Cody Rhodes needs to finish his story at WrestleMania 40

The road to Wrestlemania is set to start in less than three weeks, and there are almost too many amazing stories to tell within a two-night span. For the past year, fans strongly rallied behind The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes in hopes that he would main-event Wrestlemania against Roman Reigns for a second time and finally finish his story. Up until WWE’s DAY 1 edition of Monday Night RAW, everyone believed that was the case. However, the landscape has now completely changed, as The Rock’s appearance on DAY 1 would leave fans shocked after he publicly called out The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.

Last year, fans were holding on to hope that The Rock Vs Reigns would happen at Wrestlemania 39. We now know the match was nearly inches away from happening, but it didn’t. Instead, WWE pushed Rhodes to the top and propped him up as a glorified substitute. Last year he was a backup, however, WWE chose to leave Rhodes’ story unfinished, resulting In Cody going through a full year of side quests, including Brock Lesnar, The Judgment Day, and even a WarGames match. All side missions have been completed throughout the last year. Now that the Royal Rumble approaches, it’s time for the payoff to begin: this year, Cody Vs. Roman is not a substitute match; It’s the main event everyone has been waiting for.

The Rock’s return was received immaculately well, including his call-out to Roman Reigns. However, The Rock has had more than one opportunity to main-event Wrestlemania against Roman Reigns. This year, we already have a progressing narrative in Cody Vs Roman that fans have been emotionally invested in too. While The Rock should still have his day in the ring with Reigns, the main event of Wrestlemania 40 should be reserved for Rhodes Vs. Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship.

That said, Perth, Australia has reportedly made bids for the Rock’s appearance for WWE’s Elimination Chamber PLE. Many believe this is when The Rock will finally get his hands on Reigns, rather than Wrestlemania. This match being right before Wrestlemania 40 would not only be a highly anticipated dream match but would also have the potential to make Reigns look incredibly strong going into the biggest show of the year.  After all this time, it was only 3 weeks after Australia requested The Rock’s presence that we actually saw a starting point in the story of Reigns Vs. The Rock. Considering the timing, Wrestlemania may not have ever been planned for The Rock to challenge for the title. 

While Rock Vs. Reigns at Elimination Chamber followed by Reigns Vs. Rhodes at Wrestlemania 40 seems like the Ideal ‘Road to Wrestlemania’ game plan, There is a matter of What Johnson will do at Wrestlemania 40 if he is not to face Roman. A No-Show from the People’s Champ would be incredibly disappointing considering he had completed only a month ago by that time. While he may not be facing Roman Reigns in the ring, that does not mean he has to be ousted from the Bloodline Story. The fact is there are multiple ways the Rock could make a difference by being a part of the story without Threatening the story of Cody Rhodes.

The Rock could easily be in Rhodes’ corner come Wrestlemania. Unlike last year, Solo and Jimmy Uso may have an issue meddling in the main event of the biggest PLE of the year. Additionally, Johnson could choose to direct his attention to his other younger cousins, The Usos. The Rock could potentially be the one to bring the Usos in the middle of the ring, face to face. Their older cousin would explain to them that there's only one way to fix the family conflict between the two of them, to fight it out in Philly.

The Rock could even serve as a special guest referee in their Wrestlemania match. Ultimately, using The Rock to elevate modern-day talent can certainly be done at Wrestlemania without The Rock facing Reigns in the main event. As the Royal Rumble draws near, we’ll be sure to get our answers soon.