Reported reason behind The Rock replacing Cody Rhodes as Roman Reigns’ challenger at WrestleMania 40

The Rock and Roman Reigns on Friday Night SmackDown!
The Rock and Roman Reigns on Friday Night SmackDown!

The Rock shocked the WWE Universe when he came out to confront Roman Reigns, seemingly scrapping a second match between The American Nightmare and The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania.

The landscape of WWE heading into WrestleMania 40 changed drastically over the past month. On the recent episode of SmackDown, The Rock came out and had a face-off against Roman Reigns, indicating a match between the two at WrestleMania 40.

However, some fans weren't expecting a match between the two to take place anytime soon. According to a report from PWInsider, The Rock was the driving factor behind the match, which the TKO Board of Directors ultimately backed.

"With Johnson’s power as a member of the TKO Board of Directors, his Hollywood standing and the backing of Ari Emanuel, Nick Khan, and others, the decision was made to go with Rock vs. Reigns as the headline bout, believing it would be a greater attraction for the mainstream and also help push some positive momentum for the company."

The belief is to have some positive momentum for the promotion and a greater attraction match for the event in Philadelphia in April 2024.

What are your thoughts on The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40? Sound off in the comments section below.

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