MR. TITO: It’s OK for WWE if The Rock vs. Roman Reigns Doesn’t Happen at Wrestlemania 41 or Ever
There are news reports that The Rock may have a heavy schedule for 2025 and that could cause him to miss WWE’s Wrestlemania 41 event or at least cause him not to wrestle which requires weeks, if not months, of training to prepare. Rock has responded to such reports as “BS” on Social Media, but those reports are also suggesting that Wrestlemania 41 plans are going forward under the assumption that the Rock won’t be performing. However, as seen by Wrestlemania 40, plans can suddenly change if he’s somehow available.
That, of course, is causing everyone to lose their minds thinking that they’ll “never” get a Rock vs. Roman Reigns match, particularly at Wrestlemania 41.
After all, the plans seem to line up well to have that match there… Cody vs. Rock at Royal Rumble, in which Rock wins the WWE title, Roman Reigns wins the Rumble match, and then we have babyface Roman versus “final boss” heel Rock to headline a massive 2-night show in Las Vegas for Wrestlemania 41. Seems too easy to book…
BUT, wrestling is the Rock’s part-time gig and acting is his full-time one. What the Rock cannot risk is injury, as he’d be unavailable to star in high budgeted movies and he has massive insurance policies backing his availability as an actor. So, hence if his movie schedule dictates that he cannot wrestle, then he won’t wrestle.
HOWEVER… Y’all could have had Rock vs. Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 40, but you BLEW IT.
It was RIGHT THERE…
The Rock was available to perform during Spring 2024 and that downtime could have led to the BIG MATCH finally happening. WWE knew that fans wanted that match and hence, following Royal Rumble 2024 when they especially wanted to divert attention away from Vince McMahon’s lawsuit drama, why they booked the match.
And then the Internet Wrestling Community revolted and harassed the WWE into changing their Wrestlemania 40 plans. Roman vs. Cody was rebooked and then a makeshift tag team of Rock/Roman vs. Seth Rollins/Cody Rhodes happened. Lucky for WWE, both of those matches were amazing and erased the issues of flip flopping on the main event of Wrestlemania 40.
Furthermore, and this is the most lucky thing ever for the WWE, it caused the Rock to turn heel and he truthfully needed it. His LAME babyface character had played itself out for the past 20 years when making various appearances for the WWE and it was a breath of fresh air, particularly with the Rock reverting back to his “Hollywood” Rock character from 2003 that many people love. The Rock turning heel gave the WWE and easy avenue to finally get the babyface push they’ve wanted for Roman Reigns for so long. WWE tried and tried to make Roman a babyface star from 2014-2020, but if failed… Now, the heel run from 2020-2024 has given Roman experience, personality, knowledge from Paul Heyman, and the confidence to finally pull off the babyface push that Vince McMahon envisioned during the 2010s.
BUT, you might not get babyface Roman versus the heel Rock for 2025 because of, well, commitments.
THAT is why 2024’s post-Royal Rumble HISSY FIT is an issue… The Rock isn’t always available to perform, NOR does he WANT to perform. He was willing and able to perform for the Spring of 2024. THAT WAS HIS DAMN WINDOW, you fools! However, the internet fans went nuclear and bombarded the WWE using every Social Media platform available to complain and it caused the WWE to perform a U-turn to switch it back to Cody vs. Roman and then create the makeshift tag team match for Night #1.
Thus, if the Rock cannot wrestle Roman for 2025, that’s on YOU who complained.
The FACT is that Cody Rhodes could have easily “finished his story” at SummerSlam 2024 rather than dragging Solo Sikoa to 30 minutes of a match for the main event. Sorry, but Solo wasn’t ready for that spot and that Cleveland football stadium would have BLOWN UP if Cody vs. Roman for the combined WWE Titles was held there. The story would have been perfectly fine to conclude just 4 months later than Wrestlemania 40.
YOU BLEW IT, internet… If Rock vs. Roman doesn’t happen this year or even at Wrestlemania 41, just remember that you had a chance during 2024 to see it at Wrestlemania 40.
And internet fans are the MINORITY of wrestling fans… So once again, all of us suffer when the smaller portion of the population has the bigger megaphone.
THAT SAID…..
I still think Rock vs. Roman Reigns will happen… Maybe at Wrestlemania 41, maybe at SummerSlam, or maybe, just maybe, they create their own Pay Per View that is simply called “Rock vs. Roman” that is built like a boxing card with them as the headliner and then you get a few undercard matches.
Maybe Rock vs. Roman is saved for a Netflix special? Maybe it’s headlining NBC’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. After all, NBC reaches over 100 million households.
WWE is probably eyeballing what just happened in Pro Boxing with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. There, they saw a reported 60 million households watching their fight and around the world, each household averages having around 4 people… Do the math and you can approximate how many actually watched Tyson do literally nothing for against Jake Paul.
HOWEVER, consider this… Boxing has burned that bridge with Mike Tyson. Though he’s in his late 50s, the mystique of ever using him again is gone. They tried several gimmick matches with Floyd Mayweather and they turned off fans, too.
Once Rock vs. Roman happens and Roman gets the big win, it’s over… The usefulness of the Rock in the WWE declines immediately.
So why give fans Rock vs. Roman away immediately? Why not milk it to see how long they can make longtime WWE fans and casual fans hopping on the bandwagon anticipate this big match? WWE could do a metric ton of business with various Rock non-wrestling appearances and build up heat by making it appear that he’s purposely avoiding Roman.
String fans along for as long as you because Rock vs. Roman happens, where do you go next?
Obviously, the Rock at age 52 (turning 53 during May 2025) doesn’t have many in-ring performances left in him. Furthermore, his physique is pushing those tendons to the max and any physical twerk to them will cause injuries especially with age. Again, the Rock doesn’t have much to prove inside a wrestling ring and losing a big match reduces the effective value on anyone else pinning him.
Then, what about Roman? Once he defeats the Rock, what does he have left to prove? Look at his incredible resume of wrestlers pinned: Rock (once it happens), CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, the Undertaker, AJ Styles, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Bill Goldberg, Cody Rhodes… What is there left to prove? The next move for Roman would be to put over someone else, and I’m sure who that worthy individual is… Maybe Bron Breakker? Maybe Gunther? But I just don’t see it, yet, in them to take the business to the next level like Roman did since August 2020.
So why rush it? Why rush to have Rock vs. Roman immediately when you can string it out and have many fun storylines before the big match finally arrives. Once it happens, Rock and Roman both have nothing else to prove.
Now, I do want to be very sympathetic right now as I’m aware of several older, long-time wrestling fans who urgently want to see this match before the afterlife calls their name. I respect that… And if Rock vs. Roman happens during 2025, then I’ll still be very happy that it happens specifically for them.
But if it doesn’t happen during 2025 or not at Wrestlemania 41, I’ll be 100% fine with it.
Why? Because I trust WWE’s current management group led by Triple H right now. So we’re not getting Rock vs. Roman at Wrestlemania 41 but maybe seeing Roman vs. CM Punk instead? I’m 100% fine with that and will be very excited to see Roman vs. Punk, especially the LEAD-UP to it!
This WWE run since June 2022 when Triple H took over has been incredible and it’s allowing me to just sit back and enjoy what is presented rather than having high expectations and major letdowns of what Vince McMahon was trying to present us in his later years. I have a TRUST that Triple H and the delegation of authority will group think and present great alternatives if the Rock is unavailable for Wrestlemania 41 or at all for 2025. I have faith that they’ll present us with great storylines and match-ups in the meantime.
THIS is what All Elite Wrestling (AEW) doesn’t get… It’s NOT the matches themselves but the BUILD-UP and ANTICIPATION of the matches. Why rush it? The quicker you burn through “dream matches”, the fewer dream matches you have to present to make money! As I said, once Rock vs. Roman happens, unless the first match was so great that it commands a rematch, it’s over for both top stars with nothing else to prove. Someone like MJF has already wrestled everybody in the company and so has his potential opponents… AEW has burned out their fanbase by giving them too much quality, too fast. Too much quantity given away on Pay Per View and too many big matches given away for free on Dynamite has done that too them. Tony Khan’s booking moves TOO FAST and hence why nothing feels “special” on that roster.
Triple H has slowed things down and lets the storyline BREATHE and take shape before executing the big match blowoff. Hence why the WWE is growing and why WWE has so many dream matches still left in their holster which I wrote about in my last column.
If the Rock cannot wrestle for 2025, look what the WWE can still give us:
• Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk
• Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (2025 versions, much different than their 2014 versions)
• Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar
• Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk
• Gunther vs. Roman Reigns
• Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes
• Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
• Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
With time, WWE’s roster is getting deeper and more experienced… Someone will rise-up and create great matches with top WWE veteran performers.
I’m OK with Rock vs. Roman not happening, ever. I’ll move on because I’ve already seen the best of the Rock and I’ve seen the best out of Roman. That tag match during Night #1 of Wrestlemania 40 was amazing between Rock/Roman vs. Cody/Seth and is my current “Match of the Year” candidate. If that is the last hurray of The Rock, then I’m 100% OK with that just as I was OK with Steve Austin coming back to wrestle Kevin Owens. Rock did everything he could between 1996-2004 and then during 2011-2013 with the John Cena feud. He has nothing left to prove and having a match with Roman is just the cherry on the top… But I’d argue that Rock/Roman vs. Seth/Cody match proved enough to me.
WWE is great right now and will continue to be great if Rock vs. Roman doesn’t happen. But if it does, we’ll be lucky to get bonus Rock in our wrestling lives.
I trust that WWE will entertain me, regardless if they feed me this “dream match” or not. I want to keep emphasizing that word TRUST because I have it with Triple H and his team right now, whereas I didn’t with Vince McMahon from 2001 through 2022 and haven’t with Tony Khan since 2022.
My prediction: Rock vs. Cody and Rock vs. Roman will happen during 2025, so relax… They’ll find a way to make it happen, as the Rock has a lot of skin in the “TKO” game as a Board Member.
BUT, if it doesn’t happen and never happens, ALWAYS REMEMBER that Rock vs. Roman Reigns was supposed to happen at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia and you overzealous online fans BLEW IT. If Rock vs. Roman never happens, it’s YOUR FAULT and you should be held accountable for it by any fans who wanted to see that match during 2024 at Wrestlemania 41.
If Rock vs. Roman doesn’t happen, the sun will also rise tomorrow. Life goes on… Just feel BLESSED that you’re living in their era where you got to see both men wrestle and perform at their physical peaks. Good lord, I got to witness not on the best of Rock and Roman’s careers, but Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Sting, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash with the NWO, Steve Austin, Triple H, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Batista, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio Jr., Cody Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes, Goldust (yes, Dustin is great!), Trish Stratus, Bella Twins (yes, they were great!), Lita, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Kenny Omega, Bianca Belair, Okada, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, Bray Wyatt, Barry Windham, the Road Warriors, the Varsity Club, Midnight Express, anyone Jim Cornette managed, anyone Bobby Heenan managed, the Undertaker and Paul Bearer (Percy Pringle 4 Life!), the Von Erichs, Mr. Perfect, literally anybody from ECW (Raven, Sandman, Dreamer, Eliminators, New Jack, Dudleys, Rob Van Dam, FBI, Shane Douglass, Mike Awesome, Tanaka, Stevie Richards & the BWO, and many more), Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Bill Goldberg, the Ultimate Warrior, Ravishing Rick Rude, Jake the Snake Roberts, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Yokozuna, Usos, Rikishi, and so many more…
WTF do you have to complain about on not seeing Rock vs. Roman? Has Pro Wrestling NOT entertained you with the AMAZING characters and in-ring performers???
Wrestling fans are so spoiled and they have zero perspective to understand it. Great analogy is being an NBA fan… Yes, right now has been difficult to watch with stupid Load Management, but if you’ve watched the NBA for the last 40 years, it’s been collectively fun with Magic, Bird, Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, Lebron, Curry, and Durant. At least with the WWE, it’s been great lately unlike the NBA though it just signed massive TV deals despite its declined viewership!
Just sit back, as a WWE fan, and TRUST the process that Triple H has to present quality entertainment for you right now. Otherwise, someone can contact Vince McMahon and I guarantee you that he’d be willing to return. Is that what you want?
How in the hell is everyone else now far more cynical as wrestling fans than I am? Good lord… Enjoy the process, TRUST in what Triple H is doing.
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