Backstage update on The Rock's Royal Rumble status - Reports

The Rock will reportedly not be showing up at the upcoming Royal Rumble premium live event.

WWE is all set to present the 2022 edition of one of their most anticipated shows of the year, Royal Rumble, next week on January 29 live from The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

According to RingsideNews, The Brahma Bull will not be at the show. They were told by a tenured member of the WWE creative team that he was never even discussed as a possibility for the event.

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WWE has been building towards a dream match between The Rock and Roman Reigns for a long time now

Ever since Roman Reigns turned heel and debuted The Tribal Chief character on SmackDown, fans have been wanting to see a feud between him and his real-life cousin The Rock.

Having held the Universal Championship for over 500 days now, Reigns seems unstoppable and fans are hoping to see The People's Champion return to face his "bloodline".

WWE has been dropping several hints of the same, but the clash hasn't been made possible due to The Great One's busy Hollywood schedule. Speaking to Brandon Davis of Comicbook.com last year, The Rock mentioned that while he's not sure if he has another title run left in him, he didn't rule out another match.

"I don't know if I have another title run, considering I'm the People's Champion. But I don't know if it's another title run. I think possibly, you know, there might be another match down the road. It would have to make sense," said The Rock.

Roman Reigns has also not dodged the questions about a match against the WWE legend. Speaking on the SI Media Podcast, he hinted that WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood would be a better stage for this dream bout.

“Do we do it now or do we wait until we’re in his backyard of Hollywood? It just adds to the narrative. It adds another dynamic to speculate on. Obviously, AT&T Stadium, Dallas, home of the Cowboys, 100,000-plus fans can be in attendance, that’s obviously an awesome scenario, but SoFi Stadium, brand-new facility out there in L.A., hmm, that makes quite the argument in its own right," said Roman Reigns.

The Tribal Chief is scheduled to defend his Universal title at WWE Royal Rumble 2022 against Seth Rollins. As for WrestleMania 38, Brock Lesnar is rumored to be his opponent for the show.