After all kinds of speculation of who will face Roman Reigns (Cody or Rock), the WWE universe was left confused at the WrestleMania 40 kickoff on Thursday. Roman Reigns decided to face The Rock, and The Rock accepted the decision, but 2024 Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes picked Roman Reigns.
“At WrestleMania 40 in the main event, I choose you Roman Reigns,” Rhodes said in front of the crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, invoking his title opportunity.
Roman Reigns told Cody Rhodes he already had his moment, and urged that he instead face World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins with the “No. 2s.”
Reigns called Rhodes an embarrassment “just like your dad.” Rhodes then made it personal with Reigns and The Rock, saying both of them “haven’t been doing any of the cooking for two years” and that their families and ancestors would be ashamed of Reigns. The Rock stepped in, said disrespecting Reigns was disrespecting him, and he slapped Rhodes.
Rhodes and Rollins were then held back as the two sides yelled to cap off the wild and confusing event.
After the show, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque tried to make sense of what happened, but he was approached by The Rock and Reigns. The Rock told Levesque to “fix it” and said the scene was what happens when you talk about their family.
Levesque then took to social media to say it will be Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania.
It’s been clear WWE fans prefer Rhodes to face Reigns over The Rock. When Reigns announced he chose to face The Rock at WrestleMania, it produced a mixed reaction from the crowd.
By the time The Rock took the microphone, the crowd was mostly booing, with chants “Rocky sucks” and “We want Cody” echoing through the arena.
The Rock made it clear the crowd was full of “Cody crybabies” while explaining why it was important for him and Reigns to finally face at WrestleMania.
