You know what? I didn’t want to think that it would happen.
When The Rock showed up on the season premiere of Smackdown last year, gave Austin Theory his last breath of relevance, I thought it would just be one and done and we would be back to our regularly scheduled programming… but then New Year’s Day came.
The Day 1 edition of RAW happened and while we were momentarily trolled by WWE by way of Jinder Mahal, “IF YOU SMELLLLLL…” echoed through the speakers and out came Dwayne once more. Again, I paid it no mind…but then he said this…
“Should I sit…at the head of the table?”
From there, I wasn’t so sure anymore…
The rumor mill began to flood and every wrestling fan, journalist, podcaster, YouTuber, TikToker, Twitter Incel began speculating whether we are finally going to get the match that we been dreaming about since the 2015 Royal Rumble`. WrestleMania 40, The Brahma Bull against The Tribal Chief…. and I was not afraid.
Fast forward to the Royal Rumble this year.
Cody Rhodes won after all signs pointed to CM Punk winning. He then points towards the WrestleMania sign per tradition and later motioned to Roman Reigns and I knew our main event for either Night 1 or Night 2 was set. However, the next night on RAW, Punk announced he’s injured and will miss WrestleMania. To add more skepticism, Seth Rollins cuts a promo towards Cody practically begging him to pick him. Like he didn’t beat him three times in a row, in the same year, in addition to tearing his shoulder out in the process.
Fast forward to Smackdown.
After Roman basically calls Seth a bitch, a cross-dresser and labeled the World Title, “The Loser Bracket Title”, Cody just HAD to choose Roman and choose Roman he DID!…then he
didn’t…and said he sought out special counsel…again…”IF YOU SMELL….” and from what it looked like at home, Cody just gave up his WrestleMania spot to Dwayne.
At the end of it all, Cody looked so hurt. He looked like he just came in the house to find Dwayne piping down Brandi while Paul Heyman videotaped it, Solo in the backyard playing with the dog and Jimmy was playing with himself.
Now I have heard numerous takes, read many think-pieces and now that the dust has settled, it is time to give my own.
I understand the business perspective of it all. Your top guy goes out with an injury and now you need to find a way to salvage the card of your biggest show of the year. In addition to The Rock now on the board of directors for WWE’s parent company, TKO, it drives attention onto one of the last “dream” matches we have and away from the headlines surrounding the former chairman Vince McMahon and all of his skeletons. They have the potential to bring in people that have tuned out of wrestling since The Rock’s heyday and now they have a reason to tune in to what could be Dwayne’s last match ever against the man that he metaphorically gave the keys to the kingdom in 2015. It is a story that is written in blood. Who is the REAL “Head of the Table”, who is the ruler of The Bloodline, who is the provider of the Anoa’i/Fatu family??? If I look at all of those factors, this match is MUST-SEE.
If it wasn’t for Cody Rhodes.
Since Cody’s heartbreaking loss at WrestleMania 39, the focal point since then is “finishing the story.” Detractors far and wide complained in the build-up for last year about how Cody didn’t do enough or where he didn’t earn his main event spot. So, after taming the Beast, executing Judgment Day, silencing Shinsuke, and tossing 29 other men over the top rope, it is safe to say he overcame that adversity. Only for Dwayne to come in and interrupt all paths to the end…having to go through zero adversity…and people are okay with this…because it is Rock versus Roman.
In one segment, WWE (through Roman Reigns) buried Seth “Freakin” Rollins, confirmed what we already knew, that the World Heavyweight Championship is a consolation prize for being unable to beat Roman, made the Royal Rumble and the win feel meaningless, made Cody Rhodes look like a punk and put a special attraction match over a story with two or more years of ACTUAL build. Not only that but the news that we are hearing now about The Rock’s push and influence to get this match to even become a possibility. On top of all that, it is damn near guaranteed that Roman will win and this 1000 plus day reign will continue, even though it is long past its expiration date. But to some fans, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THE STORY IS!!! It is Rock versus Roman!
I would like to think that maybe they are going to pull the wool over our eyes and WWE recognizes the backlash that has now occurred and decide that they want to course correct. Even if they stand on business and go on with these plans and somewhere down the line, Cody faces Roman at say, Summerslam and finally dethrones him, the damage would have already been done.
At the end of the day, The Rock came back to WWE on Day 1, became a member of the Board of Directors for its parent company and two weeks later, threw himself into the main event spot that wasn’t even his on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Yet, because it is a “dream” match, because there’s nepotistic storytelling and because it will put “butts in seats”, to some fans, the story can be on hold for a little while longer, because if not now, then it may as well be never for this to happen.
The Rock may be a legend. But as of right now, he is an interruption.
Why would I cheer for that on April 6th???