Cody Rhodes was just about to proclaim that his 2024 Royal Rumble win would result in an Undisputed Universal Title match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Then that match was swiftly taken away when he introduced The Rock’s big surprise for the Tribal Chief.
Backstage Reaction to The Rock’s Return
Sean Ross Sapp noted on Fightful Select that The Rock was around SmackDown all day prior to his big surprise return.
It was also noted that, “One person at Smackdown said it was the most outside faces they’ve seen there in a long time.” The night was certainly a special one in Alabama this week.
When The Rock returned during SmackDown to confront Roman Reigns, the WWE Universe wasn’t the only people who were surprised. Sapp noted that, “The reaction backstage to The Rock taking Cody’s spot was one of shock.”
WWE Bringing in Former Writer for The Rock
PW Insider reported that Brian Gewirtz will play a role as the voice representing The Rock in the WWE Creative process moving forward. He is not only a former lead writer for WWE, but he is also the current SVP of Development for Seven Bucks Productions.
Some anticipate Gerwirtz’s presence during major shows, potentially serving as a “Plan B” if Endeavor ever decides to shift WWE’s direction towards a Dwayne Johnson-backed creative team in the future.
How This Match Came About
As we previously reported, according to Dave Meltzer on the F4W Online forum, The Rock passionately lobbied for the match against Reigns. Meltzer noted that the anticipated high-profile showdown between the Hollywood star and the Tribal Chief is likely to divert attention from the ongoing Vince McMahon scandal.
“Dwayne pushed super hard for it. Read last week’s issue and this week’s. The card changed when Punk & Brock were out and all the dominoes fell. Dwayne already wanted it and they felt they now needed it as well. Felt this was better to change the news flow away from Vince.”
The Rock also just joined TKO Group Holdings’ Board of Directors. This came just before Vince McMahon resigned from the company due to the damning allegations in Janel Grant’s lawsuit.
This Was Not A Burial Of Cody
PW Insider reported that everyone is expected to consider The Rock’s ideas in WWE. The decision to involve him in the main event was not driven by malice to sideline Cody Rhodes, but rather based on the belief that Johnson would be the most lucrative choice, considering his new role within the company’s parent company.
It was a strategic move aimed at bolstering Johnson’s overall political influence and demonstrating Endeavor’s confidence in his engagement. One source reportedly suggested that even Paul “Triple H” Levesque would “lose that power struggle with Johnson at this point.”
Public Backlash Over WrestleMania Card
Brandi Rhodes and others have reacted to The Rock taking Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania spot. Fans have voiced their displeasure as well.
Fans also banded together online to voice their discontent. The Rock and Roman Reigns’ segment from last night’s SmackDown has now surpassed 300,000 dislikes in under 15 hours with 2.5 million views. It is now the most-disliked video that WWE has ever put on their channel.