The Rock's iconic rival to return and help Cody Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania 41? Chances explored

WrestleMania 41 is sure to be an interesting two nights for The Rock. With John Cena in his corner now, The Final Boss will be looking to humiliate Cody Rhodes at The Show of Shows. However, the Hollywood megastar's plans may go up in smoke due to the return of his iconic rival, who might help The American Nightmare.

Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock had a legendary feud in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Now, he could have one final face-off with The People's Champ in Las Vegas at WrestleMania 41. The Rattlesnake was reportedly slated to appear at WrestleMania 40. However, prior commitments prevented him from attending the event in Philadelphia.

With that in mind, WWE could have him return this year instead. Furthermore, Stone Cold commented on the possibility during a recent interaction with The Schmo. Although he claimed he wasn't in contact with anyone in the company, the former world champion believed ''anything could happen,'' including the 60-year-old returning and helping Cody Rhodes.

It will be exciting to see Steve Austin butt heads with The Rock once more. However, at this point, it is nothing more than mere speculation.

---

The Rock getting John Cena to turn heel has generated upwards of 100 million views on social media

WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 was an incredible PLE for a variety of reasons. However, perhaps the most shocking one was John Cena's heel turn. Hence, there is a suggestion for a potential Steve Austin return to help Cody Rhodes against both Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania 41.

That aside, The Final Boss' ability to get The Franchise Player to turn heel must be commended. The iconic moment when the 16-time World Champion betrayed Cody generated over 100 million views across WWE's social media platforms in the first 12 hours. It is now the most-watched video on the company's social media platforms.

It is quite literally a viral moment and uncharted territory for both John Cena and WWE, as this is the first time The Leader of the Cenation has turned heel since October 2003. It will be interesting to see where this new outlook takes him.