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On the February 2, 2024, episode of WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes seemingly gave his WrestleMania XL spot to The Rock when he announced The Brahma Bull's return that night. However, the segment makes us wonder if the whole thing was the company's ploy to amplify the emotions of fans.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson became part of the TKO Board of Directors a few days before, and obviously, he was coming in at the expense of The American Nightmare's Royal Rumble victory and a long Road to WrestleMania XL. Nevertheless, at the time it felt genuine as The Rock and Cody Rhodes appeared to be on the same page.
Speaking about when The Great One hugged Cody before confronting Roman Reigns, Rhodes admitted on The MMA Hour that it was touching, but did not disclose what exactly his words were. The American Nightmare would rather hear it from Johnson himself if the latter decides to let the WWE Universe know:
"I would rather him [The Rock] tell you. It was something extremely touching. But what was being taken away from me was so weighing on my mind, that I felt a negative about what was probably a positive thing being said to me."
The segment between The Rock and Roman Reigns drew a polarizing reception from the fans, especially those online. They started the "#WeWantCody" movement, which played a part in The American Nightmare staking claim to his spot on The Grandest Stage of Them All in April.
The Rock and Roman Reigns instead decided to team up to take the WWE by storm
On the same week following backlash from viewers, Roman Reigns and The Rock aligned during the WrestleMania XL Kickoff press event in Las Vegas.
The Great One later officially joined The Bloodline on WWE SmackDown. He took it upon himself to give Cody Rhodes a hard time during the Road to WrestleMania.
On the WrestleMania go-home edition of RAW this past Monday night, both The Rock and Roman Reigns beat down their rivals Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the show's closing moments.
This weekend, they will face each other in a tag team main event on Night One. On Night Two, The American Nightmare faces The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Perhaps this could be Rhodes' last shot.
If you use the quote, please credit The MMA Hour and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
