Nobody—Not Even Cody Rhodes—Can Compete With the Starpower of The Rock

If the Rock is available for WrestleMania 40, can we all just agree to call off the end of Cody Rhodes' story?

It seems harsh, sure, but the Rock's return to WWE, brief or not, on the September 15 edition of SmackDown was a monumental moment in wrestling. He didn't even brush shoulders with Roman Reigns, yet it's all fans have been able to talk about since—and rightfully so.

After all, the specter of the Rock has always been lurking in the background of the Bloodline saga, and is potentially a big reason Rhodes, indeed, didn't finish his story at WrestleMania 39 when he lost to Reigns.

Rock is just too big to deny, and the Dwayne Johnson-Reigns matchup is way too important for both the company and sport to miss. The numbers it would do are jaw-dropping. Rock showed up unannounced on SmackDown and popped 103 million views on social media to become the most-viewed video on social in 2023.

That was just a top-of-show segment with Pat McAfee and Austin Theory, for what it's worth.

But The Great One brings so much more than numbers. He's family to Reigns, and that's an important part of the equation for fans—and a big factor in how fans will remember the storyline as either one of the best ever or as one that took missteps near the end.

Rock seeing that Reigns has destroyed his family and isolated himself and become corrupted by the title of Tribal Chief decides to return to set the family straight...that's just good storytelling. The build would be amazing, not just because fans would get Rock and Paul Heyman sparring on the mic at some point, but because they could so some of those speculated segments that incorporate family elders. Said build could certainly provide an even bigger boost to someone like Jey Uso or promote Solo Sikoa as the next big thing.

Unfortunately for Rhodes, these things just aren't possible with his inclusion, at least not nearly at the same scale, which stinks. His tale of returning after proving himself globally and establishing AEW in order to win the belt his father never did is downright amazing in its own lane.

But it has just never vibed right, despite the reactions he gets as a babyface—one much better cut out for the WWE landscape than the AEW one.

Rhodes' almost random-feeling insertion into what has largely been a family-based story was never going to go smoothly. But it was especially sloppy at last year's Royal Rumble, when he entered as one of the last names and immediately won the right to face Reigns. The feuds and promos after—gently nudging aside Sami Zayn and keeping Jey out of the spotlight—just never felt right. In part, that's what made the shock of Reigns actually retaining in the main event so surprising and satisfying.

In the aftermath, Rhodes had a well-deserved, albeit too-long feud with Brock Lesnar. Beloved superstars generally remain hot or do even better while in "chase" mode, yet he's cooled off, and the newness factor of his return has faded. He's since been involved in feuds with the Judgement Day and in tag matches, but inching closer to the Bloodline has felt a little forced.

A re-insertion into the Bloodline epic would be just as wonky again, except this time there isn't the honeymoon phase of his return providing explosive momentum into WrestleMania season.

Yes, one could argue the skipping of Rhodes to go with a part-timer in Rock doesn't send the best message to talent or fans. One could also argue the matchup would create a messy post-match situation. Who does Rock face if he takes the belts off Reigns, and when and how does he lose them? When does Reigns ever lose the belts if he beats Rock?

Maybe the solution is some sort of messy idea where Reigns pulls double-duty, main-eventing Night 1 and Night 2 in Philadelphia.

Regardless of the post-match fallout, like it or not, we have to keep in mind the WWE merger with UFC that just went down and the potential for non-wrestling people to throw weight around in these decisions, too. Almost every time, that concoction of decision-makers will choose the big numbers, like the backing of Rock over Rhodes' dedicated fanbase. The viewpoint might (accurately) be that Rhodes isn't going anywhere no matter what happens and neither are his fans.

We bring that up as a keep in mind, not a justification. One can't reasonably suggest Rhodes should outrank Rock in pretty much any pro wrestling scenario. Cena, one of the best ever, wouldn't be able to pull rank over Rock here. But especially in this scenario, with the family slant to the story and this heel Reigns, it is the perfect time to make it happen.

This isn't a slight on Rhodes so much as it is an...acknowledgment of the Rock. He's undeniable, and especially so here if the topic is a WrestleMania main event against Roman Reigns.