Fantasy Booking The Rock's Path to Roman Reigns Match at WWE WrestleMania 40

The Rock's surprise return to WWE SmackDown on Friday electrified fans and led to the inevitable questions about a potential in-ring return and the long-awaited dream match with undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns.

The Great One told The Pat McAfee Show earlier in the day that the match with The Tribal Chief was "locked in" for WrestleMania 39 but ultimately did not happen.

He further teased the fight for next April in Philadelphia in some back and forth that was anything but official (around the 1:38:00 mark):

While the contest is no closer than it was before the WWE icon took to the stage with McAfee, it does beg the question: How does the company get to such a dream match without upsetting everything it has established over the last three years of storytelling?

The answer is simpler than you might think.

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A Story of Redemption

There is not a single instance in which a showdown between Rock and Reigns needs the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the center of it, certainly not when Cody Rhodes has patiently waited to finish a story that probably should have culminated in Los Angeles last April.

To get to the showdown of generational Superstars, The Tribal Chief must drop his title to The American Nightmare on one of WWE's other grand stages: the Royal Rumble.

Would it mean more for Rhodes for it to happen under the brightest lights at WrestleMania? Absolutely, hence why it really should have happened in L.A.

With that said, The American Nightmare defeating Reigns, overcoming potential interference from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso to do so, on the enormous stage that the Rumble provides would be a suitable consolation.

In the wake of the monumental defeat, the following Friday on SmackDown, Reigns should throw around accusations and blame for his loss. He singles out Jimmy, points the finger at Sikoa and even eyes Paul Heyman as part of the problem.

Then, The Rock returns in another surprise cameo. This time, he comes face-to-face with the man against whom most expect him to have his next (last?) match. He talks about Reigns' run but, instead of acknowledging his greatness, he blames him for letting the family down.

He calls Reigns out for his selfishness and egotism. He criticizes his gaslighting of those closest to him and claims The Bloodline's dominance over WWE should have lasted decades, but it crumbled because The Tribal Chief let his own self-centeredness get in the way.

A dismayed Reigns orders Sikoa and Uso to attack but they walk out on him, none too pleased over the verbal smackdown they received moments earlier. When the former champion tries to handle it himself, he eats a Rock Bottom and People's Elbow to hammer home the bad week he has had.

From there, Rock should be used sparingly. Yes, his SmackDown appearance drove in tremendous television and social media numbers, but if he became a regular on TV, he would lose some of the specialness that helped drive those figures in the first place.

One would include a vicious beatdown from Reigns, who gets one over on The Great One and convinces him to accept his challenge for a battle of The Bloodline at WrestleMania.

Who really is the greatest to come out of the family? Who is the undisputed Tribal Chief?

It is a marquee, main event match that can conclude Night 1 or 2 at Lincoln Financial Field without holding up the most prestigious prize in the company along the way.

It is a strong enough match, between two of the top stars in wrestling history, that it does not need championship gold to be taken seriously in that role.

Rhodes gets his run, WWE gets what would likely be the biggest money-making match in company history, and the booking remains true to the story that has been in play since August 2020.

And all is right with the world.