In a recent episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Cody Rhodes gave up his WrestleMania 40 main event spot to The Rock, sparking significant backlash. However, the dynamics changed up during the WrestleMania 40 kickoff press conference, introducing a lot of drama to the situation. Now, it appears Triple H pulled out all the stops to keep Cody Rhodes in the game after The Rock returned.
Fans definitely want to see The Rock vs Roman Reigns at some point in time, but they most definitely did not want that to happen at the expense of Cody Rhodes’ story. That was how it seemed it would turn out on Friday Night SmackDown, but things have thankfully changed course for the better, at WrestleMania 40.
The Rock Turned Heel At The WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Press Conference
The entire controversy surrounding WrestleMania 40’s main event unfolded on the T-Mobile Arena stage, featuring The Rock, his cousin Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes, all brought together to set a clear direction for WrestleMania 40.
While The Rock and Roman Reigns appeared aligned for a dream showdown at the Show of Shows, Cody Rhodes was determined not to let the Samoan family stars overshadow his moment and opportunity.
”The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes ultimately chose to face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal title. Despite The Rock and Reigns standing united, Rhodes, earning his opportunity through the Royal Rumble victory, essentially pushed The Rock out of the WrestleMania spotlight.
Rhodes took it a step further, invoking the Anoa’i family ancestors and stating that they would be ashamed to witness The Rock and Roman stealing opportunities from others. This proclamation led to The Great One slapping Cody Rhodes, sparking a brawl on the stage. With this, The Rock turned heel for the first time in 21 years, a development that fans thoroughly enjoyed.
Triple H Went Above And Beyond To Ensure Cody Rhodes Stayed In The WrestleMania 40 Main Event Picture
According to Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Triple H worked behind the scenes to keep Cody Rhodes involved in the WrestleMania 40 main event storyline. Initially, there was an idea for an injury angle on the February 2nd Smackdown, where The Bloodline would attack Cody Rhodes.
The original plan was for Reigns vs. The Rock to be announced for WrestleMania during the Kickoff event, with Rhodes making a comeback. The belief was that Cody Rhodes was never intended to be “screwed” and would still have his match against Reigns at some point.
However, plans changed due to CM Punk’s injury and Rollins needing an opponent for WrestleMania. WWE decided not to have Reigns involved in an angle to injure Rhodes, as it would not make sense for Rollins to face Rhodes in a match after such an angle.
“WWE didn’t want Reigns doing the angle to injure Rhodes, since if they did that angle, it would make no sense to do Rollins vs. Rhodes.”
As WrestleMania 40 nears, Cody Rhodes’ path from planned match with Roman Reigns to unexpected turns shows off WWE’s unpredictability. Despite challenges and fan reactions, Rhodes stands against Reigns, making it clear he won’t flinch, as fans simply want him to finally finish the story once and for all at WrestleMania 40.
