Despite the earlier tease of a potential showdown between The Rock and undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, 2024 men’s Royal Rumble victor Cody Rhodes took center stage during the WrestleMania 40 kickoff event in Las Vegas, challenging Reigns for the main-event clash in April.
However, the explosive turn of events unfolded when The Rock took exception to comments made by Rhodes about the respective families of The Rock and Reigns, leading to The Brahma Bull delivering a resounding slap to The American Nightmare.
Earlier in the press conference, Reigns had expressed his preference for a main-event showdown against The Rock, setting the stage for what seemed to be a colossal matchup between real-life cousins.
The storyline had been building up for weeks, with Rhodes winning his second consecutive men’s Royal Rumble match and signaling towards Reigns, suggesting a potential repeat of last year’s WrestleMania clash. On a February episode of SmackDown, Rhodes initially appeared ready to announce a bout against The Tribal Chief but brought out The Rock instead, creating an unexpected twist.
Despite Rhodes acknowledging that his ultimate goal was to claim the undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Reigns—a title that eluded his father, Dusty Rhodes—he asserted that the match would not occur on the grand stage of WrestleMania.
Speculation had intensified when The Rock and Reigns engaged in an intense stare-down on a recent episode of SmackDown, but no official announcement had been made about a potential matchup between the two iconic figures.
Fans had long dreamed of witnessing a clash between The Rock and Reigns, and both wrestlers had previously expressed openness to the idea. Just a month ago, The Rock’s inclusion on the TKO board of directors fueled speculation, with the Hollywood star discussing the potential showdown on ESPN’s First Take, emphasizing the importance of building a compelling narrative.
With the surprising turn of events on Thursday, Rhodes vs. Reigns appears to be the confirmed matchup, leaving the WWE universe with questions about whether this was a deliberate swerve or a response to fan pressure favoring the Rhodes vs. Reigns narrative as their preferred path to WrestleMania 40.
