Unfortunate update on WWE's WrestleMania plan following fan backlash - Reports

There has been an update on the plans for WWE WrestleMania 40 following fan backlash over the weekend.

Cody Rhodes won the Men's Royal Rumble again this year and became the fourth superstar to win back-to-back Rumbles. After the match, he pointed at Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, hinting at a possible rematch at this year's The Show of Shows. Rhodes came up short against Reigns at WrestleMania 39 due to interference from The Bloodline, and everyone expected him to challenge The Tribal Chief again at WrestleMania 40.

However, The American Nightmare seemingly handed over everything he has been fighting for over the past two years, his opportunity to finish the story, to The Rock this past Friday night on SmackDown. The Great One was recently appointed to TKO's Board of Directors and has seemingly made himself this year's WrestleMania main event.

According to wrestling journalist Aaron Varble, WWE's plans for WrestleMania 40 have not changed despite the backlash from their fans. Varble noted that he was told there was no chance of plans being altered unless The Rock backed out. He added that The Great One has been calling the shots since January 1.

WWE star shares his thoughts on The Rock joining TKO's Board of Directors

Alpha Academy's Otis recently shared his thoughts on The Rock taking a prominent position in the company.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Emily Mae ahead of Royal Rumble 2024, Otis was asked for his thoughts on The People's Champion joining TKO's Board of Directors.

The former Money in the Bank winner said that The Rock was the coolest guy in the world, and it is great to have him back in the company:

"Well, Mr. Johnson, I think I have to call him that. It's always great because you get to meet him, isn't he the coolest guy in the world? So, I mean really like, might as well bring the cool back baby. That's why I think the industry is getting red-hot right now. There's a lot of changes. I believe it's still in the right direction. Obviously some things don't work out, we gotta tweak these things." [From 2:42 onwards]

You can check out the full video:

Most fans were unhappy with the ending of this past Friday's edition of SmackDown and believe Cody Rhodes deserves to finish his story at WrestleMania 40.

It will be interesting to see how WWE plans on navigating the overwhelmingly negative reaction the direction for WrestleMania has received in the weeks ahead.

Do you think WWE has made a mistake by having The Rock face Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40 instead of Cody Rhodes? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.