In anticipation of the March 1 WWE SmackDown episode, The Rock delivered a 21-minute promo on his social media, taking jabs at Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, and even Cody’s dog, Pharoah.
Despite the promo not airing on WWE TV, speculation arose regarding the reasons behind its exclusion. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer had initially dismissed time constraints due to The Rock’s influence as a TKO Board of Directors member.
However, Meltzer corrected himself, revealing that The People’s Champ doesn’t have unlimited control over airtime.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer shared insights from a WWE insider, stating that The Rock can’t demand as much time as he wishes, contrary to common belief.
Meltzer recounted the interaction:
“So I woke up on Friday morning. And I’d seen messages that he did this promo because they weren’t gonna give them enough time on SmackDown. And I said, That’s ridiculous! Rock can get as much time as he wants. I mean, who’s gonna say, ‘Hey, you know, we’d rather run a five-minute Austin Theory match, or we can let Rock be on for five more minutes and all that?’ So I checked with somebody who I know was over there, pretty high up. And I said there’s a story going around; I know it’s bullsh*t, and they go it ain’t bullsh*t. Because he can’t get as much time as he wants, this isn’t working this way.”
The Rock, in response to Cody Rhodes’ challenge on SmackDown, altered the terms, proposing a tag match with himself and Roman Reigns against Cody and Seth on WrestleMania Night 1.
Adding a stipulation, if Cody and Seth lose, The American Nightmare’s subsequent match with Roman would follow Bloodlines rules.
With the stage set for this dream match, fans eagerly await Cody’s response on RAW and speculate on the outcome of this highly anticipated showdown.
