Report Suggests Fan Backlash Drives The Rock's Decision: Advocates Stepping Aside for Roman and Cody in WrestleMania Main Event

The recent alterations in WWE's plans for Roman Reigns, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Cody Rhodes appear to be a direct response to fan backlash following the Royal Rumble. It appeared that Rhodes, the winner of the Royal Rumble, had granted The Rock the WrestleMania main event earned with Reigns on the February 2 SmackDown, triggering dissatisfaction among fans.

Recent reports, particularly from last week's WrestleMania XL Kickoff, confirm this adjustment, with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter providing a comprehensive account of the unfolding events. According to Dave Meltzer, following the negative reception of the February 2 show's conclusion, The Rock himself proposed stepping aside from the Reigns match so that Rhodes could be reinstated. While others had already recognized this need for a change, it seems that Johnson, who had recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of WWE's parent company, TKO Group, officially agreed to forfeit the match he had returned for, solidifying the course correction.

In a surprising twist, Johnson not only suggested stepping aside but also pitched the idea of a heel turn for himself. He proposed a tag team match for night one of WrestleMania, featuring Roman Reigns and The Rock against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. However, it remains uncertain whether this match will come to fruition or if the evolving storyline will lead to a different outcome.

The lingering question revolves around WWE's initial decision to have Cody win the Royal Rumble, especially considering the prior knowledge of Johnson's involvement in the Reigns match at WrestleMania this year. Reports indicate that Rhodes had previously warned company officials about the potential negative reaction to his scene with The Rock on SmackDown. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter now suggests that Paul "Triple H" Levesque, head of creative, may have been aware of this concern.

According to Dave Meltzer, Triple H "scrambled behind the scenes" to keep Cody involved. At one point, there was consideration of orchestrating an angle on the February 2 show where The Bloodline would injure Cody, setting up The Rock's announcement as his replacement at the Vegas press conference. In this scenario, Rhodes would later return to conclude his storyline and challenge Roman for the title after WrestleMania.

The complexity of the situation suggests that there may be more behind-the-scenes dynamics yet to be revealed. Meltzer cryptically mentions, "there is said to be far more behind the scenes that hasn’t come out but given the timing can’t be talked about now." This enigmatic statement raises the possibility that WWE is deliberately keeping future story developments under wraps, including the teased events on SmackDown on February 16.