Cody Rhodes headlined both nights of WrestleMania 40 earlier this year as his rivalry with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline faction evolved into a feud with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
At one point, despite Rhodes earning a WWE title shot with his Royal Rumble win, there was doubt that he would challenge Reigns as it looked like The Rock would face him in the main event. That storyline was put on hold when The Rock main evented Night 1 of WrestleMania, but in a tag team match with Reigns against Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, left, stands in the ring with Cody Rhodes at the Wells Fargo Center on April 8, 2024 in Philadelphia. (WWE/Getty Images)
Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship against Reigns on the second night of WrestleMania, but the reason behind the decision to catapult him into the main event remains a mystery to most fans. The story will be told in Wednesday night's WWE documentary, “WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtains.”
“The American Nightmare” spoke about how he felt about the ordeal in an interview on “The Pivot.” He said he had the utmost respect for The Rock and knew he was a professional wrestler at heart when he met him. However, he wasn't going to step aside for him.
“Where we might clash is the idea that you could come back in the middle of a storyline that’s going on and, just because you’re The Rock, you can step into the title lineup and take WrestleMania for yourself,” Rhodes explained. “A lot of people will say, ‘He’s The Rock, he can do whatever he wants. ’ I even saw a really funny podcast with two wrestling heads talking back and forth, and they said, ‘I’m sure Cody is fine with stepping aside for WrestleMania and then doing it later in the year. ’ In my mind, I’m thinking, that’s crazy. That’s the Super Bowl for what we do.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, right, reacts during a tag team match with Romain Reigns against Cody Rhodes, left, and Seth “Freakin” Rollins during night one of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 6, 2024 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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“Getting to Sunday, the last day of WrestleMania, the last match, that's our Super Bowl. And before, financially, getting to that match was the big prize match, when the payday was different. The idea that anybody would think I'd be OK with that, they don't know me. That's bullshit. I've worked my whole life for this.
“Rock should have known I wouldn't be okay with it. I think maybe he and I understood each other. He found out I don't like him. That's a good thing. Because, you know, the one guy who didn't get along with The Rock was Steve Austin, and they made magic together. They rubbed each other so hard they created diamonds, they made magic together. So I have a lot of respect for him.”
The Rock told Rhodes on Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania that he would see him when he returned. Rhodes said his head has been spinning ever since.
Rhodes is still the champion and has defended his title several times since defeating Reigns. He has since been performing on “SmackDown” and is still dealing with The Bloodline, although it is now led by Solo Sikoa, who has plenty of firepower on his side.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, left, and Cody Rhodes face off onstage during WWE WrestleMania XL Kickoff on February 8, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Louis Grasse/PXimages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Rhodes will be participating in a six-man tag team match at Money in the Bank this weekend against Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. He will have Randy Orton and Kevin Owens on his team.
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