MR. TITO: The Rock Returns to WWE… What Does This Mean for Wrestlemania 40 and Cody Rhodes?
With the Rock returning to WWE Monday Night RAW last night, online wrestling fans are in FULL PANIC MODE regarding Cody Rhodes‘s reported plans for Wrestlemania 40 to finally defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Title. Many claims of “the Rock is going to take his spot”, “Cody doesn’t deserve this”, “Rock is just a part-timer”, etc., etc., etc. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…
Didn’t we hear your whining last year following the ending of Wrestlemania 39 when Solo Sikoa screwed Cody Rhodes during his main event match with Roman Reigns? “That was Cody’s moment and it was robbed”. And then the whining continued when Brock Lesnar attacked Cody on the RAW following Wrestlemania 39. Then, of course, all of you attacked me when I insisted that Cody needed more WWE build-up time because he needed to further scrub that “AEW stench” off of him.
Turns out, I was right… Cody Rhodes was made BETTER because of his feud with Brock Lesnar. Don’t believe me? Go watch their 3rd and defining match, which was a legit “Match of the Year” contender and Brock Lesnar, breaking scripts, to salute Cody at the end. That feud solidified Cody as being ready to finally take on Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia and be THE ONE to finally defeat Roman and take his titles…
HOWEVER – If you get an opportunity to get the Rock, you take him…
The Rock is not only one of the biggest WWE superstars of all time, but he’s up there as one of the most known celebrities of all time. The man is 51 years old, going to turn 52 in 2024. He has a schedule full of movies to produce, likely following the actors’ strike of 2023. The window is tight to get his services and possibly get that DREAM MATCH of Rock vs. Roman Reigns. Sorry, but all other plans should take a backseat to his availability.
If you go back into history, the Rock also took over the spotlights of Wrestlemanias 28 and 29 with his 2 matches against John Cena. Who was WWE Champion during Wrestlemania 28? Oh yeah, our friend CM Punk. And who was WWE champion heading into 2013 before getting not one but TWO matches with the Rock before Wrestlemania 29? Oh yeah, that was CM Punk too. Sure, CM Punk didn’t headline Wrestlemania 29, but his match with the Undertaker was damn near perfect and remains one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time.
So…. Over 10 years later, how is CM Punk doing? He never lost his star power… In fact, he’s a bigger star because he kept working hard (that 2013 year had some of his best matches of all time).
If Cody Rhodes is as great as all you think he is, then he’ll be just fine defeating Roman on another WWE Paid Live Event (PLE). SummerSlam is a pretty awesome event, too…
So relax…
But I really want all of you to focus on what the Rock said about a possible WWE return on the September 15th, 2023 edition of the Pat McAfee show. What the Rock said was VERY specific and many should take comfort in it regarding our boy Cody Rhodes. The Rock said, and I quote…
*****
“That was locked. We were doing it. Beginning of 2022, Nick Khan, he was instrumental in bringing me and Vince together… We shook hands (about Wrestlemania 39). What can we create for the fans that’s never been done before. We can have the match, but what can we do for the fans and the business, where Wrestlemania isn’t the end but the beginning of something bigger. We got really, really close but we couldn’t agree on what that thing was”.
“Also want to deliver to the locker room… What can we do to put them in a position where they are part of something that is a new change, and era of pro wrestling”
*****
Before I get into this quote, notice Nick Khan‘s mention in this quote… If you saw a photo of the Rock at ESPN’s College Gameday yesterday, Nick Khan was there in the background. Uh huh… We’re seriously going to look back in 20 years and praise Nick Khan’s leadership in representation of and working within the WWE.
Anyway, focus in on “beginning of something bigger” and “want to deliver to the locker room” along with “put them in a position where they can be part of something that is a new change, and era of pro wrestling“.
Do you see those quotes? Does that sound like the Rock is a raging egomaniac who wants to take current full-time wrestlers’ spots?
No, the Rock could easily just do a Rock vs. Roman one-off match. That would draw bonkers money and then the Rock could return to acting. That’s NOT what he said… He wants his appearance to matter and have longing effects on pro wrestling. Rocky wrestling Roman would obviously benefit the Rock and his opponent Roman, but he wants it to mean something to everyone else too. The Rock was a full-time wrestler in his day and he knows what it means to get the “big rub” from a top level superstar. And, the Rock was the one putting over wrestlers repeatedly in his day. Ask Brock Lesnar for SummerSlam 2002 and Bill Goldberg at Backlash 2003, while repeatedly putting over Austin and Triple H without flinching. Rock put over Hurricane Helms one time, if I remember correctly.
There were rumors around Australia’s acquisition of the 2024 Elimination Chamber PLE that they were inquiring about and maybe providing a little extra money to ensure the Rock‘s appearance at that event. He could just appear, as he has access to private jets (or one would be provided for him) and cut a promo… He could wrestle, too.
While Rock vs. Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2024 isn’t that exciting, again, it’s a matter of time and place. Let’s say the Rock gets screwed out of his match at Elimination Chamber and demands a rematch. However, Cody Rhodes is the Royal Rumble winner and has already secured a challenge for Roman’s title.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m perfectly fine with Roman Reigns(c) vs. the Rock vs. Cody Rhodes in a Triple Threat match. Yes, I am a guy who has professed his dislike for multiple-person matches, particularly with a world title involved… BUT, this gives Cody Rhodes ample opportunity to slay 2 major dragons at once. Hell, even create a finish like Roman had a few years ago against Edge and Daniel Bryan where he forcibly pinned both guys at once.
But again, let’s take that shine off of Wrestlemania… Yes, it’s the biggest event… But big wins have come at other Pay Per Views, too. For a while, Survivor Series had bigger WWE Title wins than Wrestlemania. I’d argue SummerSlam has had monumental changes. Often, the winner at SummerSlam will be the one challenged for the World Title at Wrestlemania. What’s wrong with that?
If Cody Rhodes is as great as all of you online say he truly is, then his time will come.
However, if Cody’s career falls apart because he couldn’t somehow headline Wrestlemania 40 against Roman, then it PROVES how dependent he was on big moments propping his career up. Since Cody’s return, he had his big Wrestlemania 38 return match, getting the best out of Seth Rollins, winning the 2023 Royal Rumble, headlining Wrestlemania 39, and winning 2 out of 3 against Brock Lesnar. That is a ton of favorable booking for Cody. Is Cody really on the level of being a great main eventer or is the Creative Team responsible for making him look strong?
Thus, if Cody loses his Wrestlemania 40 spot to the Rock, that test will soon arrive for Cody. If Cody is truly great and deserves to be the main eventer that y’all say he is, then he doesn’t need this big Wrestlemania 40 moment against Roman. Wrestlemania moments certainly help talent, but they are not the only way to be great in the WWE. SummerSlam matters, too… But making a name on a non-big 3 PLE also matters. For example, I forever remember the No Mercy 1999 event name and date specifically because of Edge/Christian vs. Hardy Boys in the Ladder Match. I couldn’t tell you any other match from that even if I tried! Same with Money in the Bank 2011, which I remember only for CM Punk vs. John Cena. Badd Blood 1997 for HBK vs. Undertaker in the first ever HIAC match.
Furthermore, for YEARS, you wanted Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn to retire, resign, or be cancelled from the WWE. Y’all got your wish, as Endeavor has forced Vince McMahon away from managing WWE’s day-to-day operations and Kevin Dunn just retired. You got what you wanted, so now have faith in Triple H to creatively tell a story. Did you not enjoy the end of 2022 and most of 2023? I sure as hell did… With Triple H overseeing creative during the Spring/Summer of 2023, he made Cody look stronger in his feud with Brock Lesnar to scrub off that “AEW stench”.
RELAX… And enjoy the ride.
Quit acting like spoiled brats when you have a WWE talent roster that consists of Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Brock Lesnar, LA Knight, Usos, lots of fun young talent (Solo, Dominik), the best female wrestlers in the world (Rhea, Becky, Charlotte, Bianca, etc.), and an improving NXT system that could be restocking the WWE roster for years. Oh, and many AEW wrestlers are looking to rejoin the WWE for 2024, too. Oh, and former greats like the Rock, John Cena, and Steve Austin STILL want to associate themselves and even wrestle for your WWE product.
And again, I have documentation from ALL OF YOU who were wishing for Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn to LEAVE the WWE and put Triple H fully in charge.
Why not have faith in your man, Triple H?
But I’d trust the Rock’s words, too… He wants more people involved with his return than just Roman. I think Rock vs. Roman vs. Cody at Wrestlemania 40 would be pretty cool!
If you don’t believe that the Rock should be somehow involved with the WWE right now, just see the reaction to his “Head of the Table” comment last night on RAW and him heavily trending that night. All we’re talking about, this morning, is the Rock returning to the WWE. Sports and Entertainment headlines are everywhere, too. That’s a REAL star making those headlines and puts extra attention on the WWE.
Just relax and enjoy the ride! Trust in Triple H, as many of you online folks should be doing after hearing your Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn complaints for years.
Sadly, it appears that my 2024 Prediction of The Rock will NOT wrestle any matches during 2024 appears to be cooked… But we’ll just see what happens. I was figuring his post-strike stuff would keep him out of the picture.
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