Roman Reigns and The Rock are Now on a Mission to Ruin Cody Rhodes' Story

Planned, pivot or some weird blend of the two only possible in the world of pro wrestling, Thursday night's WrestleMania 40 kickoff event produced a stunner:

The Rock and Roman Reigns, at least for now, sit on the opposite side of the table from Cody Rhodes, threatening The American Nightmare's story.

There, Rock went out of the way to outline the lore and family tree that links him to Reigns, adding worthwhile context to what he rightfully suggested would be the biggest 'Mania event of all time. Yet out came Rhodes to reveal he's the one challenging Reigns before being on the receiving end of a People's open-handed slap for disrespecting said family tree.

Truthfully, the whole thing was a mess—the kind also only seemingly possible in pro wrestling. It asked fans to pretend the SmackDown episode the week prior—the one where Rhodes handed his main event to Rock with the "not at WrestleMania" line directed at Reigns—just never happened. That Rhodes didn't make the ultimate goofball move, handing off the right to a 'Mania main event after his second Royal Rumble triumph and handing off the opportunity to finish the story two years in the making.

And yet...it works.

It works because fans effectively got a heel turn from Rock, a long-requested veering away from PR Rock back to Hollywood Rock from more than a decade ago. And it works because WWE fully leaned into the blurred lines by having Seth Rollins mention Rock's position on the board before Rocky himself talked down to Triple H and left with Reigns.

Now, the two have cause to join forces over familial bonds, at least momentarily, to quell this outsider on a journey of his own.

Which, as it turns out, plays right into the idea of a triple threat at WrestleMania and keeps the door wide open for Reigns to retain, extending his title run to next fall and surpassing Hulk Hogan's third all-time number.

A segment of fans will loathe the idea and outcome, should it happen. But it's a layup now after Thursday's events, should WWE want to go that route. A triple threat accomplishes so many things, one of those being to protect a 51-year-old Rock who, frankly and understandably, looks a little gassed after just working the mic right now.

For now, Triple H announced on SmackDown that the main event will be Reigns vs. Rhodes:

More to the point, there's an angle where Rock is merely the stand-in for Solo Sikoa's inevitable-feeling interference that helps Reigns retain, courtesy of dispatching Rhodes before eating the pin. What better heat magnet for hatred from fans than a part-timer Rock, and a heel one at that?

Reigns retaining in this manner at 'Mania would, besides getting him past Hogan's record, open up the option for a trilogy with Rock.

Because here's the thing—most fans can't argue the fact this is the hottest WWE has felt in a long, long time. Coming off the heels of the new "golden era" with this as the headliner, it might be the closest the company gets to the overwhelming popularity of bygone eras.

Some of that is Rhodes, sure. But a lot of it right now is a line-blurring presence of the Rock brushing shoulders with Reigns, who has a special attraction feel of a UFC fighter (compared to Rollins and the more traditional "workrate' belt).

Why would WWE want to lose this attention on the product now by having Rock and Reigns both fade into part-timer status via handing Rhodes a title?

If we're being honest, Rhodes is probably better in chase mode, anyway, as opposed to becoming more like Rollins. Like Triple H said, this is a new era, and one of those elements might be very different vibes around both top men's titles.

Despite all this, everything remains wide open. Maybe The Usos get looped back in to the family affair in some way, though on which side is hard to say. Maybe a part-timer like John Cena comes to Rhodes' aid. It's not unreasonable for one to suggest perhaps Rock turns on Reigns and ultimately, even accidentally helps Rhodes win it all, setting up a long-term feud with a title-less Reigns.

But right now, the obvious course might just be the smartest, with family trumping all as Rock and Reigns effectively team up to get Rhodes out of the picture before really turning on each other.

Now that it's out there and the wheels have met pavement, this is one ride WWE should stick with at the very top. Rock and Roman coming together is maybe the only way extending the Bloodline and Rhodes story saga another year would be acceptable—and so, so entertaining, if Thursday night's blurred lines affair is a hint of things to come.