Why The Rock's Best WWE WrestleMania 40 Opponent Isn't Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes

It seems like every time pro wrestling fans think they have things figured out, WWE finds a way to yank the proverbial rug out from underneath them.

So what if The Rock doesn't fight Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40?

Instead...what if he fights Seth Rollins?

At this point, fans shouldn't be able to scoff at pretty much any idea. But this one feels like an especially potent curveball WWE could throw out.

And who could complain?

Sure, as of right now, Rollins has made it seem like he'll be by Rhodes' side at 'Mania, at least in a sense. His commentary about acting as a "shield" because he's the only one who knows how to deal with The Tribal Chief is a no-brainer bit of storytelling.

But what if that element of serving as a shield is taking out Rock during the Night 1 main event, leaving Reigns alone and exposed? The thinking being, Solo Sikoa loses a match too and Jimmy Uso goes down at the hands of Jey in their purported dream singles match at 'Mania.

Not bad, right? Once the ball gets rolling on this idea, it's pretty hard to stop its downward momentum. Rollins just got robbed of his first 'Mania main event when CM Punk suffered his triceps injury. This would be a nice way to give it back in a marquee match, organically stuffing him into one of the best storylines of modern times.

And not only that, now that we're on the topic of storylines, keep in mind that his getting involved could eventually lead to him directly challenging Reigns again. Perhaps down the road, maybe the former Architect of the Shield is really the one to finally end Reigns' historic title run as a result?

But back to the short term, Rollins-Rock would be a breath of fresh air compared to his typical title defenses. The work rate has been respectable, of course, but it's why fans had soured on Rollins a bit before this point, too. And to be frank, if there's a guy who is going to pull an epic match out of a 51-year-old Rock who sometimes looks gassed after his entrance, it's Rollins. We're not that far removed, after all, from Kevin Owens doing the same with Steve Austin.

Granted, there's the whole matter of the men's Elimination Chamber being for the right to challenge Rollins for his title. But there are standard pro-wrestling story beats that can work around this, such as Rock in the chamber, Damian Priest's Money in the Bank contract, Rollins pulling double duty at 'Mania, etc. etc. Heck, Rock being on the "board" and in a power struggle with Triple H is already a story beat, so maybe he just goes over everyone's heads to make it happen.

Point is, this whole idea would set up the overarching story and keep Rhodes clear to beat Reigns. Provided, of course, WWE really wants to do that and not hold off until he surpasses Huk Hogan's third all-time title reign next fall.

No matter what happens there, it allows WWE to keep Rock vs. Reigns in its back pocket until SummerSlam or WrestleMania 41. That bout doesn't need a title, but it would be hard to complain if the undisputed strap hung in the balance, either. Regardless, it would be pretty hard to complain about getting heel "Hollywood" Rock for more than a year while building toward it.

Realistically, this is a very rare chance for WWE to closely intertwine both 'Mania main events in this way. The Bloodline has been the best thing going in pro wrestling for years now, so why not extend it further?

What if in this scenario, for example, Rock actually beats Rollins via Bloodline interference, setting up massive title vs. title tension between himself and Reigns? That would allow Rollins to fade out and recover from injuries, too.

Or, Rock wins and so does Rhodes, putting Reigns as a clear No. 2 in his own faction, setting up a long, steady burn toward Reigns going back to serving as a fan-favorite babyface to take on the part-timer Rock?

So far, WWE has done a fantastic job of keeping things so open-ended. The perceived tweaking of the plan to better align with the desires of fans is commendable, too. That makes these sort of spitball ideas a fun exercise and makes each week must-see material, as intended.

Realistically, this whole situation probably evolves into Rollins defending on Night 1 against the chamber winner and a triple threat to close Night 2—albeit to unknown results.

But Rollins is right there with plenty of history involving Reigns and open for business, too. He's the best opponent for Rock and vice versa this year, especially with WWE wanting to do the unexpected and keep the stellar long-form storytelling going.