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WWE Superstar The Rock made a surprise appearance on the latest episode of Monday Night RAW and set the tone with his actions during the show. First, he interrupted Cody Rhodes during his promo on Roman Reigns and whispered a few words to him before leaving the ring.
Later, during the final moments of the show, The Brahma Bull delivered a vicious beatdown to The American Nightmare, making a bold statement heading into the tag team match at WrestleMania 40, which will see Roman Reigns and The Rock take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
As we are heading into what could be an explosive episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we will take a look at five reasons why The Rock's presence on RAW was befitting heading into WrestleMania 40.
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#5. Making a statement
The Rock and Cody Rhodes have engaged in a war of words ever since the latter changed his mind and picked Roman Reigns as his opponent at WrestleMania 40.
Their intense feud has led to a blockbuster tag team match on Night One, and both superstars continue to cut promos on one another week after week. The Rock's actions on RAW showed that he has the upper hand heading into The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The question here is how The American Nightmare will respond in the coming days, especially on the last episode of RAW before WrestleMania 40, which will take place in Brooklyn on April 1, 2024.
#4. Have an alliance with Damian Priest
Damian Priest has yet to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but this should happen in the coming weeks. More specifically, it could happen as early as WrestleMania 40.
Being on RAW, The Rock would have the opportunity to meet Priest and convince him to form an alliance to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins during their tag team match on Night One. In this scenario, Rollins would lose his World Heavyweight Championship, and Priest would then face Drew McIntyre on Night Two.
Such a development could also cost Rhodes and Rollins their tag team match against Roman Reigns and The People's Champion. We should also keep in mind that Seth Rollins is the only wrestler in WWE history to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania, so having Damian Priest doing the same could create an interesting future storyline.
#3. Dropping major tease on interference by WWE legend
The closing moments of the latest episode of Monday Night RAW saw The Rock delivering a beatdown to Cody Rhodes, but what was interesting was that it happened outside the arena with John Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin's poster displayed in the background.
This could be a hint that the two WWE legends would somehow get involved in the tag team match on Night One of WrestleMania 40, most likely against The Bloodline.
Latest reports suggest that the plan is for Cena and Austin to appear at The Grandest Stage of Them All, and the same goes for The Undertaker. Still, the Stamford-based company has no developments for how they will proceed with that plan or what the storyline could be.
#2. Setting a clear boundary between The Rock and Roman Reigns
The Rock and Roman Reigns were initially planned to collide at WrestleMania 40, but they will end up being teammates against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night One.
Still, the latest episode of Monday Night RAW showed that the two megastars handle things differently in terms of building up the feud and the match at WrestleMania 40.
Reigns has The Bloodline do the dirty work for him, and Paul Heyman delivers messages to his opponents, while The Rock cuts his own promos and makes bold statements like the beatdown on Cody Rhodes.
It would not come as a surprise if we saw The Great One target not only Rhodes again but Rollins as well next Monday, aiming to either take him out of the match or make another statement.
As for Roman Reigns, fans should expect to see how he will react to The Final Boss' actions when he shows up on SmackDown this Friday.
#1. It is best for audience ratings
The Rock's return to WWE heading into WrestleMania 40 has attracted fans' interest and has kept ratings up for both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
Thus, the more The Brahma Bull appears on shows, the better it is for the ratings. Keeping that in mind, fans should be aware of what role The People's Champion will play in the feud between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes and their match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on Night Two of WrestleMania 40.
