Remembering when The Rock and Cody Rhodes first faced off in WWE over 4000 days ago

The Great One and The American Nightmare have some long-forgotten history
The Great One and The American Nightmare have some long-forgotten history

The Rock and Cody Rhodes have been the talk of the WWE Universe since the former's blockbuster SmackDown return.

The People's Champion has seemingly hijacked The American Nightmare's hard-earned WrestleMania rematch with Roman Reigns, sparking a heated debate in the company's fanbase. Neither man has announced their intentions for The Show Of Shows, but they will both be at the WrestleMania XL Kickoff press event, where the plans might be revealed.

As the entire world awaits the Las Vegas event with bated breath, one might wonder what history The Great One shares with The American Nightmare. Both men are multi-generation megastars in the company, so they probably have some history outside the ring. Inside the squared circle, however, their interactions are few and far between.

In fact, the only on-screen moment they shared in the ring happened more than 11 years ago, when The Brahma Bull made his first SmackDown appearance in a decade. The Great One was interrupted by Team Rhodes Scholars, consisting of Rhodes and Damien Sandow, whilst addressing the WWE Universe.

The obnoxious heel duo, as was their gimmick, made fun of The Rock's intelligence, putting him through an impromptu quiz. To their surprise and the crowd's delight, the third-generation legend aced all their questions before asking one of his own, leading to a Rock Bottom on Sandow. The Dashing One was next, receiving a People's Elbow to end the segment on a high.

Crazy to see how the popularity dynamics have changed in the over 4040 days since then.


The Rock and Cody Rhodes will meet again at the WWE WrestleMania 40 kickoff press event

Both The Rock and Cody Rhodes are gearing up for the much-awaited WWE WrestleMania 40 kickoff press event. Both men's paths for The Showcase of Immortals are expected to be cleared up, putting an end to days of intense speculation about who will face Roman Reigns at the event.

The Tribal Chief himself will also be in attendance, as will his advocate, The Wiseman, Paul Heyman. Also, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, and Triple H will also be at the press event, so the star power and championship pedigree will be through the roof. We can't wait to see what unfolds in Las Vegas.