Roman Reigns reveals if he was disappointed in WrestleMania 40 role with The Rock
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock has been one of WWE's biggest dream matches for several years, but the battle between members of the Anoa'i Family still has not happened. The bout was originally planned for this year's WrestleMania in Philadelphia. However, the company was forced to change its plans due to fan backlash. The OTC has finally revealed what he thought standing next to The Great One, with a remark that some could see as a diss.
WWE successfully pulled off the 40th Showcase of The Immortals from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, despite significant and unexpected changes on The Road to WrestleMania. The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the original plan for the WrestleMania main event, but the WWE Universe forced officials to give Cody Rhodes the rub. The Hollywood star instead teamed up with Reigns to take on Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night One of 'Mania.
Reigns recently spoke with Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated Media and was asked if he was disappointed in teaming with The Rock on The Grandest Stage of Them All instead of going at it one-on-one. The 39-year-old acknowledged how special the situation was but said he felt like he was teaming up with another family member.
"I never really looked at it like that. It was almost more-so of this... kind of the same sentiment when I got all deep on you, and you said get back in a Tribal Chief character. That situation where you zoom out and you see all these family members together. When you’re able to do that with someone from your family, when you're able to do that with people from your Bloodline, there's just something about that," Roman Reigns said. [From 35:51 to 36:32]
The Head of The Table continued:
"It's just this weird. It's just sharing such a crazy, huge main event-level moment with so many eyes on it, the whole world is watching. [...] I wasn't even looking at him like, 'Oh, this is DJ!' It just another family member, and I mean that with the utmost love and respect, and it's really hard to even put in word how that could make a man feel, and just how proud I am of being able to attempt to articulate this. We're very fortunate to be a part of this family." [From 36:33 to 37:19]
Rhodes ended up defeating Reigns on Night Two of 'Mania and became the Undisputed WWE Champion.
The Rock left following RAW after WrestleMania, where he appeared in the ring with Rhodes to keep their rivalry alive for the future. The People's Champion then made a surprise appearance at Bad Blood in October, right after Roman and Cody teamed up to defeat Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. The WrestleMania 41 rumor mill picked up after The Final Boss appeared to shoot his cousin and Rhodes a disapproving gesture.
WWE seemingly gives Roman Reigns time off
Roman Reigns returned to action for WWE in August at SummerSlam to continue the feud against Solo Sikoa and his version of The Bloodline. This was Reigns' first appearance since his title loss at WrestleMania 40.
The company has seemingly given the OTC the rest of the year off, as they pulled Reigns from the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event on December 14. Reigns currently is not listed on the WWE schedule for any December events, including SmackDown episodes and the annual post-Christmas live event tour.
Roman Reigns has been confirmed, while The Rock is rumored to appear at the RAW's Netflix premiere on January 6 in Los Angeles. He is currently not advertised for the first few SmackDown episodes of 2025 or the red brand after the Netflix premiere.