On a now-infamous February 2nd edition of SmackDown, Cody Rhodes unfathomably set the stage for an epic showdown; the Head of the Table and his A-list cousin were going to face off at WrestleMania 40. That match never happened. Instead, the movement to create a new era in WWE was born out of creative frustrations and fan backlash in a cathartic moment that feels itself to be decades ago. Now, in the aftermath of WrestleMania 41 and a wild and uneven year for WWE, it is safe to say that The Rock vs Roman Reigns will never happen.
Roman Reigns is seeing Hollywood Stars in his future.
It isn't immediately clear why, but Roman Reigns sees a bright future for himself in more mainstream media. He has the superstar looks needed to make it in Los Angeles, and a wrestling fanbase has helped launch several other stars, including his cousin. Although his capabilities have been debated, it is apparent that his feuds and stories are indeed booked to be more cinematic than almost all of his fellow superstars. Even the upper echelon of WWE runs pretty standard wrestling angles unless he is involved. He is also not without some interest from directors and already has a modest roster of projects.
Whether or not his performances are truly Emmy worthy, as his former advocate Paul Heyman often hinted at, Reigns sees it as possible. The Rock's movie and business schedule is usually pointed out as the primary issue when booking the match. He missed this year's WrestleMania, and the immediate culprit online was his new A24 film. If it is this difficult to find time for wrestling in the life of movie star Dwayne Johnson, movie star Joe Anoa'i being added to the mix will make it logistically almost impossible for the match to come to fruition.
The Rock is invested in the C-suite, not the squared circle.
The Rock's been heavily involved in the Nick Khan-led WWE and the broader Ari Emmanual TKO Group. What he hasn't done, though, is get back into a semi-regular wrestling schedule. Johnson has become an ambassador of sorts. As an actual member of the TKO board of directors, he has a business interest in the success of WWE and UFC. He uses his celebrity and connections in combat sports to try to make the mainstream case for two relatively niche forms of sport and entertainment. This plan is making him fabulously wealthy, all without taking any real bumps and maintaining an aura of being "above" his wrestler employees, like all top executives crave.
Nothing would stop a business leader from taking a few bumps. WWE's founder and former Chairman did it all the time, often in ways that centered the show around himself or his family. The Rock's family is far better in the ring and much bigger, so his Final Boss persona could easily remix the old hits. That he hasn't, but rather, become more involved in boardroom politicking is indicative of how he views his future in wrestling. In what may be an even bigger stretch than his cousin's plan for the silver screen, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson looks to become a legitimate billionaire businessman. His political aspirations from years prior (and maybe in the future) show he has non-entertainment interests, and his clear pursuit of those means a match, even one at Mania, is not a top priority.
The Rock and Roman Reigns have other rivals that make far more sense.
Even if the changes to their schedules and goals can be ironed out, neither wrestler has any significant beef with the other, and the creative just isn't there. This has been brought up online, including by wrestling icons like Bully Ray. That is true, and that is why The Rock vs Roman Reigns will never happen. Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes are enemy number one for each man, respectively, and a singles match between Rhodes and Rock or Rollins and Reigns is far more likely and, frankly, just as big. The Bloodline story, too, has cooled significantly. The current project for the Anoa'i tribe is not about picking a chief but about making Jacob Fatu a massive star. Neither Roman nor The Rock has much history with Fatu, and it is clear that Solo Sikoa is the man Fatu will ultimately rebel against.
The better stories don't stop there for either man. Roman Reigns and a new heel, John Cena, could do quite well. Cena took Reigns to task when Roman was the "next big thing" in WWE. Having the longest reigning modern champion and the most winning champion of all time face off would sell out any premium live event. CM Punk is an anti-establishment icon; it is how he made his mark in that original WWE run as a heel. Facing off with his old rival in The Rock, now actively on the TKO board of directors, is also a much better use of the legend's time. If you only have a few matches left for either man, using one on the other when these other options are around is the bigger wasted opportunity.
The Rock vs Roman Reigns will never happen, which is fine!
It can seem like an epic missed opportunity, the past and the present colliding, a family torn apart, the greatest champ against the People's Champion. All of these were stories that WWE could have told with a Rock and Roman feud. None of them work now. The Rock is a corporate entity in WWE, both on and off-screen. He is emblematic of the new celebrity-forward product that TKO has injected into WWE until it feels indistinguishable from the UFC. That is not a man of the fans. Roman Reigns is looking to leave the wrestling life for a while and is actively taking steps to make that happen. He is no longer the future of WWE.
As for The Bloodline, they jumped the shark a long time ago and have really become the vehicle to launch Jacob Fatu into the stratosphere. The opportunity missed or otherwise is gone. To force that match would be a vanity project that would likely explode several more interesting feuds. What was at one time the biggest match in WWE history has no momentum and has created several better stories in its wake. Sadly, given the folks involved, that could be enough to ensure it happens after all. Perhaps it is more correct to say The Rock vs Roman Reigns will never happen if WWE does what is best for business.