After a weekend packed with action, the fallout of WrestleMania 41 continues to hit the promotion, both in and out of the ring. Fans are upset with the way the second night ended, as John Cena versus Cody Rhodes didn’t deliver. The entire build did not play out the way fans hoped, and The Rock’s absence from the event was the final straw. This is the second straight WrestleMania that was impacted by The Rock and it is time that WWE moves away from him entirely.
The Rock appeared on The Pat McAfee Show in what looked like an attempt at damage control, but his interview did not help the situation. He talked about what it meant when he told Cody Rhodes that he wanted his “soul,” that his appearance at Elimination Chamber was meant to help slow ticket sales, and much more. But where things were most glaring was when he talked about the main event of Night Two and not being at the show.
“We have six weeks, now let’s build. You guys go and crush it,” The Rock said. “I’ll be right there with you and I’m always here if you need me, but I think it’s best for the Final Boss not to be involved in that finish.”
From his own words, it sounds like The Rock was never intending to be involved in WrestleMania 41 or that match. Months before the event, multiple outlets reported that WWE creative was moving forward as if The Rock would not be available for the show. Even as he appeared at Bad Blood, The Raw Netflix Debut, and Elimination Chamber. The question of his involvement still hung over that angle. Especially as Cena made zero mention of why he decided to side with The Rock. It was almost like WWE was scripting the build in hopes that fans would forget him being on television.
The fans did not forget, and they’ve continued to let the WWE know about it online in the days since that match. Even after a strong episode of Monday Night Raw on April 21, there’s no denying that the finish to WrestleMania 41 was not good.
WWE does not need The Rock
The Rock is a legend in all things professional wrestling. He played a role in pushing the business to higher heights and deserves all the respect in the world for his contributions. But those contributions shouldn’t give him the keys to consistently impact today’s product in such a negative way.
Look back to what happened at WrestleMania 40. The spotlight was on Cody Rhodes and his quest to “Finish the Story,” and that was nearly upended by The Rock. WWE found a way to keep him involved and have everything play out the way the viewers wanted, but that was still a moment of flying too close to the sun.
Triple H’s creative direction has its own challenges without a mega star like The Rock popping up whenever he decides. He may be a board member for TKO Group Holdings, but that does not mean he needs to be involved with the product on television. This fiasco cannot happen again when the company moves into SummerSlam or WrestleMania 42. The fans will remember these moments and rightfully tune out the programming as they know it will not lead to a satisfying finish.