The Rock’s WWE WrestleMania 42 Status Revealed

The Rock's last match came at WrestleMania 40 when he pinned Cody Rhodes in a tag team match on night one. He then interfered in Rhodes' night two match against Roman Reigns, but the American Nightmare defeated his Bloodline cousin to become Undisputed WWE Champion.

It's expected that The Final Boss will face either Rhodes or Reigns when he competes next, but that doesn't look likely to happen this year. Andrew Baydala, who works in ticketing and marketing, claims that the 53-year-old is instead lined up for a potential retirement match at WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia:

"Before these "rumors" get wild again- The Rock is NOT wrestling at this year's WrestleMania. The "big offer" under discussion is for next year's Mania 43 in Saudi Arabia, and there appears to be hesitation about proceeding, given that The Rock knows it would most likely be his last match."

The Rock is a member of the TKO board and, as such, can make WWE appearances whenever, as was the case at the start of 2025. But fans shouldn't get their hopes up about seeing him this year, especially after the controversy that came with his skipping WrestleMania 41 and not continuing his storyline with Cena.

WWE Must Avoid a Gunther Match For The Rock

While Reigns or Rhodes seem to be frontrunners to be the Rock's next opponent if he does return to action, there is a chance WWE will use Gunther's current run on the Brahma Bull. The Ring General retired Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event in December, much to the fury of fans who watched the 17-time world champion tap out.

Gunther had already retired Goldberg earlier in the year, and it seems likely he will be continuing the gimmick of retiring legendary WWE stars. AJ Styles, Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar look to be possibilities this year, especially Styles, who has already confirmed he is calling time on his career in 2026.

The Rock's eventual in-ring retirement will likely prompt WWE to consider adding him to Gunther's list of potential retirement victims. But this would be the wrong move, as, unlike Cena, he likely wouldn't have been a regular part of WWE programming.

WWE might like the idea of a passing-of-the-torch scenario, with the Rock ending his career against an upcoming star rather than an already established top star. But Reigns vs Rock writes itself for so many reasons, and watching him bid farewell to the business against the Tribal Chief after an iconic feud over who sits at the Head of the Table is the best way to go.