The Rock was the main antagonist of the most epic Road to WrestleMania of all time. Along with Roman Reigns, he was the biggest hurdle in the story that Cody Rhodes, with the help of Seth Rollins, concluded in Philadelphia. Each played an important role in this story, paving the way for a new era in WWE. But the ten-time World Champion took it upon himself to give that unique and special ‘electrifying touch’ that only he could have provided.

However, it seems like The Brahma Bull might’ve lost the People’s Champion that he once had inside him, as now he has fully embraced the dark side. And that’s not us saying that, but it is Cody Rhodes who believes that the Rock might be ‘too far gone’ now. And there is no chance that the relationship between the two would be cordial again.

The Rock has finally morphed into the Final Boss

In the latest edition of the Busted Open Podcast, Cody Rhodes talked about Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson with hosts Dave LaGreca, Mark Henry, and Bully Ray. There, he revealed that he believes that Johnson is no longer the people’s champion. Instead, he has turned into the Final Boss. And it doesn’t look like he will be turning babyface again.

“Here’s the struggle I have with a person like The Rock. I know it’s underneath there, I know inside its The People’s Champion. I was the biggest Rock fan growing up, so I know he’s in there. And that’s not what returned. We got the final boss, we got the cursing. We got an unbelievably gritty and formidable if you look at just his size compared to most wrestlers today in terms of his athletic ability and his size.”

He continued, “I just wish the relationship had been different. And I can’t sit here hoping for that forever. I can’t sit here saying, man, I’d like to bring the real People’s Champion back. I really would, because I think that’s what’s underneath there. But perhaps The Rock is too far gone.”

On the Raw after Mania, The Rock stated that he would come back for Rhodes, regardless of whether he is champion or not. And, before one last walk up the entrance ramp for a while, The Brahma Bull reminded The American Nightmare that he beat him by a count of three. (A reference to Night 1 of WrestleMania.) So Rhodes’s story with Roman Reigns might be over, but the story between The Rock and The American Nightmare had just begun. And being a board member of TKO, he will try his best to make his rival’s life miserable. Like when he stole Rhodes’ title shot against Reigns.

When Rhodes found out about The Rock’s plans to face Roman Reigns

Following his victory at the Royal Rumble 2024, The American Nightmare positioned himself as the main contender to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL. However, The Rock showed up and used his influence as a TKO executive to unseat Rhodes and take his place in the main event. This decision was not well received by the fans, who spoke out against the plan. In the face of negative reactions from the public, WWE was forced to reconsider and reverse its decision.

During his appearance on the same podcast, Cody Rhodes revealed interesting details about his situation at WrestleMania XL. He confirmed that he learned on the same day of the Royal Rumble that The Rock might finally be Roman Reigns’ opponent instead of him. He mentioned that this moment, one of the toughest of his professional career, can be seen in the behind-the-scenes documentary of WrestleMania, which, for unknown reasons, has not yet been released.

Although it was never fully clarified what happened, the most widespread version is that The Rock and his creative team thought that a possible match against Roman Reigns would be more attractive than a rematch between Cody and Roman. What do you think? Did WWE make the right move by changing the matchup? Let us know in the comments.