Fans may have expected the SmackDown on the 2nd of February, 2024 to be yet another usual one, but little did they know how massive a surprise awaited them.
Not only did they find out that Cody Rhodes would no longer be battling Roman Reigns in WrestleMania 40, but they also realized that the much-awaited WrestleMania match between Dwayne Johnson and Reigns might be closer than they expected!
As the SmackDown went off the air on Friday night, with a disappointing and appealing surprise unfolding in front of them, fans saw the real-life cousins facing off against each other before their match at the upcoming WrestleMania 40.
And the results of this face-off made one thing evident: That even the 265 lbs heavy-muscled hunk is not big enough to intimidate Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Dwayne Johnson’s Face-Off Against Roman Reigns Proved Who Is More Intimidating
Cody Rhodes may have won the Royal Rumble for the second time in a row to bag a ticket straight to WrestleMania 40, but instead of directly heading to face The Tribal Chief, he decided to let someone else take over: Dwayne Johnson (via WWE).
As Friday’s SmackDown went off the air, the events following saw the same. As Rhodes revealed he won’t be finishing the story at WrestleMania 40, The People’s Champ’s electrifying music hit the speakers and he made his way to the ring before Rhodes left it, leaving the cousins alone in the ring.
This was then followed by the Head of the Table facing off against The Brahma Bull, but the result of this stare-down was hardly what fans expected. After giving each other the ferocious looks, Roman Reigns was seen turning his back on The Rock.
Needless to mention, this was incredibly unexpected from someone who is famous for holding the title of being one of the most polarising superstars in WWE. Even more so since the hunk actually weighs 265 lbs (via StarsUnfolded) as compared to Johnson, who is 262 lbs (as per StarsUnfolded).
Adding to this is the fact that Roman Reigns is even physically taller and bulkier, with his height being 6’3″ (1.91 m) and his chest, weight, and biceps being 52, 36, and 20 inches respectively, making him look all the more intimidating.
Comparing this with Rocky Maivia’s physical stats gives close but comparable results, as Reign’s opponent’s height is 6’2″ (1.88 m), while his chest, weight, and biceps are 50, 35, and 23 inches respectively.
Thus, all of this has only proved one thing: The Juggernaut may be the “Head of the Table” and his physical stats may be more than his opponent, but he would still fail to intimidate his cousin and rival, Dwayne Johnson — just like what happened when Friday’s SmackDown went off the air.
Everything That Happened On Friday’s SmackDown: A Summary
Besides news of Cody Rhodes not facing off against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 but paving the way for Dwayne Johnson to put The Tribal Chief on notice for his seat at “The Head of the Table”, here are all the other fights that happened during Friday’s SmackDown.
First off was Kevin Owens’ match against Austin Theory, where Theory wound up losing to Owens by pinfall.
Following this was the Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Qualifier Match, which featured Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Legado Del Fantasma, and the Latino World Order. This match took place with Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Humberto & Angel vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate.
The fight ended with Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate defeating the Latino World Order, Legado del Fantasma, and Pretty Deadly via pinfall. These two would reportedly advance to fight whoever wins the RAW Fatal 4-Way match.
The next match – and the last match of the event – saw Tiffany Straton against Michin. This one resulted in the latter getting defeated by the former by pinfall.
Now, the only thing left for fans to see is when Dwayne Johnson fights the much-awaited match with his real-life cousin Roman Reigns, how Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ story progresses, and what it all results in.
