Cody Rhodes recounts his immediate reaction to WWE's original WrestleMania XL main event plans

When Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson made a surprise return to WWE on January 1, 2024, episode of Monday Night RAW, he asked fans if they wanted to see him sit at the "Head of the Table," referring to a future top-tier match. The Rock, Roman Reigns, and The Bloodline, arguably the hottest act in the wrestling business. The live crowd ate it all up.

However, if that meant The Rock was going to jump the line over Cody Rhodes, the fans made it clear who they were backing.

On the day of the Royal Rumble in January, Rhodes found out that WWE was considering The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL. Speaking on the latest edition of the Busted Open Podcast, Cody revealed that as soon as he heard the news, he made sure nobody found out about it:

"One thing that might be revealed in the documentary and might put things in a different perspective for people is I find out about the possibility of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns the day of the Royal Rumble and I had to leave that room head up and make sure no one knew what could possibly happen and probably one of the more difficult days I’ve ever had in the wrestling business. But also, how could you complain when you’re winning the Royal Rumble? When you’re pointing at the sign [and] over 20,000 people in Tampa. It was such a high, such a low," admitted Rhodes.

The American Nightmare ultimately got to finish his story on The Grandest Stage of Them All, bringing The Tribal Chief's 1,316-day title reign to an end. The Final Boss told Rhodes the following night on RAW that the latter now had him to worry about.

---

Cody Rhodes had a difficult road to WWE WrestleMania

For the second straight year, Cody Rhodes did the exact same thing, but with a twist. He won the Royal Rumble and headlined The Show of Shows, but this time ended the night with the Undisputed WWE Championship wrapped around his waist, marking his first world title reign in the sports entertainment giant.

Rhodes elaborated on how he could not catch a break during the build-up to WrestleMania XL, with unforeseen events including his bus catching fire and having to be replaced entirely, making things difficult for Cody.

"I’ll say this about the month leading up to WrestleMania 40. You try to create these ideal situations for yourself as an athlete…I just couldn’t catch a break when it came to the ideal circumstance. I was just talking to Brandi about this this morning but my bus a few days before WrestleMania becomes a giant fireball out in the parking lot. Had to bring in a new bus for me," said Rhodes.

The Undisputed WWE Champion concluded by adding that somehow there was always a feeling that things were going to fall into place, just like they did. Meanwhile, The Rock's writer Brian Gerwitz recently disclosed his plans to involve Cody's dog, Pharoah, as part of the next angle.