For over three years, WWE has been building up to a WrestleMania program featuring Roman Reigns and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Reigns made his return to WWE in August 2020 after taking time off due to leukemia and the Covid-19 pandemic. WWE rebranded Reigns as the leader of the Anoa’i wrestling family, portraying him as a villainous tribe leader. This new character, known as the “Tribal Chief” and “Head of the Table,” was met with great success both commercially and critically. Reigns’ position at the top of WWE resulted in the company’s best period of success since the Attitude Era in the late 1990s.
The storyline practically wrote itself: Reigns would eventually have to defend his title as the “Tribal Chief” against The Rock. It’s important to note that, on-screen, Reigns and The Rock are portrayed as cousins. In real life, The Rock’s grandfather and Reigns’ grandfather were blood-brothers. The clash between Reigns and The Rock for control of the family is the most significant match WWE could put on, pitting the biggest star in Hollywood against the biggest star in professional wrestling.
WWE has carefully protected Reigns’ character during the build-up, ensuring that he has never lost a singles match since his return. Reigns has held the Universal Championship for an ongoing reign of 1,254 days, making it the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988. Booking a match between Reigns and The Rock was the safest bet in wrestling, comparable to The Rock’s match against John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012.
The only question was when this match would take place, considering The Rock’s busy film schedule and other commitments. On Friday, WWE seemed to have finally set a date, strongly suggesting that the two would face off at WrestleMania XL on April 7 in Philadelphia. The crowd in attendance reacted with excitement to The Rock’s return.
However, the decision was met with criticism from fans online and wrestling journalists. Critics argued that The Rock’s return overshadowed Cody Rhodes, who had won the Royal Rumble and appeared to be next in line to challenge Reigns for the title. Mainstream news outlets, including ESPN and USA Today, covered the negative response, with hashtags like “Poor Cody” and “We Want Cody” trending on social media over the weekend.
We understand why some dedicated WWE fans wanted Cody Rhodes to face Reigns. Cody is the most popular “good guy” in WWE and is involved in a storyline where he is chasing the top WWE title that his father, Dusty Rhodes, never won. This storyline has resonated with fans. Last year, Cody faced Reigns at WrestleMania and was expected to win, but Reigns emerged victorious. Fans were convinced that this year would be Cody’s year to win the title and “finish the story.”
While Cody is beloved within the wrestling community, he is not as well-known outside of it compared to The Rock. The Rock’s popularity surpasses that of many other celebrities, and he is on the same level as LeBron James. A match between Cody and Roman cannot generate the same mainstream interest, media coverage, and financial gains as a WrestleMania main event featuring The Rock.
Additionally, a match with The Rock is time-sensitive. Cody is under contract with WWE and is expected to sign a long-term extension this year, if he hasn’t already. WWE can give Cody his moment after WrestleMania, but The Rock’s Hollywood schedule has already caused delays in his return to WWE. The opportunity to book The Rock for this year’s WrestleMania was too good to pass up, despite the backlash and negative media attention.
Another reason for the backlash is a theory that WWE booked The Rock at the last minute to divert attention from allegations of sex trafficking against company founder Vince McMahon, who resigned shortly after the allegations were made public. While some speculate about this possibility, we do not believe that it influenced the decision.
It’s unclear why WWE had Cody win the Royal Rumble only to give his WrestleMania match to The Rock. However, that is part of the ongoing storyline. WWE is scripted entertainment, and storylines don’t always make sense at first. Now, WWE has two months to convince fans that this match will deliver. There have been instances in the past where highly anticipated matches have disappointed, so WWE needs to ensure that this match lives up to expectations.
There is a possibility that WWE could change the match card to appease disgruntled fans and put Cody back in the main event of WrestleMania. After all, it is scripted entertainment. However, we hope that doesn’t happen. On the surface, booking The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the right move, both from a business perspective and in terms of the storyline.