A new rumor is claiming that The Rock is trying to leverage his power as a member of the TKO board and as a WWE legend to score a victory over the company’s top star in the biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania 40.
The plans for this year’s Wrestlemania were turned upside down on Friday night when Cody Rhodes, the winner of the 2024 Royal Rumble, revealed that he would not “finish the story” and pursue a match with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in April. Instead, he will be stepping aside so Reigns’ cousin The Rock can take a shot at bringing his historic title run to an end.
Related: WrestleMania 40 News: The Rock, Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns
The news has received a great deal of backlash from a portion of the WWE Universe with some upset by the 51-year-old usurping what was viewed as a deserved role in the most high-profile match of this year’s Wrestlemania.
In the hours since the sudden change in plans, there have been new reports about the influence the Hollywood star has been leveraging on the creative direction for the event since becoming a member of the board for WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings.
The Rock using boardroom power to win the WWE Universal title at Wrestlemania 40
After CM Punk and Brock Lesnar were removed from key roles at Wrestlemania for differing reasons, PW Insider claimed Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, made a push to land a match with his cousin to “save” the event. Feeling Rock-Reigns would be a bigger draw than Rhodes-Reigns II. Well, a new report reveals not only has he gotten his wish, but he may be pushing to get the W as well.
On Saturday, Fightful reported that not only has he lobbied to work the match against Reigns but is believed to be pushing to win in what is expected to be the Night 2 headliner of Wrestlemania 40. The outlet also claims The Rock-themed “Head of the Table” merchandise is being created for the event but there are also concerns about his ability to perform a full-length match after less than impressive showings during recent appearances.
Fans already not happy with his addition to the top of the card will certainly be even more frustrated with the idea of the aging legend — who is unlikely to be sticking around long-term — being the man to end one of the greatest title reigns of the modern era.
