The Rock is back for the road to WrestleMania 40, but The Final Boss is still a Hollywood juggernaut, and he will have to get back to Tinsel Town after the bright lights of Mania are switched off.
The Rock will start filming his next movie, The Smashing Machine, immediately following WrestleMania 40. This will impact his schedule, reducing his availability in the upcoming months.
Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in the WrestleMania 40 night one main event and top storyline has garnered significant attention. Despite teases and fan hopes that they will see him in singles matches against Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, that is not expected in the near future.
WrestleMania 40′s main event on April 6 will see The Rock team up with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins. That match will directly affect the main event contest on night two, where it will be Bloodline rules if the heel team wins. WWE fans might not see much of The Rock after the show of shows.
Nick Khan Confirms The Rock’s Plans
WWE CEO Nick Khan confirmed on The Town podcast that The Rock will be taking off after WrestleMania 40. He has to shoot The Smashing Machine, and that will be a rare project for The Great One, as it is not a big budget production.
“[His next film] Smashing Machine. So it’s his first, I think from what I understand, like not a hundred million dollar picture since he’s become a big megastar. So he goes into that a week or two after WrestleMania. Yeah. And then goes into live Moana after that, which knock on wood should be a big hit.”
It was later confirmed to ESPN that his influence will continue within and outside the wrestling world. He emphasized his ongoing role on TKO’s Board of Directors, ensuring his impact remains within the company.
“I’m not off the Board after WrestleMania. I’m still on the Board, and I will always be a part of this & we are in it now. This is our thing & will forever be our thing.”
Roman Reigns Likely Taking Time Off Too
Additionally, Reigns is rumored to be taking time off after WrestleMania 40. He has not been advertised for their Backlash event in Germany on May 4. We will have to see how long the Tribal Chief’s break is after Mania this year.
Roman Reigns’ schedule has decreased significantly over the last few years. He only wrestled 11 matches in 2023, and 3 of those contests were at house shows. The Head of the Table has also only wrestled once in 2024 so far, as he successfully defended the Undisputed Universal Title against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble.