7-time champion could have accidentally attacked The Rock during Cody Rhodes segment, pitches ex-writer (Exclusive)

The Road to WrestleMania witnessed an unexpected twist following the exchange between Cody Rhodes and The Rock on SmackDown. While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Vince Russo discussed how WWE could have involved Drew McIntyre in the segment.

WWE threw a curveball at fans this past week by announcing The Rock's surprise return. The Final Boss also confirmed he was coming back to impact a superstar's immediate future.

The Rock and Cody Rhodes had a face-off on SmackDown, during which the Hollywood megastar put forth a fascinating offer to The American Nightmare. The Final Boss asked for Rhodes' "soul', an indication of the latter potentially turning into a corporate heel world champion. While the angle got fans talking, Vince Russo felt WWE could have gone in a different creative direction.

Vince Russo recalled how they booked The Rock during the Corporation angle during the Attitude Era. He proposed a segment that also featured Drew McIntyre, a superstar with seven different championship wins to his name.

Russo said McIntyre could have come out and gone for a Claymore on Cody Rhodes, only to accidentally hit The Rock, leading to more storyline pathways opening up.

The former WWE head writer explained:

"And Chris [Featherstone], all you had to do, and this was the spot we did when Rock joined the Corporation. Before the week Rock joined the Corporation, the big payoff was Rock hit Vince McMahon with the People's Elbow. All you had to do in that in-ring, was bring Drew out, let Drew go to Claymore Cody, and accidentally lay out The Rock. Now, Rock would be calling him out, I mean." [36:44 - 37:22]

Vince Russo also realized the obstacles WWE faced on a weekly basis due to the sheer number of shows the creative team had to book. Russo was willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt regarding certain missed opportunities:

"I'm going to say this and give them the benefit of the doubt, it's not that difficult Chris, but when you're producing ten shows at once, it gets a little hard." [37:23 onwards]

McIntyre has held the WWE, World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles. He is now aiming to secure another world title shot.

All eyes are now on Cody Rhodes as fans await his response to The Rock, which could completely alter WWE's teased plans for WrestleMania 41.

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