Cody Rhodes casts doubt on The Rock facing Roman Reigns before he does

Cody Rhodes still hasn't finished his story. 'The American Nightmare' has been building toward a final showdown with Roman Reigns since returning to WWE. 

However, following The Rock's appearance on Raw Day 1, there have been talks of him potentially facing Reigns at Wrestlemania.

During an interview with Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari, Rhodes noted how he doesn't believe The Rock would step into an ongoing story. 

"You mentioned 'The Great One' The Rock, nothing but respect for him. I went and saw 'Jungle Cruise,' I'm a Rock fan.," Rhodes said. "I don't think he's the type that would come in and meddle with a story that's been being told over the past two years. I think he's probably up to something else, but you never know with WWE. I'll be watching just like everybody else when I'm not wrestling." 

WWE is in a tough position. Rhodes is the future face of the company. He's among their best merchandise sellers and has a significant fanbase. Pushing his chance of being the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion back by another six months to a year would be a tough swallow for Rhodes, especially given The Rock isn't an active wrestler on WWE's roster.

However, The Rock is a megastar. His presence on WWE's shows brings instant virality. He can elevate interest in arguably the biggest show of the year. Making the decision to push Rhodes' story back further won't be an easy one. There's only so long you can keep the fanbase interested without progressing things in a reasonable manner. 

It makes sense to want The Rock to face Reigns. It makes sense to want it at Wrestlemania. It doesn't make sense to have that match without Rhodes being involved in some way. 

WWE's creative department has some serious thinking to do on how they could potentially approach this without upsetting anybody in the process.