4 Ways The Rock could have been a part of WrestleMania 40 without the controversial WWE return

When The Rock returned to WWE on RAW: Day 1, no one expected him to turn heel. However, when he seemingly tried stealing Cody Rhodes' spot at WrestleMania 40, The Great One chose a path from where there was no turning back. By doing so and later aligning with Roman Reigns, Rocky is currently a heel.

While The Great One has been doing a great job as a heel, the question is, did he really need to choose this path? For the longest time, he was revered as a face in the Stamford-based promotion, and he would be welcomed with cheers whenever he made an appearance in WWE.

When examined, there were many ways The Rock could have been part of WrestleMania 40 without turning heel. In this article, we will take a look at four such ways:

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#4 The Rock could have been a commentator at WWE WrestleMania 40

When Cody Rhodes originally introduced The Rock as Roman Reigns' challenger at WrestleMania 40, it was clear the latter was interested in facing The Tribal Chief. However, there are no chances of the same happening now. Hence, it would probably have been better if he had come in as a commentator.

Being a special guest commentator for the match between Reigns and Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, The Rock would have had the opportunity to build a new feud against whoever won. Another advantage of doing something like that would be that he wouldn't have to turn heel.

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#3 The Rock could have been in Roman Reigns' corner

Roman Reigns' run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is arguably the best in modern-day wrestling. The performances he has put in as The Tribal Chief have cemented his legacy as an all-time great. While it benefits the promotion massively, it also serves another purpose.

The purpose in question is Roman Reigns adding greatness to the legendary Anoa'i family. Hence, at WrestleMania 40, The Rock could have been in Reigns' corner or could have acknowledged his legendary run regardless of what the result was against Rhodes.

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#2 The People's Champion could have been a special guest referee

The upcoming showdown between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 is already a massive match. Given the history between the duo, several people from different parts of the world will be tuning in to watch WWE's biggest superstars face each other inside the squared circle.

However, the one way WWE could have made the contest even bigger was by adding The Rock as a special guest referee. If the promotion had to choose this way, The Great One wouldn't necessarily have to go through everything he is going through currently, and he could also potentially start a feud against either man.

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#1 He could have teased a feud with Roman Reigns for next year

Given how Roman Reigns has dominated WWE, several superstars from RAW and SmackDown want to face him. If this is something The Rock also wanted, there could have been a better way for him to do it, and that way could have been by teasing a feud for next year's WrestleMania.

Regardless of the result at WrestleMania 40, The Rock could have come out after the match and built a feud with Reigns. If The Tribal Chief wins against Rhodes, The Rock could challenge him for the title. On the other hand, if Reigns loses, Rocky could challenge him to crown the actual Head of the Table.

To sum up, there are plenty of ways The Rock could have been part of WrestleMania without walking the villainous path. However, his performances until now have been great, and if he can keep up the same, fans can expect a great story leading up to WrestleMania 40.