Rock vs. Roman Reigns: In an inventive move that, to put it mildly, did not sit well with fans, The Rock made his comeback to WWE on Friday night on SmackDown, ostensibly replacing Cody Rhodes as the opponent of undisputed WWE global champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.
Social media was enraged by the move, with many users venting their annoyance and fury at the way the corporation handled Cody Rhodes and the narrative they had been emotionally invested in over the previous year. It even became a movement, with the hashtag #WeWantCody briefly being popular all across the world.
It did not help that reports by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select and Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com explained how and why it was produced.
The unfavourable reaction complicated an already turbulent Road to WrestleMania, when CM Punk tore his triceps, forcing him to miss work and ending preparations for a World Heavyweight Championship battle against Seth Rollins.
This writer concurs with the incensed and now disenfranchised supporters who feel that Rhodes was wrongfully replaced by Rock. The epitome of a babyface, he fought his way back to the top of the organisation following his main event defeat by Roman Reigns last year, all the while maintaining his current level of overconfidence.
In addition, he has been an excellent spokesman for WWE and a role model at meet-and-greets and media events. It is disheartening for all parties concerned that he did everything properly and was asked to move aside in favour of a Hollywood megastar who chose to take a break and become a professional wrestler again after being too busy to do so for the previous 11 years.
To put too fine a point on it, though, The Rock vs. Roman Reigns could be the greatest choice WWE makes moving forward.
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What Happens If The Rock Is the Perfect Man for This Time?
Rhodes stated unequivocally that in order to complete his tale, he needed to win everything from Reigns in addition to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. That would encompass the whole Bloodline, if not his role as The Tribal Chief.
What better way for him to do that than to move aside and give the championship to The Rock, the only person who can truly fight Reigns for it?
In addition, The Great One is the most recent instalment in the Bloodline narrative that has dominated WWE for the previous four years. At various moments during its life, it has looked to be heading to this matchup, but scheduling has gotten in the way. It has been the best example of epic long-term booking that fans of this generation have witnessed.
It’s not like the match was unexpected—The Rock is back and allowed to have the contest, even though the timing isn’t perfect and Rhodes wasn’t given the best treatment possible when he interrupted the WrestleMania main event preparations.
The creative team can rely on the notion that the third-generation star, the grandson of “High Chief” Peter Maivia and the son of Rocky Johnson, can subdue Reigns in front of the biggest audience in professional wrestling and pave the way for The Bloodline’s eventual demise as it scrambles to explain why Rhodes would simply walk away from the biggest match of his career and give it to someone else.
Long-term benefits for Rhodes and WWE come from what occurs if—and, for the sake of pro wrestling social media, when—The Rock loses against Reigns in Philadelphia.
