Could major development distract Cody Rhodes from his title match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40?

The entire narrative around WrestleMania 40 has been about Cody Rhodes finishing his story against Roman Reigns. After last year's setback which saw Rhodes crestfallen at the end of the night, fans are certain The American Nightmare will be able to beat the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion in Philadelphia and finish his story.

However, while Rhodes will indeed finish his story, there is a chance the result might not be what everyone expects it to be. A major development currently taking place in the Stamford-based promotion could distract Rhodes, and eventually lead to a loss against The Tribal Chief.

The distraction in question is The Rock. Currently, Cody Rhodes seems way too focused on The Rock instead of Roman Reigns. Ever since The People's Champion returned to the WWE, one could say that The American Nightmare has completely diverted his attention to him and his antics.

It seems like even if The Rock makes a small appearance on Night Two, Rhodes might fumble. This is something Roman Reing can take advantage of. A distracted Cody Rhodes looking over his shoulder all the time could lead to Reigns registering his second consecutive win against the former Undisputed Tag Team Champion at The Show of Shows.

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Former WWE writer says The Rock has gotten into Cody Rhodes' head

Even though a wrestling match is determined in the ring, one can't deny that mental warfare is a part of winning too. Often, wrestlers are seen trying to get into the heads of their rivals so that they gain a competitive advantage. As per former WWE writer Vince Russo, The Rock has done the same with Cody Rhodes.

During a recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Russo mentioned The Rock has gotten into Rhodes' head. Russo mentioned that Rhodes has forgotten about Roman Reigns, a man he has waited to face for nearly a year. The former WWE writer said:

"I'm listening to him, and I'm saying to myself, first of all, here's my first question. Who are you wrestling at WrestleMania? The Rock or Roman Reigns? Because the way he's cutting this promo, The Rock has already gotten in his head. You've forgotten all about Roman Reigns. Not a tag match, bro. The match against Roman Reigns, you waited a year for this. You're not talking about Roman Reigns at all." [From 22:18 onwards]

Given how things have played out until now, anyone would think Cody Rhodes has forgotten about Roman Reigns. However, it's still not too late, and The American Nightmare has plenty of time to gather his attention and focus on Reigns and his title, the actual goal of The American Nightmare.