishing the opportunity that he earned in favour of the part-time star returning. With days of backlash ensuing from the fans, there was no certainty that Rhodes would accomplish what he set out to do when he returned to WWE in 2022.
Aware that fans were rejecting the idea of a Rock vs. Reigns match at Philadelphia, The Great One was aware that plans needed to be altered from the original course. Speaking with Will Cain of Fox News, The Rock confirmed that the original plan was for him to come back as the all-conquering babyface but explained that the storyline had to be pivoted out of respect for Rhodes, despite the fact he could have used his executive position to push the match through:
“[The heel turn was not the plan?] No, not at all. The original plan was for me to come back as the babyface, the big babyface come back and face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship and put on here in Philadelphia the biggest main event of all time. I believe the qualities of a good leader, not to say that I’m a good leader, but I believe the qualities of a good leader is one who has the ability to pivot but also make sure that you listen to the people.
As I came back, I started to realize that while fans love the idea of The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, there was also this other storyline building that they had been invested in for a couple of years with a guy named Cody Rhodes. [He is] Wrestling royalty, Dusty Rhodes is his dad. Dustin Rhodes is his brother. One or two things could have happened at that moment, and this happened in January.
We could have either kept trucking through. I’m a director of the board, I have a little bit of influence here in the WWE. Or, the thing that bugged me, I was in Hawaii, and I realised, man, there’s a segment of fans here who are just disappointed. It hurt my heart to think, well, I don’t want to truck through and leave these fans disappointed. But not only that, we also got a guy in Cody Rhodes who’s been working his ass off for years now, and this is his story. By the way, Cody, as we speak very openly here, he could not be a better human being.”
Rock also stated that Rhodes was understanding about the change in plans, before revealing a conversation he had with President Nick Khan about his new idea following the backlash:
“Back in January I called Nick Khan and I said ‘I have an idea, how about this? Why don’t we take care of the people, give them this story of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.’ Nick said it was great. [But] I said ‘However [laughs], a little bit of a twist, what if I became the greatest bad guy of all time?’ That was the attempt, the intention.”
Concluding his thoughts, Rock admitted that while it is nice to be the all-conquering hero, he knew he had to be the villain in this story as it is much more real:
“It’s nice to be considered the Babe Ruth of wrestling, the big hero who saves the day. But also, again, we talked about authenticity earlier in the interview. I realised, I woke up in Hawaii, it all happens in Hawaii by the way. I woke up and I went, what if I became a bad guy? Then I was able to be freer and more open and more visceral and, excuse my language, say the sh*t that everyone wants to say but they can’t say.”
The Rock has revealed that the moment he knew he had to return to WWE came when Ari Emanuel told him Endeavor was going to buy WWE.
What Is The Rock’s Status With WWE After WrestleMania?
While the Hollywood star is competing at WrestleMania 40 and is a part of the TKO Board, fans are aware that Rock will not be around as much after the show, if at all. With movies to shoot and other projects he is involved with, the return of The People’s Champion remains unknown. During another interview to promote the event, The Rock addressed his status with WWE when all is said and done at WrestleMania.
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