We are a little over a week away from Wrestlemania 40. WWE has that feeling again, with Triple H running the show. It has been a long time coming. One of the big reasons has been the feud between Cody Rhodes and The Rock. It has been pure wrestling cinema.
Since The Rock returned to WWE, he and Cody Rhodes have been in a war of words and actions. Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble; then The Rock showed up to take his spot before Cody reclaimed it. That lit a fire under The Rock. Shots were fired at the Rhodes family, with Cody taking shots at The Rock, Roman Reigns, and the rest of The Bloodline.
Both men slapped each other in the face. Cody called out The Rock for a match. It felt like a singles match, but with how the press conference was set up, a tag team match was always the plan. Speaking of the press conference, there will be even more cinema. Again, having Endeavor part of the mix has allowed WWE to dabble into the UFC world, giving wrestling a more realistic feel.
This meant people thought it would be Cody Rhodes versus The Rock, not realizing that Cody is taking on Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship and, again, blurring the lines of what storyline is more important.
Even though Cody Rhodes wants to finish his story against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, there is a detour. That detour is The Rock on Night 1 of Wrestlemania. It is a tag-team match as Rhodes will team with Seth Rollins to take on The Rock and Roman Reigns. Of course there are stipulations to the match. If Cody and Seth win, it will be a one-on-one match for the title. But if The Rock and Roman win, Bloodline rules for the title.
Each man has delivered excellent promos with the build to this match, something out of the Attitude Era of wrestling. They call it the Renaissance Era in Pro Wrestling, but it resembles the Attitude Era. The Rock is playing the heel of the Final Boss with a mix of corporate Rock (TKO Board Member) and Hollywood Rock, along with the leader of the Nation.
There was The Rock concert with shots taken at Mama Rhodes, Cody as Stardust, and Rollins. Remember, The Rock plays by his own rules. While that may rub some in the back the wrong way, it is the only way for this angle to work. The Rock can’t be PG.
Of course, it takes two to tango, and Cody Rhodes also held up his end of the bargain. His promo following the Rock Concert was excellent.
There were shades of his first AEW promo in there when he took shots at Chris Jericho that were similar to the shots he took at the Rock.
Cody is not afraid to face Roman Reigns, and it seems he was one step ahead of the champ but not the final boss. The brawl that ended Raw on Monday night was right out of 1999. The Rock showed up unannounced, whispered in Cody’s ear he was going to make him bleed, and did so to close the show.
The Rock beat up Cody Rhodes to close the show. He talked trash to Rhodes and Mama Rhodes, saying it didn’t have to be this way. There was a production Truck with John Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin on it. Could that be foreshadowing something? The Rock held Cody Rhodes over a barrier, and it appeared he would throw him off it.
Instead, he threw Rhodes into a bus, making him bleed and putting Cody’s blood on the belt with Mama Rhodes right on it.
Having a good heel is one thing, but having a great baby face is another. Both The Rock and Cody Rhodes know how to play their part, which has made for excellent TV cinema. If the other players are added to the story, WWE is compelling again.
Again, it is about the long game, but it feels like the way this cinematic movie is playing out, there is a singles match in the card between the Rock and Cody Rhodes for the title.
More must-reads: