WWE personality believes The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was never in the cards for WrestleMania 40
After Royal Rumble 2024, fans were convinced that The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 was set in stone. The Brahma Bull returned on the following episode of SmackDown, seemingly taking away Cody Rhodes' right to challenge The Tribal Chief.
Much has happened since Reigns' and Rocky's first confrontation, and fans wonder whether the company ever planned to pit the two against each other. WWE personality Sam Roberts has shared his thoughts on the situation.
While it seemed like WWE was planning for the high-profile match in light of injuries and several other unforeseen circumstances, some believed otherwise. Roberts has pointed out a significant reason why he thinks The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was never going to be booked for WrestleMania XL. And it has everything to do with a lack of a "graphic."
According to Sam Roberts, who recently appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, The Rock facing off against Roman Reigns was never officially announced. In his opinion, a bout was only official for him if WWE released a promotional graphic.
"It didn't have a graphic. That's my thing. The graphic, I'm all about the graphic. When you show me a graphic, it's for real. And they never had a Rock versus Roman Reigns graphic for WrestleMania."
He highlighted how, despite the numerous encounters that took place, the company never released a WrestleMania graphic promoting Reigns vs. The Great One.
"The second the press conference was over, there was a Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes graphic. I said, 'Okay, that's a match.' I saw a staredown between The Rock and Roman Reigns. I saw Cody leave the ring looking not happy. No graphic," added Sam Roberts. [H/T: Insight with Chris Van Vliet]
It certainly is a fair point, and given that Roberts is seemingly privy to the company's inner workings, it's hard to argue with him. But, at the end of the day, there is no telling if a match was really planned or if it was just a ruse from WWE to rile up the fans.
The Rock promises to "whip" Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40
WrestleMania 40 is a huge event, especially for The Bloodline. With The Rock among its ranks, the Samoan faction is undoubtedly the favorite heading into Philadelphia. After all, they have a distinct numbers advantage over their adversaries, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
With that in mind, The Brahma Bull is confident that he and his cousin, Roman Reigns, will come out on top in their tag team match on Night One, thus enforcing Bloodline Rules for Night Two. This means that anything goes when The American Nightmare eventually takes on The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed Universal Championship.
If The Bloodline reigns supreme on Night One, Rocky has promised to "whip" Rhodes with his belt and present it to the latter's mother.
Safe to say, things are bound to get interesting at WrestleMania 40. But, for The Rock to live up to his promise, he must first win alongside Roman Reigns on Night One.