It feels like many moons ago when The Rock showed up on RAW in San Diego to hinder Jinder, doesn’t it?

WWE and pro wrestling is far from the pop culture heights that the genre reached in the late 1990s, but The Rock is certainly elevating the modern WWE into its own animal. His reinvention into “The Final Boss” just raised the difficulty level from “medium” to “hard” in the “No Mercy N64” of pro wrestling. If the talent is good enough to answer the call, it should cause everybody in pro wrestling to up their game.

Either way, the fans have greatly benefited from The Rock being back in the fashion that he is. It’s something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Ironically enough ,thats in credit to the “Cody Crybabies” who lamented for ‘The American Nightmare.’

‘The American Nightmare’ Perpetuated ‘The Final Boss’

Rhodes has revived the long-forgotten role of the “ultimate babyface” where he’s the all-American John Wayne type character that his daddy adored. The fans can easily live vicariously through Cody Rhodes because of his willingness to connect with fans in a matter that hasn’t ever been done before on this type of major platform. Hulk Hogan never was the best man at a fan’s wedding nor did Hulkamania run wild at some random five-year old’s birthday party. Cody is putting those “prayers and vitamins” where his mouth is and he’s created a unique connection to people in a time where people are always connected.

As much as The Rock can cultivate an air of unattainability due to the Hollywood heights he’s reached, Cody can sit down with the father of three living paycheck to paycheck. It creates two ultimate adversaries, both with legacies in the industry and a genuine love for the one true sport.

And that “unattainability” that The Rock has harnessed is what makes this ‘Final Boss’ persona all the more engaging. We thought Dwayne was past the point of consistently showing up on WWE television, yet here he is – furthering a storyline that has him in a heel role where he’s calling fans inbreds and mocking Cody’s dog. ‘The Final Boss’ was nothing anyone expected, yet something the industry benefits from. WrestleMania 40 could have absolutely rolled right along with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, but The Rock going ‘Super Shredder’ on his 1998 identity feels every bit of Thanos ready to snap his fingers. That was all the more telling with that entrance Rocky made on Monday before bloodying up Dusty’s youngest boy.

The big complaint of Rock’s involvement is that it hurts Roman, but “The Tribal Chief” is just one manipulative monologue away from turning the table he claims to sit at the head of. Reigns, if he loses, will only be elevated by an extended exit. The same goes for his older cousin, whose involvement had made us all take the scenic route on the road to WrestleMania.

Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Follow Dominic DeAngelo on X @DominicDeAngelo.

The Rock has been the mastermind behind his recent heel turn that perfectly fits in the storyline involving The Bloodline and Cody Rhodes.

‘The Final Boss’ has been promoting WrestleMania 40 and on the Will Cain Show, he revealed that he decided to become the biggest heel of all time after making his massive return to WWE. 

The Rock discussed WWE fans turning against him when he tried to take Cody’s spot against Roman Reigns. Thereby, he kept the Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes intact but remained involved in the storyline and brought back the iconic ‘Hollywood Rock’ persona.

“Back in January, I called Nick Khan, our friend. And I said, I have an idea. How about this? Why don’t we take care of the people. Give them this story of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. And Nick said, great. And I said, however, it’s a little bit of a twist. He said, what’s that? I said, what if I became the greatest bad guy of all time?”

The Rock is set to make his highly-anticipated comeback to the squared circle at WrestleMania 40. On WrestleMania Saturday, he will join forces with Roman Reigns to face the team of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. 

The outcome of the match will determine the stipulation for Sunday’s main event. If The Bloodline wins then Roman Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes under ‘Bloodline Rules’. 

However, if Cody and Seth Rollins win, the next night’s main event will be free of The Bloodline.

The Rock’s future 

The Rock’s involvement in the Road to WrestleMania 40 has certainly helped to garner more attention to the ‘Biggest WrestleMania Ever.’ However, it seems his commitments in Hollywood will prevent him from making appearances in WWE following the ‘Show of Shows.’  

He will soon start filming his next movie, The Smashing Machine which will affect his schedule and he might not be available for WWE dates after the upcoming PLE. 

The Rock may not have the people on his side anymore, but he was presented with a custom ‘People’s Championship’ at the WWE Hall of Fame 2024 ceremony. 

The Final Boss was at the ceremony to posthumously induct his grandmother Lia Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of this year’s class. Before this induction though, The Rock was invited to the ring by Lonnie Ali, the widow of the legendary Muhammad Ali. Lonnie spoke about The Rock asking for permission to use the term ‘People’s Champion,’ a moniker that had often been associated with the boxing icon. Lonnie then presented The Rock with the People’s Championship which features the Brahma Bull logo. 

Muhammad Ali's wife, Lonnie, tells a story about @TheRock asking her husband for permission to use the monicker "The People's Champ" then awards him The People's Championship. ?#WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/7NtQWwAayW

— WWE (@WWE) April 6, 2024

Who Has Been Called the People’s Champion? 

While Ali and The Rock have been known as the People’s Champion, they’re not the only individuals to have been bestowed with that moniker. In World Championship Wrestling, ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page was referred to as the People’s Champion before the name was given to The Rock. During an Inside the Ropes event, Page recalled discussing the name with the Brahma Bull. 

“I hear, ‘Hey Diamond’… he says, ‘You know, there’s only one people’s champion’… I just look at him, took that pregnant pause and said, ‘you know, Rock, you’re right… And you, well, you’re looking at him‘.”

There have also been ‘People’s Champions’ outside the world of wrestling. In addition to Ali, boxers Michael Spiknks and Manny Pacquiao have used the moniker. Cricketer Usman Khawaja, Snooker player Alex Higgins, and Basketball player Will Barton have also used the term.

The 2024 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony saw some controversy towards the end as The Rock had a verbal altercation with a fan in attendance. 

The Brahma Bull was on hand to posthumously induct his grandmother Lia Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. In the closing moments of the show, however, The Rock could be seen having a tense face-off with a fan who was in the front row. 

The fan told the Final Boss that “Cody’s coming for you,” referencing Cody Rhodes’ efforts to ‘finish the story’ at WWE WrestleMania 40. The Rock told the fan to “watch your f***ing mouth.” 

what did the fan say? ? #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/Y7yhTM1HKv

— s?up (@Soupakuo) April 6, 2024

You can check out another perspective of the altercation in the tweet below: 

The final boss #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/7L3scWaNER

— Jordy (@JordyDud) April 6, 2024

Lia Maivia is the third person that The Rock has inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2008, on the eve of WrestleMania 24, The Rock inducted his father Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather (and Lia’s husband) ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia. 

This interaction with the fan highlights The Rock’s heel persona which has been a hit with audiences since WWE decided to turn him into a villain. The character change has also been praised by those who know the Brahma Bull best. 

The Rock at WrestleMania 40

Cody Rhodes hopes to ‘finish the story’ at WrestleMania 40 but The Rock is planning on ruining the American Nightmare’s weekend. On WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, Rhodes will team with Seth Rollins to face The Rock & Roman Reigns. The match will determine the stipulation for the following night. 

On WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Cody Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. This match will either be under ‘Bloodline Rules’ or see the Bloodline banned from getting involved. No matter the stipulation, this match will be Cody’s final title shot at Reigns, an edict put in place by The Rock. The Final Boss flexed his muscles as part of TKO’s Board of Directors to make this stipulation happen. 

WWE Superstars all have their own ways of preparing for WrestleMania. The biggest show of the year will see The Rock return for a match, and he had some special assistance. 

Gallus is a stable that has been largely underutilized by WWE, but they put them to good use when training The Rock for his WrestleMania match. Wolfgang, Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey were up for the task.

During WWE’s media day before WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels spoke to SEScoops about Gallus training with The Rock. He said that this came out because the faction is so reliable, and they are also incredibly professional.

These are three guys who know what they’re doing, understand every aspect of it, sometimes you need a guy who’s younger who can fly around, but sometimes you need guys who are mature, and professional, who can adjust to everything to what Rock wants. Obviously, I’m partial to those guys, they’re fantastic guys, they’re professional and very dependable.

HBK then said that he received a photo of Gallus and The Rock doing the stable’s trademark pose. We hope that they release that soon. It seems that WWE picked the right people for the job to help train The Rock.

More on The Rock’s WrestleMania Training

The Rock had a lot of help to prepare for his in-ring return. After all, he is promoting this as the biggest tag team match in history, and it very well may be. 

WWE assisted in transporting two rings, one to Los Angeles and the other to Hawaii, working with Johnson’s team to secure warehouses for training venues. This arrangement provided The Rock with the necessary resources for his training regimen.

During his training, The Rock participated in simulated matches with NXT’s Gallus faction. As he prepared for an upcoming tag-team match, Johnson needed three wrestlers to practice in-ring sequences and refine his timing. Therefore, Wolfgang, along with real-life brothers Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey, were selected for this specific task.

Supervising the training sessions were Michael Hayes and Bobby Roode, accompanied by referee Chad Patton. Additionally, WWE medical personnel were present to oversee the safety of the rehearsals.

Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Friday, April 5. This is a day that a lot of fans have waited for, and now we’

Before we get going, WWE revealed the stage for WrestleMania 40. It looks amazing when it’s all lit up, and you can check out the big unveiling here.

Also, tonight is the go-home episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania, followed by the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame at the Wells Fargo Center. This year’s ceremony will see Paul Heyman, Lia Maivia, Muhammad Ali, The US Express, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Bull Nakano receive inductions.

WrestleMania 40 is Tomorrow!

WWE:

– WaleMania 2024: WaleMania was last night. WWE and AEW stars were there along with legends like RVD. It was quite a party, and we have a comprehensive highlight article up now for you to check out!

Samantha Irvin, singing and playing a flute to razor Ramon’s theme was not in our bingo card today. pic.twitter.com/7geSUH2XPF

— SEScoops (@sescoops) April 5, 2024

– Waiting for The Rock: Fans at WWE World saw The Rock appear on April 4, but they had to wait hours. The Final Boss was two hours behind schedule, but he still had a wild crowd to cut a promo for.

– Free Agent Spotted: Giulia, who just left STARDOM, was spotted at WWE World. That is a very interesting place to see her, especially as NXT promoted a surprise audience member for Stand & Deliver.

– Bloodsport x WWE: Shayna Baszler and Charlie Dempsey had quite a time at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport event.

– Damage CTRL’s Breakup: New information was reported on WWE’s original plans to break up the Damage CTRL stable. It seems Charlotte Flair was supposed to be in the mix.

– The Rock Trained With NXT Superstars: A new report from ESPN revealed that The Rock had the Gallus faction come in to help him train for his tag team match at WrestleMania 40.

WWE SmackDown Card (4/5):

• Andre The Giant Battle Royal
• The KO Show w/ Kevin Owens – Special Guest: Randy Orton
• Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez
• New Catch Republic vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
• Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa

AEW:

– Forbidden Door: Toni Storm made a pretty ominous statement about how the Forbidden Door is always open. As AEW Women’s Champion, that could mean something.

– Firing The Boys: Tony Khan claims that The Boys no-showed events, and that is why they were fired. In a deleted tweet, Brandon Tate called that a lie, and he claimed AEW said their release was due to budget cuts.

Yikes… pic.twitter.com/SiIMWUARxG

— Aaron (@AaronVarble) April 5, 2024

– AEW Dynamite Viewership: The April 3rd episode of AEW Dynamite brought in 752,000 viewers and secured a 0.23 rating in the highly sought-after 18-49 demographic. This marks a slight uptick from the previous week’s broadcast, which garnered 747,000 viewers with the same 0.23 demographic rating.

– AEW Media Rights: During the Supercard of Honor media call, Tony Khan confirmed that AEW’s exclusive negotiation window with WBD is ending soon.

Upcoming Wrestling Shows

Looking ahead, here are some of the major upcoming shows that we have in the pipeline:

April 6: NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania XL Saturday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 7: WrestleMania XL Sunday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 21: All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynasty live on pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chaifetz Arena.

May 4: WWE Backlash France from Décines-Charpieu, France at the LDLC Arena.

The Rock made an appearance at WWE World today, Thursday, April 4. Everything was supposed to kick off at 4 PM EST, but that is not how things went down at all.

Fans showed up to WWE World on Thursday to see The Final Boss, but he was very late. Some fans were a bit impatient, and they released some of their frustrations on social media. The Rock did show up two hours after he was supposed to be there.

The Rock used his busy schedule as an excuse for his tardiness. He explained that he arrived late for his WWE World appearance because he got caught up watching Jalen Hurts lose in the playoffs on YouTube.

The Rock says he was late to his appearance at WWE World because he was on YouTube watching Jalen Hurts lose in the playoffs again.#WrestleMania

🎥: @BenPenrod_

https://t.co/oOGXzWlOwY

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 4, 2024

The Rock’s Original WrestleMania Plans

Dwayne Johnson’s return to WWE saw him take on a Hollywood heel persona. He initially wanted a match against Roman Reigns, but that didn’t pan out. Due to fan reaction from the “Cody Crybabies,” he conceded that the main event should give Cody a chance to finish his story.

The Rock is finally at #WWEWorld and he has an explanation for his tardiness…⤵️#WrestleMania #TheRock #FinalBoss pic.twitter.com/2Pe7tkULAw

— discoverPHL (@discoverPHL) April 4, 2024

Original plans called for Cody Rhodes to miss Mania due to a kayfabed injury. CM Punk was also set to take on Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but things shifted after Punk’s injury.

Finally… The Rock has shown up to #WWEWorld pic.twitter.com/YyPxM7YISu

— Rick Ucchino (@RickUcchino) April 4, 2024

Now, The Rock will team up with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of WrestleMania on April 6. The Rock will leave WWE once again after WrestleMania, because his next project, The Smashing Machine, is set to start production just a couple of weeks after WrestleMania 40.

This girl is ROASTING @TheRock's ass!! OMG 😂 #WWEWorld #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/ZUvtaXG9ao

— Stephanie Hypes (@StephanieHypes) April 4, 2024

The Rock is training hard for his tag team match at WrestleMania 40. This requires a lot of work, and WWE is helping him get ready for greatness on the grandest stage of them all.

ESPN ran an article about The Rock’s return to the ring, and just how much work he’s putting into getting ready. Dwayne Johnson established a training camp, reminiscent of those commonly seen in MMA or boxing circles. Johnson first began training for WrestleMania in February.

WWE facilitated the transportation of two rings, one to Los Angeles and the other to Hawaii, collaborating with Johnson’s team to secure warehouses for use as training venues. That gave The Rock the tools he needed for this training schedule.

The Rock had mock matches alongside NXT’s Gallus faction. Given his upcoming participation in a tag-team match, Johnson required three wrestlers to rehearse in-ring sequences and get his timing down. So, Wolfgang and real-life brothers Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey made the trip for this special assignment.

Michael Hayes and Bobby Roode were also there to supervise the training sessions, with referee Chad Patton there as well. WWE medical personnel were also present to ensure the safety of the rehearsals.

WWE is promoting the WrestleMania 40 tag team match as the biggest of all time. The Rock will team up with Roman Reigns to take on Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40 on April 6.

Plans After WrestleMania 40

The Rock is training hard for his return to the ring for WrestleMania 40, but he’s already making plans afterward. The Great One will start filming on his upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, a couple of weeks after WrestleMania 40.

The possibility of The Rock’s return to a full-fledged singles wrestling match remains uncertain. However, his impact will keep going, both within and beyond the wrestling world. He made it very clear that he will still be on TKO’s Board of Directors, so his influence will remain within the company.

“I’m not off the Board after WrestleMania. I’m still on the Board, and I will always be a part of this & we are in it now. This is our thing & will forever be our thing.”

The Rock’s writer Brian Gewirtz clarified to ESPN that The Rock’s presence on RAW won’t necessarily become a regular occurrence. We will have to see if the stars can align for another return run of any kind for the shoo-in WWE Hall of Famer.

The Rock is back for the road to WrestleMania 40, but The Final Boss is still a Hollywood juggernaut, and he will have to get back to Tinsel Town after the bright lights of Mania are switched off.

The Rock will start filming his next movie, The Smashing Machine, immediately following WrestleMania 40. This will impact his schedule, reducing his availability in the upcoming months.

Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in the WrestleMania 40 night one main event and top storyline has garnered significant attention. Despite teases and fan hopes that they will see him in singles matches against Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, that is not expected in the near future.

WrestleMania 40′s main event on April 6 will see The Rock team up with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins. That match will directly affect the main event contest on night two, where it will be Bloodline rules if the heel team wins. WWE fans might not see much of The Rock after the show of shows.

Nick Khan Confirms The Rock’s Plans

WWE CEO Nick Khan confirmed on The Town podcast that The Rock will be taking off after WrestleMania 40. He has to shoot The Smashing Machine, and that will be a rare project for The Great One, as it is not a big budget production. 

“[His next film] Smashing Machine. So it’s his first, I think from what I understand, like not a hundred million dollar picture since he’s become a big megastar. So he goes into that a week or two after WrestleMania. Yeah. And then goes into live Moana after that, which knock on wood should be a big hit.”

It was later confirmed to ESPN that his influence will continue within and outside the wrestling world. He emphasized his ongoing role on TKO’s Board of Directors, ensuring his impact remains within the company.

“I’m not off the Board after WrestleMania. I’m still on the Board, and I will always be a part of this & we are in it now. This is our thing & will forever be our thing.”

Roman Reigns Likely Taking Time Off Too

Additionally, Reigns is rumored to be taking time off after WrestleMania 40. He has not been advertised for their Backlash event in Germany on May 4. We will have to see how long the Tribal Chief’s break is after Mania this year.

Roman Reigns’ schedule has decreased significantly over the last few years. He only wrestled 11 matches in 2023, and 3 of those contests were at house shows. The Head of the Table has also only wrestled once in 2024 so far, as he successfully defended the Undisputed Universal Title against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble.

Welcome the Daily Drop, your daily roundup of wrestling news and rumors for Thursday, April 4. Fans had AEW Dynamite last night, and it’s only one day away from the WWE Hall of Fame the go-home SmackDown before WrestleMania.

Before we get going, is there a curse when you beat John Cena? SEScoops has a brand-new feature that dives into that very subject.

Days Until WrestleMania 40: 2

WWE:

– Tribal Chief x Madden: Roman Reigns will be a playable character in Madden 24 in their Ultimate Team Mode.

– The Rock at WWE World: It was announced that The Rock will make an appearance at WWE World on April 4. The Final Boss will be there at 4:00 PM for the fans. Odds are, that will be a very crowded attraction at Fanatics’ first-ever WWE event.

– Ronda Rousey Accuses Drew Gulak: Rousey brought attention to Drew Gulak when she claimed that he grabbed the string on her sweatpants, which she said was an illustration of the culture within WWE toward women. He later responded to the allegation.

– Pretty Woman Moment: Chelsea Green was apparently kicked out of a hotel on Tuesday, because they thought she had a much different profession. You can read all about that case of mistaken identity here.

– Roman Makes A Vow: Roman Reigns and The Rock appeared on The Tonight Show last night. During his appearance, The Tribal Chief vowed to end Cody Rhodes.

– Zayn’s Got Jokes: Sami Zayn was booked for a comedy set at the Netflix is a Joke festival. We can’t wait to hear his material.

AEW:

– Mercedes Calls Her Shot: Mercedes Mone hasn’t competed in AEW yet, but she already claimed a title match at Double or Nothing.

– AEW Dynasty: AEW made some additions to their Dynasty card. The event is going down in Saint Louis on April 21, so they only have a couple of weeks to get there.

– Dax Seemingly Responds: Dax Harwood had a chance to cut a promo after AEW Dynamite this week. Many fans believe that he was answering back to CM Punk’s comments about the company that he made during his Ariel Helwani interview on the MMA Hour.

Dax cut a promo following AEW Dynamite last night responding to the comments his friend CM Punk made on MMA Hour. pic.twitter.com/L9BT3pmtpx

— We R Wrestling (@WeRWrestlingg) April 4, 2024

– MJF & The Rock: MJF had to respond to The Rock when the People’s Champion wanted to buy a work of art that MJF’s ex painted. Needless to say, that resulted in quite a viral moment.

– AEW Releases: In case you missed it, we have compiled a tracker for AEW releases and departures in 2024. You may find that list here.

Upcoming Wrestling Shows

Looking ahead, here are some of the major upcoming shows that we have in the pipeline:

April 6: NXT Stand & Deliver and WrestleMania XL Saturday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 7: WrestleMania XL Sunday from Philadelphia, PA.

April 21: All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynasty live on pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri at the Chaifetz Arena.

May 4: WWE Backlash France from Décines-Charpieu, France at the LDLC Arena.

The Rock is one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, and his name is synonymous with blockbuster moves at this point. So, his addition to the WWE World event captured big time attention.

WWE announced that The Rock will be making an appearance at WWE World the day before SmackDown this week. You can find a complete list of scheduled appearances at WWE World by clicking this link.

The Rock will be at WWE World this Thursday at 4:00pm. Odds are, there will be a ton of fans there to see The Final Boss to kick off their WrestleMania weekend.

BREAKING NEWS: The Final Boss @TheRock will be appearing at WWE World this Thursday at 4:00pm.

Get your tickets here: https://t.co/xzY3Epz1uh pic.twitter.com/l2KjTOY8Vc

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2024

The Rock doesn’t do many public appearances, especially at fan conventions. This is a rarity for Dwayne Johnson, but he will be on hand at WWE World to cap off his road to WrestleMania with Fanatic’s first-ever WWE event.

What is WWE World

WWE World promises to offer fans several immersive experiences during the event.

These include a central main stage hosting roundtable discussions with top WWE Superstars, a WWE 2K24 gaming tournament, live podcast recordings, memorabilia and autograph sales through Fanatics Live, and the largest WWE Superstore in WrestleMania history.

Additionally, attendees can enjoy meet-and-greets with WWE Superstars and Legends, along with exhibits and memorabilia honoring WrestleMania’s 40-year history.

You may visit the WWE World site for more information. This will certainly be an event that will never be forgotten by those fans who are able to make it. 

The Rock is making waves all over the pro wrestling world. He’s even doing enough that it can drive someone like MJF, who’s been mostly silent during his hiatus, out of his social media dormancy. 

WrestleMania 40 will see The Rock and Roman Reigns team up to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. In the build to that big match, Dwayne Johnson made The American Nightmare bleed, and that moment inspired some art.

MJF’s ex is a very talented artist, and she drew the attention of The Rock. Now, MJF is speaking up about the situation, and he’s not ecstatic about the idea of The Great One hitting up his ex on social media, especially after The Rock jacked his idea to whip Cody Rhodes. 

The Rock and MJF cross paths

The Rock is back, and he’s the ultimate heel as well. It appears that he might also be after MJF’s ex-girlfriend. This led to an experience on Twitter/X that we didn’t see coming.

MJF’s ex-fiancée, Naomi Rosenblum, is a pretty impressive artist. Her paintings have gone viral a few times, and a recent photo caught The Rock’s attention. She did a new work of art in the likeness of The Rock holding Cody Rhodes’ bloody face to the camera.

Rhodes and MJF’s history is well-known, so fans certainly noticed this interesting connection between The Rock and the former AEW World Champion.

The Rock replied to Rosenblum, complimented her artistic abilities and offered to purchase it as a gift for a ‘special’ mom he knows.

Love this.
What an artistic convergence of emotions ????
I’d like to buy this from you, my team will be in touch. I know a special mom who I’m going to gift this to…. #MamaRhodes
– Final Boss https://t.co/eSA5tyamgl

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 3, 2024

MJF Tells The Rock to Back Off

MJF wasted no time in replying to this tweet from the People’s Champion. He accused The Rock of stealing his “glorious idea” to whip Cody Rhodes with a belt He respects final Boss, but asked for him to back off. 

First you steal my glorious idea to lash Cody.

Now you try to cop art from my ex.

I’m a fan.

But please Leave me be, Dewey. https://t.co/b8XHLmDe2w

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) April 3, 2024

Friedman is currently in a relationship with wrestling personality Alicia Atout. They recently celebrated one year together.

MJF is no longer listed as a member of the AEW roster on the company website, but he’s still under contract. Friedman was working through multiple injuries prior to losing the  AEW World Championship to Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End in December 2023.

Mick Foley has been impressed by The Rock’s return to WWE as it would’ve been easy for him to have stuck with his popular, if not predictable, face persona. 

After the fans rejected The Rock trying to be in the Undisputed WWE Universal title picture over Cody Rhodes, WWE corrected course, turning The Rock heel in the process. On the March 25, episode of WWE Raw, The Rock delivered an emphatic beatdown on Rhodes, leaving him in a pool of blood outside Chicago’s All-State Arena. 

Mick Foley on The Rock

In a video shared on YouTube, Foley watched in amazement as The Rock delivered his beatdown to Cody Rhodes. Speaking after watching the end of Raw, Foley noted how easy it would’ve been for the Final Boss to have avoided the risk of this heel turn. 

“I like that other side of The Rock. It would have been really easy for him to just lean back into what was comfortable. That’s like an EasyChair for The Rock right? Like a great Barcalounger because he knows that character so well.

“To sort of put a twist on it, come out with a harder edge, a little blood in the right place never heard anybody. I think it was really good and only is going to pique interest. It certainly piqued mine.”

Mick Foley & The Rock

Foley certainly knows all about what’s it like to be on the receiving end of a beatdown from The Rock. At the 1999 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, The Rock beat Foley in an I-Quit match, though Foley would not actually utter the two words (a recording was played instead.) The match is infamous for the beatdown Foley took which was documented in the film Beyond The Mat. To this day, questions remain as to whether The Rock (who did not visit Foley in the hospital after the match) went too far. 

What’s Next for The Rock? 

The Rock will make his return to the ring at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday to team with Roman Reigns to face Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Those in WWE are of the opinion that this will not be The Rock’s final match and many remain hopeful that a match between The Rock and Reigns will happen one day. 

One fan will have a lifetime story to tell with The Rock and he’ll have the ink to prove it.

Last week,’The Final Boss’ was in Target promoting his new skin care brand and a fan by the name of Ruben Rodriguez made an offer to him if Rocky would autograph his arm, he’d get the signature and the original “brahma bull” tattooed underneath it. Sure enough, the fan did just that. Not only that, but Ruben shot his shot at one more potential opportunity.

“Saw The Rock at Target last Friday! Childhood hero of mine! I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life & I got to experience it w/my daughter. I told Rock that if he signed my arm, I would get it tatted & I’m a man of my word. Hook us up w/Wrestlemania Tickets.”

Saw @TheRock at Target last Friday! Childhood hero of mine! I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life & I got to experience it w/my daughter. I told Rock that if he signed my arm, I would get it tatted & I’m a man of my word. Hook us up w/Wrestlemania Tickets ? #IfYaSmell pic.twitter.com/5FW8rkLQqh

— Ruben Rodriguez (@RubenRod24) March 31, 2024

The Rock Is A Man Of His Word

Amazingly, The Rock caught wind of Rodriguez’s post and applauded him for delivering on his promise. In turn, The Rock has big plans this weekend for Rodriguez and his daughter.

“Dude holy s*** you did it!! That’s the authentic real deal signature & bull right there!  Looks amazing! You’re a man of your word, and so is the Final Boss… Pack your bags – because you and your daughter are coming to WWE WrestleMania. Your tickets, flight, hotel, transportation and food – are all on me! My team will be reaching out. See you in Philly brother. – Final Boss”

The Rock must have felt bad for making the young Cody Rhodes fan cry so ‘The Final Boss’ sure paid it forward with this move.

Triple H is okay with changing WWE’s storylines due to the response of fans as he handles the company’s plans differently from Vince McMahon. 

The Game serves as WWE’s Chief Content Officer and oversees the company’s creative plans as well as talent relations. Following Vince McMahon’s resignation from WWE, Triple H has been able to book matters fully in line with his creative vision rather than having to appease his father-in-law

Changing Plans

When The Rock returned to WWE, the promotion’s plan was for the Brahma Bull to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Immediately, fans rejected the notion of Cody Rhodes ‘handing over’ the spot many have expected for him since WrestleMania 39. The ‘We Want Cody’ movement would lead to WWE changing plans; putting Cody back in the Undisputed WWE Universal Title picture and turning The Rock heel. 

Triple H Weighs In

The fact that WWE was willing to change its plans marked a considerable change from the company’s past stance of sticking with its plans even in the face of fan backlash. In a recent interview with ESPN about WWE’s changes in the post-McMahon era, Triple H highlighted how he’s more open to other ideas. 

“Now it’s a different time, and the way I do things is slightly different. My career, I learned from being here, but there were things along the way that I always thought I would do differently. In this time now, I get to make those calls and with a large team of people.

“Everything you do is dependent on reactions. That’s what we do as an industry. … The beautiful thing with this group and with Cody and Roman and Rock especially, everybody’s got their ear to the ground. … And then we all just get together and figure the s*** out.”

Cody Rhodes Weighs In

Nobody has benefitted from Triple H willingness to change plans more regarding this situation than Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare is poised to have another shot at Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40. When Rhodes spoke to ESPN, he addressed why The Rock’s return didn’t go as WWE had intended. 

“[Rock] might just have come back at a strange time, which is wild [for] the most popular wrestler of all time and one of the most recognizable faces on Earth… the fact that one person is booing him out there throws me. It means we’re doing something special here.”

Rhodes will team with Seth Rollins to face Roman Reigns and The Rock on WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday, the night before Rhodes Vs. Reigns for the title.  

The Rock once again didn’t hold back with his choice of words regarding Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins after the April 1, episode of Raw went off the air. 

The go-home Raw before WrestleMania 40 saw The Rock opening with some a promo about the beatdown he gave Rhodes the previous week. While The Rock said it broke his heart to see young fans crying when he attacked Rhodes, the American Nightmare had brought the attack upon himself by stepping ‘out of line.’ The segment finished with Roman Reigns, the Bloodline, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins appearing and a Bloodline Rules match being set between Reigns and Solo Sikoa for the main event. 

The Rock’s Message

The main event of Raw saw interference by The Bloodline who ambushed Rollins. While Rhodes tried to help the man he’ll team with at WrestleMania 40: Saturday, the pair of babyfaces were unable to overcome the might of the Bloodline. Raw went off the air with the Bloodline standing tall after whipping their upcoming opponents with belts. 

After Raw, The Bloodline made their way to the back. The Rock was the final man to go backstage and had two words for his WrestleMania 40: Saturday opponents. 

“F*** them.”

Just days before #WrestleMania XL, @TheRock has a message for his opponents @WWERollins & @CodyRhodes! ??? pic.twitter.com/5Rs0yGQFYW

— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2024

What’s to Come? 

The Rock will make his long-awaited return to the ring at WWE WrestleMania 40: Saturday. He will team with Roman Reigns to face Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins. The match will decide the stipulation for the next night’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match. 

Should Rhodes and Rollins win the tag match, there will be no Bloodline involvement when Rhodes takes on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40: Sunday. If the Bloodline wins on the Saturday, the following night’s title match will be under ‘Bloodline Rules.’

We are less than a week away from WrestleMania 40, what could be the biggest Mania event of all time. The Rock entered the picture to make that happen.

The Rock and Roman Reigns will team up to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of WrestleMania 40’s first night. That was not the original plan.

A new mini-documentary is now out from Dwayne Johnson. This gripping piece of storytelling also gives fans an uncensored look at the events that led us to the showcase of the immortals this year.

The New Rock Doc

The Rock dropped the first part of a new multipart documentary series on his Twitter/X account. This first part tells the story of how things started on the road to WrestleMania 40.

In the new mini-doc, The Rock reveals that he whispered “Let’s have the biggest WrestleMania of all time,” in Cody Rhodes’ ear during the February 2 SmackDown after The American Nightmare brought him out.

This new little video also reveals several profanities that The Rock has spouted on WWE television. This is the first time we get to hear him threaten to slap Cody Rhodes’ “f*cking teeth down his throat” as well. You may check out the video below, but it’s only part 1 of a multipart series.

The Final Boss creates the road we are all on. #RoadToWrestleMania #Part1#WrestleMania #Philadelphia
April 6th + April 7th@WWE @TKOGrp pic.twitter.com/PXb7pg3SBe

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 31, 2024

WrestleMania 40’s Original Plan

The Rock wanted a match against Roman Reigns, and he was the only one who could change that match. In the end, Dwayne Johnson conceded that Cody Rhodes should be in the main event of WrestleMania 40 after so much fan reaction.

There were a lot of things that played into the drama surrounding that WrestleMania change. You may find our comprehensive report, including exclusive insight and reports, here.

If the Bloodline wins that tag team match at WrestleMania, then it will be “Bloodline Rules” for the Undisputed Universal Title match. If the babyface team can win, then the Bloodline will be barred from ringside.

That reaction to Cody losing his Mania spot to The Rock also coined the term “Cody Crybabies.” They got what they wanted, and now Cody can finish his story. Now, we will have to see how everything transpires as we approach the show of shows this year.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more, as we get closer to WrestleMania 40. Please keep checking back throughout the day for more updates!

The WWE Superstars have weighed in on whether it’ll be The Rock & Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes who will be left standing tall at WrestleMania: Saturday. 

In a video shared on WWE’s YouTube channel, the Superstars were asked who they predict will win the much-anticipated tag team match on WrestleMania Saturday. The match will see Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes face Roman Reigns & The Rock to decide the stipulation of the following night’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match

Who’s Backing the Bloodline?

CM Punk said it’s hard to bet against the Bloodline (but easy to bet against Seth Rollins) and he expects Rock and Reigns to win the tag-team match. Jimmy Uso, unsurprisingly, was backing is cousin and the Final Boss in the upcoming match. 

The Miz said he wouldn’t be surprised if The Rock & Reigns won and beatdown Cody and Seth to the point that their matches would be called on for WrestleMania 40: Sunday. The A-Lister admitted that these comments will leave fans very angry with him. 

‘Michin’ Mia Yim was also predicting a Bloodline victory, acknowledging the 1,300+ day reign of the Tribal Chief and the legendary status of The Rock. Santos Escobar was immensely confident that The Rock & Roman would win, calling it a “spoiler.” 

Carmelo Hayes is also predicting a Rock-Roman win on WrestleMania: Saturday, as is Shayna Baszler. Otis, The O.C. and Byron Saxton also predicted a Bloodline victory. R-Truth, Zelina Vega, and Trick Williams also expect to see The Bloodline stand tall on WrestleMania 40: Saturday. 

Finishing the Story

While the majority of WWE Superstars expect The Rock & Roman Reigns to win this Saturday, not everyone believes this will be the case. Despite her differences with both Cody & Seth, Rhea Ripley expects the dream team will be standing tall on WrestleMania 40: Saturday.

NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria is also expecting a win for Rhodes and Rollins and believes the American Nightmare will at last ‘finish the story’ the next night. Liv Morgan is also backing Rhodes and Rollins “just because.”

Despite being dressed like 90s Rock for the video, Kofi Kingston expects Rhodes and Rollins to come out on top. Bianca Belair is also expecting the faces to win on WrestleMania 40: Sunday. 

Drew McIntyre Responds

The final response was from Drew McIntyre who made it clear he doesn’t care who wins on WrestleMania 40: Saturday. McIntyre is instead only hoping that Rollins makes it through the match so they can have their World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 40: Sunday.  

Mama Rhodes will be prepared for anything at WrestleMania 40 after her name was brought up by The Rock during the March 25, episode of Monday Night Raw. 

During the show, The Rock delivered the beating of a lifetime on Cody Rhodes which did not stop once the show went off the air. The Rock dared the matriarch of the Rhodes family to look at her son and had a weight belt emblazoned with ‘Mama Rhodes.’ The Rock smeared this belt with Cody’s blood, fulfilling a promise made before the show to have a special belt with Cody’s mother. 

Mama Rhodes is Ready

Unlike her son and late husband, Mama Rhodes, whose real name is Michelle, is not a name in the world of professional wrestling. On a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Cody’s sister Teil shared her mom’s reaction to being thrust into the limelight thanks to being referenced on WWE shows. 

“She gets it, but she doesn’t love it. You know what I mean? She’s up on Tuesday morning and her phone is just blowing up with all these like people, she hasn’t heard from in 25 years.”

While Mama Rhodes isn’t the biggest fan of becoming an internationally-known figure, she’s heard what The Rock has had to say, and is prepared to deal with the Final Boss. 

“‘The Rock’s talking about you on TV’… She’s mad. She said she was going to bring her bear spray to ‘Mania.”

What’s to Come? 

Bear spray or no bear spray, Mama Rhodes will have the chance to watch her son compete twice at WrestleMania 40. Cody will team with Seth Rollins on WrestleMania 40: Saturday to face The Rock & Roman Reigns. The match will determine the stipulation for the next night’s main event. 

On WrestleMania 40: Sunday, Rhodes will challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. This will be Rhodes’ last chance at the Tribal Chief, an edict passed down by The Rock flexing his TKO board member muscles. 

GUNTHER is hoping to remain undefeated at WrestleMania this April, and will join an exclusive club when he puts the Intercontinental title on the line. 

The Austrian Superstar has been a dominant champion since capturing the gold back in June of 2022. Not only has GUNTHER proven himself in his own right, but having Imperium alongside him has made the Ring General even more dangerous. 

GUNTHER’s Record at WrestleMania

At WrestleMania, GUNTHER will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn. The Austrian has been immensely confident in recent weeks and is sure that Zayn is simply not good enough to beat him. 

Win, lose, or draw, GUNTHER will become the fourth Superstar in WWE history to defend the gold at back-to-back WrestleManias. This is a feat accomplished by only three Superstars at WWE’s biggest show of the year. 

Who’s In the Club?

The first man to do so was ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, who put the gold on the line at WrestleMania 2 and WrestleMania 3. The latter match is the much-acclaimed bout that saw Savage lose the gold to Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat.

The Ultimate Warrior would defend the title at WrestleMania 5 and WrestleMania 6, with the latter match seeing him capture the WWF title. The most recent man to have back-to-back title defenses is The Rock, who retained at both WrestleMania 13 and WrestleMania 14.

GUNTHER’s Other Records

This is hardly the first accolade for GUNTHER. In September 2022, GUNTHER broke the record for the longest solo Intercontinental Championship reign. In February 2024, GUNTHER broke the record for the most days combined of any Intercontinental Champion. 

GUNTHER is also part of an elite club of Superstars that have held two championships in WWE for over a year. In addition to his current reign, GUNTHER held the NXT United Kingdom Championship for 870 days. 

Paul Heyman doesn’t know of any hidden intentions behind The Rock’s ‘L’ but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to the fan-led conspiracy. 

The Great One returned to WWE earlier this year and was poised to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. This didn’t sit well with the WWE Universe, who believed the spot rightly deserved to Cody Rhodes. 

The Rock and His L

With the WWE Universe rejecting The Rock, the company changed course, turning the Brahma Bull heel and aligning him with the Bloodline. In segments, Rock has been aligned with his family but his choice of hand gesture has raised some eyebrows. 

While the Bloodline points to the sky, The Rock has performed the same gesture with his thumb outstretched, giving an ‘L’ shaped symbol. Fans have speculated as to whether there’s a reason for this. Some have even speculated that it could be a sign of his intent to betray Roman Reigns when the time is right. 

Paul Heyman on The Rock’s L

Sitting down with Forbes, Heyman was asked about The Rock’s ‘L’ symbol and whether there’s some meaning behind the gesture. The future WWE Hall of Famer argued that there’s no hidden meaning that he’s aware of, though that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to it. 

“It is a conspiracy. And just because it’s a conspiracy theory doesn’t mean there’s not a conspiracy behind it.”

“My father always taught me, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean the whole world’s not against you.”

Heyman added that he is sure there’s “something to it” and suggested that the only person who knows the truth is the Final Boss himself. 

What’s to Come? 

The Rock will make his long-awaited return to the ring at WrestleMania 40: Saturday where he’ll team with Roman Reigns to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. The match will determine the stipulation for the following night’s Undisputed WWE Universal Title match.

If Rhodes & Rollins win, the next night’s match between Rhodes and Roman Reigns will be free of Bloodline interference. Should the Bloodline win the Saturday match, the title match will be under ‘Bloodline Rules.’

The Rock and Cody Rhodes ended this week’s episode of RAW with a bloody angle that was full of swearing in Chicago. The profanity was bleeped, but the blood was very real. The violence kept going after the show was over.

The Rock has released unseen footage of what happened after RAW was over in the parking lot outside the Allstate Arena. This showed how real things got as he beat down Cody Rhodes, even after the camera stopped rolling for the live show.

The Beatdown Continued

The Rock is going all out with his heel character this time around. He is also not cutting the profanity out at all, if anything, he is amplifying it.

When the camera was off, he continued the beatdown on Cody Rhodes. After a member of the WWE crew said that they were “clear,” meaning that the show was over, The Rock didn’t like heading that. He continued swearing and smearing Cody’s blood on that weight belt.

After several more whacks with the weight belt, and a lot of profanity, The Rock left. He was spitting, and angry, while looking back to Rhodes and saying, “F*ck him!”

The Rock walked off, and his point was made. He was also still on after the show was over, which gave fans a great behind-the-scenes look at the WrestleMania build.

The Rock doesn’t give a f*ck. pic.twitter.com/WdjPekweb1

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) March 29, 2024

The Rock’s Road to WrestleMania 40

WWE fans saw The Rock re-insert himself into the fold during the Day 1 episode of RAW. He came out to surprise fans, but it wasn’t until later when his intentions were made very clear by confronting Roman Reigns.

The Rock and Roman Reigns were supposed to face off at WrestleMania 40, with Cody Rhodes getting written off with an injury angle. Then the “Cody crybabies” did their thing and it changed the main event once again.

After The Rock conceded that the match needed to be changed, then they changed gears to the booking we have today.

SEScoops will have more on the road to WrestleMania, no matter what happens next. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines!

The Rock has a new nickname, thanks to Brian Gewirtz, but it’s not necessarily a brand-new moniker. He is The Final Boss, but that is already a name that Samoa Joe has used in the past. AEW doesn’t want fans to forget about it, either.

AEW is going full-speed ahead in promoting Samoa Joe’s Final Boss t-shirt, despite The Rock using the name. Although nobody has the trademark locked down, there is now a bit of a battle over the nickname.

The Final Boss Battle

Dwayne Johnson has been calling himself The Final Boss for weeks now, and he’s having a great time getting heat in the process. The nickname is not locked down with any trademark within the pro wrestling bubble.

Who's the Final Boss? pic.twitter.com/3Y2oQvc1L3

— Aaron (@AaronVarble) March 29, 2024

There are a few active trademarks for The Final Boss, but none of them are connected to AEW, WWE or The Rock. A couple of them are related to beer or food products, and another is in the advertising realm. So, The Rock and Samoa Joe can both technically use The Final Boss, because neither of them own it, yet. 

AEW is actively promoting a “Final Boss” shirt for Samoa Joe, which was first released on January 17. They are embracing the term, and they are also making it very clear that Joe had the nickname first.

THE FINAL BOSS. Check out this @samoajoe shirt that’s available for purchase at https://t.co/9hHlXpcSbp!https://t.co/qRrDSBDpG5#shopaew #aew #aewdynamite #aewrampage #aewcollision pic.twitter.com/PM2JjFBfxu

— ShopAEW.com (@ShopAEW) March 29, 2024

What’s Next For The Rock

The Rock is set to team up with Roman Reigns to take on Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. That feud got bloody on the March 25 episode of RAW, as Dwayne Johnson called himself “The Final Boss” the whole time.

The Final Boss name will likely stick around  in WWE until Mania. It will be interesting to see if anyone tries to lock that name down with a trademark, as intellectual property is a very important issue in pro wrestling.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and many more, as we go down the road to WrestleMania 40. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines! 

WWE television used to featured blood a lot more often, but the PG era took that away. That is why fans were so surprised to see Cody Rhodes rock a crimson mask on RAW this week with The Rock’s beatdown.

WrestleMania 40 will see The Rock and Roman Reigns team up to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Due to Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in the angle, they are getting a lot more leeway.

After Cody Rhodes’ bloody segment that concluded RAW this week, the company’s stance on bleeding on camera has been called into question. WWE still has a policy against blood, so don’t expect to see it on a regular basis.

WWE’s Stance On Blood

Cody Rhodes bled on television this week during RAW, but don’t expect to see that kind of angle every week. Rhodes bladed on WWE RAW this week, and the blood was planned.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that blood on WWE television is still going to be a very rare occurrence. They will not start featuring it all the time, and nowhere close to how often AEW lets their talent bleed on screen.

With blood, the key is that this is no longer Vince McMahon’s company. We were told that going forward it will be used very rarely. There are no plans to turn it into AEW where it’s used more liberally. But if Johnson wants it in his angle, he’s like Lesnar in the Vince administration, and has more power than Lesnar had then, and he’s going to be able to do what he wants in his angles and matches.

WWE’s No Blading Policy

The WWE shifted its approach to bleeding on screen in 2008 to reach more sponsors and clean up the image for younger viewers.

Cody Rhodes used a blade during his segment, a practice that in the past led to notable fines under Vince McMahon’s leadership. One instance was when Dave Bautista was fined $100,000. 

Brock Lesnar has featured blood in his matches in the past, but those were mostly spots where his opponent bled the hard way. He even made himself bleed by cracking his head off the ring post. Of course, that is not a safe alternative at all, but it was somehow looked at more favorably than blading.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and many more. Keep checking back throughout the day for more headlines.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has become one of the greatest superstars of all time. Since joining the main roster, his character has evolved multiple times. With his latest evolution, The Head of The Table has now matured into the widely accepted megastar the company always expected him to become.

‘The Tribal Chief’ has been a part of several Premium Live Events over the years. However, there is one event which he tries to forget – Royal Rumble 2015. But why?

Back in 2015, Roman Reigns was on the rise and entered the big leagues. ‘The Big Dog’ eliminated Rusev to win the Royal Rumble 2015 to secure WrestleMania headlining opportunity. It marked one of the biggest milestones in his career but it was totally ruined.

The Philadelphia fans were not impressed with what they witnessed and booed Reigns, who was a babyface back then. The Rock even joined in for the celebrations but that didn’t change anything.

Roman Reigns recalls the moment

In his upcoming A&E Biography, Reigns shares his thoughts on the night. Though it was supposed to be a memorable moment for him, he says that he tries to forget that year’s Royal Rumble. Here is what he said:

“I was booed, historically. You think about these moments. You dream about them, and the moment that it actually happens, it’s like they’re playing the worst soundtrack of all time over your moment, ruining your party. That’s how the Rumble in Philly felt.

“I try to forget Philly. I try to forget the Royal Rumble. There’s only one positive, and that’s the fact that it’s going to be able to tie all the way back around at WrestleMania 40.”

Roman Reigns will once again be faced with the tough Philadelphia crowd at WrestleMania 40. The Tribal Chief is expected to make a new record by headlining both nights of the Show of Shows. 

On WrestleMania Saturday, he will join forces with The Rock to face Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. The outcome of this match will determine the stipulation when Reigns faces 2024 Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes with the Universal title on the line the next night.