The Rock's Best Booking Options for WrestleMania 32

The Rock is finally on his way back to WrestleMania.  The People's Champ made it official on December 28, and WWE announced it live on Monday Night Raw; he will be a part of WWE's biggest night of the calendar year in 2016.

But what exactly he will be doing that night is still very much up in the air.  

Most fans would likely assume he would be in the ring, competing on the worldwide stage as he's always done.  After all, he is one of WWE's most legendary stars of all time, and the company would surely love to see 100,000 fans at WrestleMania next year.  His main event match would certainly be part of making that number a reality.

However, that may not happen and while fans attempt to wrap their heads around it, other options for his involvement are undoubtedly being discussed right now.  What else can he do at WrestleMania to make a truly memorable impact?

How can The Great One be great again if he's not in the ring entertaining his millions of fans?

Special guest referee

credit: wwe.com

This may be a somewhat overused concept, but it's one that could be perfect for The People's Champ, especially if Roman Reigns faces Brock Lesnar.

Reigns and Rocky are family, a fact that was driven home at the 2015 Royal Rumble. WWE may try to capitalize on that fact once again by booking Rock as the man to level the playing field due to Reigns being outnumbered.

The Authority wants a piece of Reigns, and Vince McMahon wants him taken down.  With no current babyface power figure on TV, it's safe to assume Reigns will not get a fair shake at WrestleMania.  

Cue The Rock, who would surely have no problem stepping in to referee Reigns' title match that night.  Reigns would be guaranteed to get a match called right down the middle, and Rocky would get the opportunity to generate some heat with Reigns' opponent, possibly Brock Lesnar.

This would set up a match between the two men later at Extreme Rules or Payback and give Reigns the chance to start a new program with another challenger.

Be in Roman's corner

credit: wwe.com

The special guest referee gig is an excellent way for Reigns to get fair treatment, but it prohibits Rock from really showing any favoritism.  His involvement would be due to Reigns being targeted by WWE's corporate structure, not necessarily because he's trying to help his cousin win.

But this option makes it very clear Rocky is there for his family.  

Since both men are babyfaces, cheating is likely not an option, but it would not keep Rocky from going on the offense if he's provoked outside the ring.  Reigns will have his hands full with whomever he works at WrestleMania and even if The League of Nations is not standing across the ring from him, The Authority will probably be up to no good behind the scenes.

The Rock would not just be there for moral support, he would be there to jump in if necessary. Finally Reigns would have that valuable assist that he needs to keep the odds in his favor, instead of constantly being outnumbered.

It would again prep a new future match between Rock and Reigns' opponent so in that way, it's very logical booking.

From a real-world standpoint, though, Reigns is doing very well, but it never hurts to get a helping hand every now and then.  This is where The Rock comes in, and perhaps this time his involvement will mean more than it did last year.

Get him in the ring

credit: wwe.com

Wrestlezone.com is reporting that The Rock may indeed not be in the ring at Mania due to an insurance issue with a film he will star in next year.  This seems to be the one thing keeping him from stepping through the ropes on April 3 and if it doesn't change, that is a real shame.

Being on the card is great, hearing him cut promos is great as well, but fans want to see Rocky in the ring. AT&T Stadium is a big place, and it's hard to believe fans would pay to see legends that can still go just stand in one spot and talk for 20 minutes, even if it is one of WWE's best talkers of all time.

Rocky didn't perform in the ring at WrestleMania 31, either, but that situation was a bit different.

WWE didn't have 100,000 seats to fill, and the storylines for that night were already set, so there was not really much room for Rock to work in the first place.  Triple H had Sting, Brock Lesnar had Roman Reigns and John Cena had Rusev.  This left little room for The People's Champ and really not much time to set up anything substantial.

But The Royal Rumble has not happened yet, and there is still time for WWE to get an angle worked up for The Rock.  So if the legalities can be worked out, then Rocky should be wrestling at Mania and whether Triple H or Lesnar is his opponent or not, fans can be sure he will give a top-quality match once again.

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