WWE Made The Right Calling Booking The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, Despite Backlash | Bobby Burack

For three and a half years, WWE has built toward a WrestleMania program featuring Roman Reigns and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 

Reigns returned to WWE in August 2020 from a hiatus due to a bout with leukemia and the Covid-19 pandemic.

WWE repackaged Reigns, whom it has struggled to assemble as the "face of the company," as the villainous tribe leader of the renowned Anoaʻi wrestling family.

In the role, Reigns assumed the aptly-titled monikers of the  "Tribal Chief" and "Head of the Table." The new character was met with immediate commercial and critical acclaim. 

Reigns’ status atop WWE led to the company’s best boom since perhaps The Attitude Era in the late 1990s.

The long-term storyline wrote itself: Reigns would one day have to defend his claim as the "Tribal Chief" from The Rock. 

Note: On-screen, Reigns and The Rock are "cousins." In real life, The Rock's grandfather, 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, was blood-brothers with Reigns' grandfather, Reverend Amituana'i Anoa'i.

Reigns vs. The Rock for control of the family is the biggest match the company could book – pitting the leading star in Hollywood against the leading star in professional wrestling.

WWE has kept Reigns almost flawless during the build, having never lost a singles match since his return.

Reigns has held the top-billed Universal Championship an ongoing reign of 1,254 days, the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign since 1988.

Booking Reigns-Rock was the surest bet money-match in wrestling; the surest bet since The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012. 

The only question was when, knowing the company would have to accommodate The Rock’s hectic film schedule as well as other obligations.

WWE seemed to finally lock in a date on Friday, all but confirming the two would face off at WrestleMania XL on April 7 in Philadelphia.

The crowd in attendance popped to use a wrestling term – for The Rock’s return. See for yourself below:

However, the fans online and wrestling journalists panned the decision.

Specifically, the critics say The Rock big-timed Cody Rhodes, who won the Royal Rumble and was seemingly in-line to dethrone Reign in storyline.

Several mainstream news outlets have since covered the negative response, including ESPN USA Today. "Poor Cody" and "We Want Cody" were two of the top trends on social media on Saturday and Sunday.

Who knew bringing back The Rock for a feud nearly four years in the making would cause such a snafu?

We understand why some die-hard WWE fans preferred Cody Rhodes to face Reigns. 

Cody is the most popular babyface – the good guy in wrestling – in WWE. He’s part of the "Finish the Story" storyline in which he chases the top WWE title – the one his father, Hall-of-Famer Dusty Rhodes, never captured. 

The storyline is really, really over – to use another wrestling term.

Cody faced Reigns at WrestleMania last year. He was overwhelmingly expected to win, and "finish the story." He didn’t. Reigns won. So, fans were convinced this year would be the year.  

And Cody should, at some point, hold the top belt in the company. But not at the expense of The Rock vs. Roman.

The Rock and Cody, via WWE.

Cody is a fan favorite among the wrestling community. The wrestling community is a large niche but, nonetheless, still a niche. The Rock is arguably the most famous non-Taylor Swift celebrity in the United States. 

Few individuals outside the wrestling community know of Cody, or any active wrestler.

The Rock’s Q score, which measures celebrity likability, tops Tom Cruise, Mark Wahlberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, per the New York Times. 

He’s on the same level as LeBron James.

A match between Cody and Roman cannot, fundamentally, compete with the mainstream interest, coverage, and financial gains of a WrestleMania main event featuring The Rock.

The number of casual and even non-wrestling fans that will tune in to The Rock’s return will far exceed the few hundred thousand diehards whining on social media.

Plus, a match with The Rock is time-sensitive. 

Cody is under contract and expected to sign a long-term extension this year, if he hasn’t already. WWE can give Cody his moment the night after WrestleMania, the month after, at SummerSlam, or next year at WrestleMania.

The company cannot kick a match with The Rock down the road. His Hollywood schedule, which includes film insurances that prohibit him from competing in WWE, has already hindered his plans to return before.

In fact, the plan was for him to compete at last year’s event with Reigns in Los Angeles. However, The Rock pulled out in January due to other commitments.

You book The Rock when you can get The Rock. You might not get another chance. WWE had the chance this year. It was a no-brainer, despite outrage and negative media response. 

Secondly, part of the outage stems from a theory that WWE booked The Rock at the last minute to divert attention away from company founder Vince McMahon resigning amid allegations of sex trafficking.

Sean Ross Sapp, the Ian Rapoport of wrestling scoops, said on Friday he could not rule out that possibility.

We can.

The Rock and Roman Reigns, via WWE.

Several sources tell OutKick that WWE and The Rock agreed to a match at WrestleMania prior to the lawsuit filed against McMahon becoming public and his subsequent resignation.

McMahon resigned on Jan. 26, days after the publication of the allegations. The Rock teased a match with Reigns by asking fans if he should sit at "the head of the table" during a surprise WWE return on Jan. 2.  

Dave Meltzer adds that a deal between the two sides was complete by Jan. 3.

It’s unclear why the company had Cody win the Rumble and give his WrestleMania match to The Rock. However, that is part of the storyline. It’s episodic television. Storylines often don’t make sense at first.

Now, that doesn’t mean WWE is out of the woods. WWE has two months to sell fans on the event. Big matches have disappointed before – I.E. Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade 1997. The match has to deliver.

WWE could even change the match card to appease the disgruntled sycophants, putting Cody back in the main event of WrestleMania. It is scripted entertainment, after all.

But we hope that doesn't happen. On the surface, booking The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the right move – for business and in storyline.