The Rock explains his beef with Cody Rhodes ahead of tonight's SmackDown

SmackDown is but a few hours away, and The Rock and Roman Reigns will be in attendance. The two superstars continue to walk down the Road to WrestleMania where their family will have to face the unwanted challenge of Cody Rhodes. The drama that began a few weeks after the Royal Rumble has really escalated, to the point where even Dwayne Johnson, The People's Champ, is facing the ire of the people.

This obviously is something that no one would have expected, least of all Rocky himself. However, he has taken it in stride and seems to have warmed up to his return to the heel role. Nevertheless, as fans count down the hours to the latest episode of the blue brand, Johnson took the opportunity to share a video on X. He hoped he could help both Cody Rhodes and the WWE Universe see reason and understand how it was The American Nightmare's actions on the fateful night of February 2nd, 2024, that have led them down this path.

"Then sometime from that moment on until Las Vegas, you changed your mind. You know what? That's no problem. You can change your mind, you have that right, and The Rock accepts that. Everybody has a right to change their mind. The Rock accepts it, you changed your mind. But, here's what The Rock doesn't accept. It's how you did it!" said The Rock [10:49-11:34]

Johnson further explained how he felt that Rhodes could have handled the situation better.

"I saw you in Las Vegas. I saw you backstage, 20 feet away. Rock dapped you up, gave you a hug. Did you say anything to The Rock then?. 'Hey Rock, I got something on my mind.' 'Yeah tell me about it.' 'Hey Rock! I got something that's eating me up inside.' 'Cody go ahead, tell me about it. Let's walk over there. Let's talk in private. Come and tell me about it.' Did you say any of that? No! You didn't say a thing!" said The Rock [11:34-11:57]

But what really annoyed The People's Champ is that Rhodes instead chose to interrupt both him and Roman Reigns, and moreover, "talk sh*t" about their family. That's the straw that broke the camel's back, as Rock claimed even if he had to take it all back, he would have still slapped Rhodes.

It looks like there is no changing the eventual outcome of this storyline. The Bloodline will clash with Cody Rhodes, and they will be looking to exact revenge for the "disrespect" he showed their family.

Cody Rhodes has issued a challenge to The Rock for a one-on-one match

At this point, there is no going back for either The Rock or Cody Rhodes. So, just as Rocky has embraced his role as a heel, Cody is embracing the fact that The Bloodline is a problem. However, before that, he wants to settle things with the Hollywood superstar.

Rhodes did not take kindly to being slapped by Johnson at the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff show. So, he did what he has done quite well over the last few weeks: he called out The People's Champ on The Grayson Waller Effect at Elimination Chamber: Perth. More precisely, he issued a challenge to Rock for a one-on-one match.

It certainly was a bold challenge and one that might be answered soon. After all, there is no doubt that Johnson will have some choice words for Cody tonight on SmackDown.

Do you want to see Rocky take on Cody? Let us know in the comments section below.