Why Roman Reigns vs The Rock Could Be the Wrong Move for WrestleMania 40

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Get ready for the wrestling event of a lifetime! In this video, we delve into the speculation surrounding the potential blockbuster matchup between two generations of WWE legends: Roman Reigns and The Rock at WrestleMania 40. Join us as we break down the reasons why this dream match could be the perfect headline for the grandest stage of them all.  Don't miss out on the excitement! Hit that subscribe button, ring the notification bell, and join us as we dissect the possibility of Roman Reigns vs The Rock headlining WrestleMania 40. It's a match that could define an era, and we want to hear your thoughts on this potential epic showdown!  You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe  #TheRock #RomanReigns #CodyRhodes #WrestleMania #WWE #Wrestling #Sportskeeda

Transcript

00:00 Monday Night Raw, Day 1, January 1st, the beginning of a brand new year and a very anticipated

00:13 year in 2024 for WWE.

00:16 Triple H on social media officially teases the return of a former WWE Champion and it's

00:22 revealed to be…

00:24 Jinder Mahal?

00:25 Just kidding, it was used as a setup to actually set up the return of…

00:32 The Rock!

00:33 Yeah, let's get into it.

00:35 What is the situation with The Rock moving into WrestleMania season?

00:40 And we'll make two big arguments for and against that big match we're all thinking

00:44 about.

00:45 It's Sportskeeda Wrestling, I'm Kevin, get into the comments below.

00:48 The Rock, the biggest movie star in the world, set electricity through the TV screens and

00:54 obviously onto social media when he showed up on Monday Night Raw verbally assaulting

00:59 and then physically assaulting the bad guy in Jinder and getting the last laugh.

01:04 Yeah, that's it, just a fun little surprise moment.

01:07 Oh no no, there was something else that he was going to share that would get the entire

01:11 wrestling world flipped over with a collective jaw drop yet again.

01:17 He closed the 20+ minute segment in San Diego telling the crowd that he wanted to get something

01:23 to eat and he asked them if he should get a booth at the restaurant or maybe sit at

01:27 the bar or whether…

01:29 Should The Rock sit at the head of the table?

01:33 And that's all it took.

01:36 The air was sucked out of the arena, the collective gasp was huge across the world.

01:43 It meant we were getting it.

01:47 Those very few words may have been one of the first big teases for the match, a direct

01:54 shot at Roman Reigns, someone connected to him through blood.

01:59 And it's on time for WWE to set something up like this for WrestleMania in Philadelphia

02:06 and it begins right now at the beginning of the year.

02:09 The social media barnstorm was burning hot and fast and instantly got fans talking about

02:15 the possibility of Roman vs Rock at WrestleMania 40.

02:20 How that comes together and whether it should or shouldn't come together makes a lot of

02:26 sense to make Roman Reigns defend his legacy against that of his blood relative in the

02:34 Samoan Wrestling Dynasty in The Rock.

02:37 It writes itself.

02:38 The history is all there.

02:40 If you haven't checked out our Samoan Dynasty video, it's on the main channel.

02:46 And don't worry, if you're opposed to Rock vs Reigns, we have an argument for that

02:51 being something you need the world to know.

02:54 We'll get to it.

02:56 Give us your fantasy booking in the comments below too.

02:59 This match has been in the works for years.

03:02 Of course, years ago, The Rock endorsed Roman Reigns, a babyface Roman Reigns, the one they

03:09 put on a pedestal that all the fans got into and then some fans didn't get into and he

03:14 raised his hand at a Royal Rumble in Philadelphia of all places, where this year's WrestleMania

03:19 will be, and people still booed that Roman Reigns.

03:23 Now they boo and cheer and react to this Roman Reigns in a completely different way.

03:28 Also, this is a match that WWE wanted last year at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, and

03:35 at some point in December of 2022, plans fell apart and pencils were put down.

03:40 And this was confirmed by The Rock when he appeared on the Pat McAfee Show, saying they

03:45 simply couldn't come up with an idea that would live up to the hype.

03:48 He even confirmed meetings with WWE Executive Nick Khan about it.

03:52 The argument for why this match is happening is obvious.

03:55 It's The Rock.

03:57 He is without any argument or any doubt the biggest star ever in pro wrestling history.

04:03 Bigger than Hogan, bigger than Austin, and bigger than Flair.

04:06 His celebrity has him being designated as one of the most recognizable human beings

04:11 on the planet Earth.

04:12 Think of the publicity you buy with that.

04:15 The instant mainstream appeal of this outside of the wrestling world is obvious.

04:19 He has box office appeal in Hollywood, and he obviously has it in wrestling, which makes

04:24 him pretty bankable.

04:26 And speaking of bankable, this is not the same WWE that The Rock wrestled in full time

04:30 during the Attitude Era.

04:32 This isn't even the same WWE that The Rock returned to in 2011 to perform in a featured

04:37 role in a trio of WrestleManias.

04:39 This WWE is a way different WWE that is under the majority ownership of the TKO Holdings

04:46 Group under the Endeavor umbrella.

04:48 It is still a publicly traded company that has to answer to shareholders while entering

04:52 a TV contract year for their longest running franchise, Monday Night Raw.

04:59 Why do you think The Rock showed up on Raw?

05:01 The ace they just pulled from an already stacked deck of stars who we will get to is why this

05:08 is happening right now, and that appeal goes well beyond the wrestling world.

05:13 Beyond the business reasons delivering the actual business itself, in the ring, on the

05:18 camera and on the microphone, it has so much history to play upon for diehard fans who

05:25 are going to be there every week after this big match.

05:28 The wrestling world wants it, the casual fan wants it, and you can both sink your teeth

05:33 into it from either side of that aisle.

05:36 To all the jaded fickle fantasy bookers out there with their biased preferences to other

05:41 names getting this slot with Roman, saying that their guys got rocked blocked, well that

05:48 is an obvious notion just yet, but it isn't clear that this match is happening at WrestleMania,

05:55 and it isn't clear that this match is for the world championship you think it's for.

06:01 Rock and Roman may not need to battle for the WWE Universal Championship in this showdown,

06:07 they may battle for something that is less tangible, but very identifiable, the title

06:13 of Tribal Chief.

06:15 Rock never said the words WWE Universal Championship, he uttered the specific line head of the table.

06:23 The aura and emotional gravity given to that designation for the Samoan Dynasty is a cherished

06:30 and revered one.

06:31 The Rock coming back with the motivation to call out Roman Reigns, whose hubris and outward

06:37 villainy has tainted the family name, is why he may be coming back to restore that glory

06:44 that is now lorded over by Roman.

06:47 The actual lay that was put upon Roman's neck by his father and uncle, Afa and Sika,

06:53 is the symbol to pursue here, that has been treated like the prize within the bloodline.

06:59 That is the story that the supporting players who you know will get involved like Jimmy,

07:04 Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa and the wise man Paul Heyman will hover around to assist to push

07:09 Roman and Rock into a thunderstorm of a showdown.

07:13 It can weave a legit history in with family drama that appeals to both the casual and

07:19 hardcore fans, and most of all, it would have stakes and a grand consequence for the winner

07:25 and the loser.

07:26 Yes, this means we may see the most touted world title reign in wrestling's recent

07:32 history and to set up a personal grudge match, but it's not like we haven't seen that

07:37 work before in the past, right?

07:40 Now let's get into why this just maybe may not be the way to go for this year's Wrestlemania,

07:46 with all of the other players in the mix, with WWE's thick roster of heavy hitting

07:51 headliners who all have motivations for this massive moment at the top of the card on the

07:57 biggest show of the year.

07:58 Yeah, we're here to spoil the party a little bit and tell you exactly why now WWE should

08:03 not be going ahead with Roman Reigns vs The Rock specifically at Wrestlemania 40.

08:09 This involves two specific men, obviously Roman Reigns and the American Nightmare Cody

08:16 Rhodes.

08:17 You know that inspiring hero that still has a big personal story to finish?

08:22 A story that weaves back into WWE's decade old past with the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes,

08:30 his father, who never technically won the WWE World Championship.

08:36 From Wrestlemania 39 until now, WWE has made it clear that Cody Rhodes is THE guy they're

08:41 going with.

08:42 When Cody lost at Wrestlemania 39 due to the interference of the Bloodline and Roman leaving

08:48 with the title, many fans anticipated an immediate rematch, but it looked like we had to wait

08:54 an entire year to do that.

08:56 At least that was the feeling, instantly, I was there, it felt like once he lost we

09:00 were going to have to wait until another Wrestlemania for Roman to potentially lose this title.

09:05 In an entire year and a new World Championship being introduced since on another brand, Roman

09:11 Reigns has reigned on, and Cody has wrestled on.

09:15 Two different things there.

09:17 Cody specifically has been kept away from it, and he has stated that he is still set

09:21 dead set on that undisputed Universal Championship he wants.

09:25 The WWE Championship is indeed the championship his father never won, technically robbed of

09:30 it at the Madison Square Garden Mecca of professional wrestling.

09:34 WWE has invested a lot into Cody Rhodes this year, despite him falling short at Wrestlemania,

09:40 he went on to have an incredible trilogy of matches with Brock Lesnar and became undisputed

09:45 Tag Team Champions for a little while with Jey Uso, who had left the Bloodline.

09:50 Now this brings us to Wrestlemania 40, this year in 2024.

09:55 How exactly do you solve this issue with Roman Reigns?

09:58 Had Roman Reigns simply not held this championship heading into Wrestlemania for this long, then

10:03 it wouldn't be much of an issue at all.

10:06 But building it up means you've built up expectations, you could simply have him face

10:10 The Rock in the main event night two and get it done with.

10:13 But with the undisputed Universal Championship around Roman Reigns, it becomes a lot trickier.

10:19 We know that The Rock ain't becoming the Universal Champion, does he need to be the

10:23 champion?

10:24 No.

10:25 This would mean that Roman Reigns walking out of his fourth Wrestlemania in a row with

10:28 the title intact.

10:29 It's a pretty safe bet that in a title match, The Rock would not become the new Universal

10:34 Champion and this would mean that Roman Reigns would be walking out of his fourth Wrestlemania

10:40 consecutively with this championship.

10:43 And what does that do to WWE then?

10:46 They wait an entire year beyond that story and have Roman end his reign at nearly 1700

10:53 days?

10:54 Do you think people have that much patience with a Roman Reigns that isn't wrestling

11:00 every single week?

11:01 That isn't on TV every single week?

11:03 Yes, that patience issue with him and the championship is also a factor.

11:09 WWE seems to be booking themselves into a corner, but it's a good problem to be in

11:13 right now.

11:14 This isn't a bad problem, it's a good problem.

11:18 When Roman Reigns got COVID at the beginning of 2022, it basically had a ripple effect

11:23 that led to two world titles being unified and it presented a lot of problems creatively.

11:28 WWE put so much time and effort into giving Roman Reigns the greatest world championship

11:33 run we've ever seen in four decades, blah blah blah.

11:36 You know the territory that's been covered here, but it's being done on Wrestlemania

11:41 this year and adding to the decreasing appearances of Roman Reigns as a part-timer, you're

11:46 going to see people just kind of like, as I mentioned, become a little more impatient.

11:51 They want to see something new.

11:52 A solution could be to have Roman face Cody at night one of Wrestlemania, lose that title,

11:58 and then go on to defeat The Rock on night two.

12:02 But this presents some different problems as well.

12:04 One basically spoils the result of both matches beforehand because everyone watching would

12:09 know that Cody would become the winner night one, ending that title reign, and Roman would

12:14 win night two.

12:15 At least that's the general consensus when you look at that hypothetical situation on

12:19 the surface.

12:20 Second, it would devalue the entire idea of Cody winning the incredible story and finishing

12:25 it, and that has played out for three and a half years now.

12:28 Would it really be worth it to end such a story in a way that makes it second fiddle

12:32 to the blockbuster match?

12:34 But can't you just have both things?

12:36 Yeah, once again, it's a good problem to be in here.

12:39 Third, you could basically take away from CM Punk's biggest opportunity to headline

12:43 Wrestlemania.

12:44 The two-night format allowed more younger stars a chance to be in that headlining slot,

12:50 like Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, The Usos, they've all benefited

12:55 from that format.

12:56 Now, it seems like Punk, who came back to WWE in November, may not have that opportunity

13:01 based on The Rock, you know, once again, shuffling things here.

13:05 It's a perfect chance for CM Punk to headline Wrestlemania, and it would be terrible to

13:08 see that taken away from him just because of the circumstances.

13:11 Wouldn't it be ironic, though, that this is the same thing that happened over ten years

13:15 ago?

13:16 And that's another reason why WWE should book a Rock vs. Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

13:21 The Rock looked a little bit winded when he was out there in the ring with Junior Mahal.

13:26 Not too winded, he still looks great, he still looks amazing.

13:29 But this is a Rock who, at his age, has to deliver a match that lives up to Wrestlemania

13:34 standards.

13:35 That lives up to the standards of topping the last time you saw him in the ring.

13:38 It has to be a spectacular match, an epic performance that lives up to the standards

13:45 of The Rock.

13:46 Now, we're not saying he can't do that, but this is a guy who hasn't had a real

13:50 match in a long time.

13:52 It's way different than getting in the ring, cutting a promo, and then doing a handful

13:55 of moves.

13:56 And The Rock has faced some injuries in his last few matches.

13:59 Now, we're not saying he can't brum a bullet up and pull off a great performance.

14:04 Of course, he could always train and get into ring shape, but the 2013 incident made fans

14:09 realize in that big Wrestlemania match against John Cena that the challenges of getting in

14:14 and out of in-ring shape are a very challenging thing in and of themselves.

14:19 For those unaware, The Rock's last proper match was in the main event of Wrestlemania

14:24 29 against Cena, and boy oh boy, there were some big problems in that match.

14:28 During the match, he tore his abdominal and abductor muscles and suffered a hernia.

14:34 This caused a chain reaction and caused him to tear his abdominal wall, a pretty brutal

14:40 injury.

14:41 In 2013, in 2012, the first Cena-Rock match, The Rock was also injured and had a muscle

14:48 injury, one that reportedly affected the production of several films he was working on, causing

14:52 millions of dollars in production delays.

14:56 So it has major ripple effects and even more risk involving all those insurance companies

15:01 that maybe wouldn't want him to wrestle as a result of the Wrestlemania debacle years

15:07 ago.

15:08 But this is a different Rock.

15:09 This is a Rock who's much more powerful in Hollywood than he was even then.

15:13 When Pat McAfee asked The Rock about this directly, he said that injuries are a part

15:18 of the game in wrestling, and that he has the power to adjust and control his own schedule,

15:22 while also admitting that thousands of people rely on him for employment.

15:26 There's a risk for The Rock going in there and having this match that no one else on

15:30 the roster is taking, even though they're all taking the natural risk that any pro wrestler

15:35 takes every single time they get in the ring.

15:37 Now we get it, Wrestlemania is a lot more of the spectacle, the moment, than maybe the

15:43 match itself, the stare down between The Rock and Roman Reigns in front of 80,000 people

15:50 would be worth it.

15:52 But are we going to get the match?

15:54 And it just can't be any match, it has to deliver, bell to bell, from pillar to post,

16:01 if The Rock and Roman Reigns are going to boast, they have to back it up.

16:06 In the words of the heavy metal legends Judas Priest, "Delivering the goods."

16:12 And just being good won't be good enough when the people are expecting great.

16:18 Fans in wrestling are a lot more demanding now, especially when they all feel they have

16:23 their own megaphones on social media, and if The Rock doesn't deliver on those expectations,

16:28 he's going to hear about it.

16:30 This is a match, on paper, that has to be on par with Hulk vs Andre, Macho Man vs Steam

16:36 Boat, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels, and maybe even The Rock's own hits at WrestleMania

16:41 with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

16:43 And let's transition to the next point, what the hell could you do with Cody Rhodes,

16:47 Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania if not this big match against Roman Reigns.

16:52 We've all been so conditioned to the idea of him finishing the story against Roman than

16:57 any other type of match for him, and it would feel kind of secondary and less important.

17:02 But that's Wrestlemania, some people will feel less than the main event.

17:05 He deserves a spot like this more than others, and now we've seen this story many times

17:11 before where a full-time star gets pushed aside in favor of a featured performer coming

17:16 in, and obviously it's to draw more money, but maybe aggravating those fans that stick

17:21 with WWE every single week.

17:23 We can expect Cody Rhodes to be on WWE television after Wrestlemania, we don't expect The

17:29 Rock to be there, right?

17:31 And hell, Roman Reigns is the champion right now, and he's only on WWE television now

17:36 and then.

17:37 Cody, as he's stated, has put in the work, and seems to be the guy who deserves to end

17:43 this title reign.

17:44 Now let's throw in another counter-argument to our own argument, put a wrench in this

17:48 machine, what if this title reign, this one that we keep talking about, doesn't need

17:52 to end at Wrestlemania?

17:54 A champion can lose a championship in any championship match, doesn't mean that's

17:58 just a Wrestlemania championship match.

18:01 Yeah, I know, there is so much to factor in with this going into Wrestlemania 40, and

18:06 it's certainly very interesting to factor in all of the reasons both financially lucrative

18:12 and all of those fan-intensive fantasy booking arguments we're going to get into.

18:16 So let's hear about him.

18:18 Get into the comments below and let us know how you think WWE needs to get to these big

18:23 matches with Roman Reigns, The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and others.

18:27 For even more content from Sportskeeda, subscribe to our channel with other deep dive videos

18:32 just like this.

Category

Transcript

Recommended