Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is back to make headlines, but this time it has nothing to do with the Hollywood film industry. Instead, the wrestler-turned-actor has created a significant amount of buzz in the wrestling world with the possibility of him wrestling in the upcoming WrestleMania match. The buzz is mostly negative, and Johnson is aware of it.
The Rock, who began his wrestling career in 1996, stepped away from the industry in 2004 to pursue acting as a full-time career. However, he returned seven years later and has since appeared in numerous wrestling competitions. As of now, he is being criticized by fans, most of whom are those of Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Aware of Cody Rhodes’ Fans Displeasure
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson‘s appearance on Friday Night Smackdown last Friday led fans to believe that he is going to face WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. This has drawn a massive negative reaction from wrestling fans, specifically some of Cody Rhodes’s fans are not impressed with the mere indication of this.
These fans of Rhodes have been labeled as ‘Cody Crybabies’ and their outcry for their idol has reached Johnson. A couple of hours before the press event that would kick off WrestleMania 40, the Jumanji actor appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. He revealed that he had expected this outburst, saying:
“Sometimes, oftentimes, as you guys know, in sports and entertainment and anywhere, regardless of the vertical of business you’re in, there’s a wave of noise that happens right out of the gate, that you want to just pause for a second. Let’s not make any rash decisions, let’s wait and see how it all shakes out, and see what happens from there. It was just a matter of waiting. I was not surprised at it, I did expect it.”
Rhodes lost the wrestling match to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in 2023. So, facing him again and winning the match would bring Rhodes’ story to a full circle. Intervening in this has made Dwayne Johnson the heel and he is not all too bothered about it.
The Rock Calls Out the ‘Cody Crybabies’
Cody Rhodes is the talk of the wrestling town these days as he won the 2024 Royal Rumble (and may have lost a tooth in the process). This accomplishment automatically put him among the top contenders at WrestleMania. This, however, seems unlikely now that The Rock has entered the picture.
Johnson did not hesitate to mock the ‘Cody Crybabies’ as he said:
“They’re called the ‘Cody crybabies.’ These are grown-(expletive) men that are ‘Cody’s gotta finish his story.”
The Central Intelligence actor also said that he loves Cody Rhodes and his fans. In fact, Johnson has known the other wrestler and his family for years because their fathers were friends.
