Years ago, nobody could have imagined that WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) fans would turn on the Rock. However, what has been seen in the past two weeks was unprecedented when the decision for The Rock to face his cousin Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Championship at Wrestlemania was met with venom from the WWE universe.
The match has been teased for years now by both WWE and The Rock. While fans were originally receptive about how the storyline was brought forward, it has received immense criticism due to the story of Cody Rhodes. Rhodes has been on a path to the WWE Championship since returning to the company in 2022, when he came up short at last year’s Wrestlemania. Rhodes has made it clear to fans he intends to “finish the story” and become a world champion. Rhodes recently won the Royal Rumble in January and fans were excited to see Rhodes face Reigns one last time to finish his story and secure his legacy.
On Feb. 2nd at Smackdown, the unexpected happened. Rhodes said he would not challenge Reigns and The Rock came to the ring, indicating that the WWE legend would face Reigns at Wrestlemania instead of Rhodes. The crowd turned poisonous towards the Rock and have booed him relentlessly since the announcement. The crowd also denounced the decision on social media. #WeWantCody has been a trending topic on X since that day. On the Feb. 5th episode of Monday Night Raw, “Rocky sucks!” and “We want Cody” chants were yelled by the crowd. Rhodes thanked fans on Twitter and told them to “trust him.” On Feb. 8th, at a Wrestlemania kickoff event, Rhodes announced that he would in fact challenge Reigns. This set off a three way confrontation which could set up a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.
The crowd’s hostility to the Rock can be attributed to many factors. One is the hostility towards a “part-timer” like the Rock, who hasn’t wrestled in over a decade, coming into the main event of Wrestlemania and being given an opportunity at the world title over a consistent wrestler like Rhodes. Another could be The Rock’s position in the WWE’s parent company, TKO, as a board member. Some see it as the WWE being unable to let go of the past.
Whether the triple threat was a part of the WWE’s plan or a sudden change, the simple fact is that Cody Rhodes is the most popular wrestler the company has who has organically grown into an even bigger star since his return.
