The Rock’s WrestleMania plans don’t appear likely to change.
This past Friday’s episode of SmackDown saw Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes reveal that he won’t be coming for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, instead introducing The Rock to set up a clash between the two cousins. Following this, fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure at the booking decision, with this spilling over into last night’s Monday Night RAW crowd.
PWInsider are now reporting that, despite the fan backlash, The Rock is contractually locked in to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, with only an unforseen circumstance having the potential to change plans as it stands.
“Multiple sources have noted that The Rock is 100% performing in the ring at Wrestlemania 40. That is a done deal and as we noted on Saturday, likely something that was contractually locked in as one of the milestones Rock would be involved in as part of his TKO Board of Directors deal. We were told there is “no scenario” where Rock is not wrestling Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 40, unless something unforeseen happens, like an injury.”
-PWInsider
The report also noted that Bryan Gerwirtz is expected to be at major WWE events going forward, including The Elimination Chamber PPV in Perth as part of the creative process leading to Wrestlemania, with it having previously been reported that Gerwirtz is likely to act as the voice representing The Rock in the creative department.
As for the fan reaction to Cody Rhodes seemingly not finishing his story, PWInsider revealed that WWE have indeed taken notice of this, with the focus now being on trying to make sense of the booking decision whilst ensuring that Rhodes’ standing isn’t diluted.
“WWE absolutely took notice of the Cody Rhodes reaction and there are some who have pushed for the company to lean into it, feeling it will make Cody a stronger babyface by playing up the fan surge into him. The plan here was never to turn Rock heel or to have it come across, even to “smart fans” as if he was maliciously taking Rhodes’ spot. As several in the company pointed out, they can adjust the plan week by week to “make it make sense” and they have a long way until Wrestlemania. Some we spoke with believe that now that the shock of Rock coming into the storylines can wear off, creative can lock in ways to build everyone as strong as possible leading into Wrestlemania season . We are told anything is on the table creatively as they map Mania season out. There is absolutely no one in the company on the creative end that wants any of this to dilute Cody’s standing, PWInsiderElite.com is told, as they know how important he is to the company’s business, including live events and merchandise.”
-PWInsider
Finally, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson played down what they described as “erroneous reports” that claimed that he’d reported that a title unification match between Rhodes as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and whoever emerges from WrestleMania 40 as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam in August is locked in, instead clarifying that this is simply a scenario that some within the company are talking about.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the plans for both The Rock and Cody Rhodes heading into WrestleMania 40 as soon as we hear more.
