The Rock's Best Potential Opponents After WWE WrestleMania 42
The Rock has not been seen on WWE television since he perpetrated the John Cena heel turn at Elimination Chamber in 2025. Still, the possibility of him returning to the company for one last in-ring battle continues to spur expectations of surprise appearances at every major premium live event as fans eagerly wait to see what The Final Boss will do next.
If the undisputed future Hall of Famer does decide to step back inside the squared circle for the first time since he and Roman Reigns defeated Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40, these are three obvious Superstars with whom he could have his next, and potentially final, match.
CM Punk
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The Best in the World never misses an opportunity to take a shot at The Rock, most recently comparing Roman Reigns puffing out his chest backstage like his famous cousin, then claiming the TKO Board of Directors member is no longer a Hollywood star.
The beef with The Great One goes back to 2013, when they feuded over the WWE Championship and Punk famously claimed that The Rock's arms were "too short to box with God."
There is still clearly bad blood on Punk's side, and if there's one thing that has become obvious in recent years, it is that Rock loves to protect his image. The idea of Punk even insinuating that he is not the Hollywood megastar he once was has to get under his skin like few other insults could.
The Final Boss returning to target Punk would make sense within the context of the television we have seen, would set up a monster main event between two stars with passionate fan bases, and would keep the former away from Cody Rhodes, which The American Nightmare desperately needs at this point in his career.
Speaking of Rock and Rhodes...
Cody Rhodes
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Whether Rhodes needs any more celebrity meddling in his career is an argument for another time. More than any other Superstar on the roster, though, he has unfinished business with The Rock.
First, it was Rhodes' connection with the fans and their desire to see him finish his story that cost Rock his long-awaited match with Roman Reigns. Then, it was Rhodes who beat Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and end The Bloodline's dominance over the promotion.
An odd post-WrestleMania 40 promo between the two led to nothing, until Rock re-emerged just before Elimination Chamber and expressed his desire to have Rhodes' soul, whatever that meant.
It was Rock who necessitated John Cena's heel turn at the aforementioned Elimination Chamber premium live event, too. Still, he disappeared from television and never settled his many differences with The American Nightmare.
If the Final Boss were to return, there are so many hanging, loose threads involving Rhodes that he would certainly have to address them before moving on to a program with any other Superstar.
Even if the endgame is ultimately that one-on-one showdown with family that has eluded him to this point.
Roman Reigns
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Reigns regained his status as the Head of the Table by way of his World Heavyweight Championship victory over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42.
With the reintroduction of The Bloodline Monday night on Raw and a subsequent match with Jacob Fatu at Backlash on the horizon, it appears as though he is back in position for a battle with The Rock over who the one true Tribal Chief is.
It is a match teased two years ago but never delivered on because WWE management underestimated the audience's connection with Cody Rhodes. Now, with The American Nightmare receiving boos amid crowd fatigue with his character, Rock could easily sneak back onto TV and set up his showdown with The OTC without interruption.
If the 53-year-old still has one last match in him, Reigns is the most logical, marquee opponent.
