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The Rock's return on SmackDown has sent the WWE Universe into meltdown, as he seemingly took Cody Rhodes' spot against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.
It seemed like a last-minute call based on how things played out, but that reportedly isn't the case. Despite previous reports of The Great One deciding to "save WrestleMania" after CM Punk and Brock Lesnar were ruled out of the show, his match with The Tribal Chief was set in stone over a month ago.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, The Rock's in-ring return was part of the deal he signed upon joining TKO's Board of Directors. Nobody, except a few important people, knew about this. That may explain why Rhodes won the Royal Rumble and had such a weak follow-up:
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"When [The Rock] made the deal on January 3 to come in, that was part of the deal," said Dave Meltzer. "But, the belief was that it was Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, and nobody knew, but the deal had been made prior to that. It played out the way they wanted it to play out," he added.
Meltzer mentioned nobody in WWE could answer why Cody won the Rumble. This could imply that Triple H may not have been told about the Hollywood megastar's decision to return and feud with Roman Reigns.
As mentioned in other reports, the current plan is for The American Nightmare to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40:
"The plan as of Friday night was Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes," said Meltzer.
This is a significant downgrade from Cody's original destination, especially after Roman Reigns ripped The Visionary during his promo on SmackDown.
Could Cody Rhodes be added to The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40?
A large portion of WWE fans online haven't taken kindly to this development, with #WeWantCody trending on social media over the weekend. However, as overwhelmingly negative as the reaction to his return has been, The Rock's new merchandise collection is currently number one on WWE Shop.
It remains to be seen if anything changes, even if the chances are low. Cody Rhodes has certainly become way more over than he was before SmackDown, so there's at least one positive from this situation.
Who should Roman Reigns face at WrestleMania 40 - Cody Rhodes, The Rock, or both? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
