The Rock vs. Roman Reigns no longer a worthy Wrestlemania main event

Exterior of utterly catering to society as a complete and pushing its present roster and storylines to the again burner, there isn’t a match the WWE can placed on that will draw a much bigger field workplace than The Rock returning to the ring for a first-time ever matchup together with his cousin and present Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns. Properly, they’re second cousins. However cousin simply sounds higher when you’ll be able to craft a narrative. The mainstream enchantment of the matchup, mixed with how it will hold the corporate’s informal and diehard followers , would trump any present plans in place to make the match occur, anytime, wherever.

After all within the wrestling world, there isn’t a much bigger stage than WrestleMania. On paper, pairing the 2 makes excellent sense. In actuality, it’s far more sophisticated, with solely specs of readability given to the state of affairs on Friday, when The Rock appeared on The Pat McAfee Present. ESPN’s latest darling requested The Rock about the potential for coming again to the corporate to problem Reigns. The Rock revealed that he met with Nick Khan and Vince McMahon in January 2022, and a match between himself and the Tribal Chief was locked in for Wrestlemania 39, which came about 15 months later in April, at SoFi Stadium.

Based on The Rock, there have been handshakes and hugs after the assembly, however the match fell aside when discussions came about about how the story would go, and the corporate, Reigns, and The Rock couldn’t provide you with one thing that happy all of them. Reigns ended up defeating Cody Rhodes in that present’s essential occasion. [Ed. note: Cody Rhodes winning seemed like a real possibility, but nope.] One of many cool issues about skilled wrestling is that there’s multiple likelihood to tug off a dream match. And The Rock additionally stated Friday WrestleMania 40 subsequent yr continues to be on the desk and added “I’m open” a number of instances. The Rock’s “openness” as considered one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors would possibly solely be as a result of coinciding Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, however WWE would take any cause at this level to deliver Dwayne again inside its partitions. The corporate’s need to deliver again The Rock in such a predominant style is a self-own about how stale Reigns’ title reign has turn out to be, if not the complete on-camera product. Star energy or not, why does the WWE want a part-timer and a one-off look from a legend to finish the spot for the most important match of the yr? Rumors will recirculate as to the match being a chance after these uncommon public feedback from The Rock on it, however the former Black Adam talking on it doesn’t imply it makes any extra sense.

The Rock hasn’t wrestled a match longer than six seconds since 2013, when he confronted fellow former-full-timer-turned-actor John Cena — who was phenomenal in Peacemaker — at WrestleMania 29, a main-event conflict the place The Rock tore a number of tendons. The Rock could be a couple of weeks shy of 52 for that match, and even in as titan-like form as Dwayne Johnson is, wrestling a main-event caliber match takes preparation and a degree of athleticism that I doubt The Rock nonetheless has. Take a look at Johnson’s contemporaries. The Undertaker was severely restricted on the finish of his profession at the same age. Stone Chilly Steve Austin regarded nice in comparison with expectations in his return to the ring at WrestleMania 38, however the match didn’t contain a lot outdoors the brawling model that at all times suited Austin finest.

Doubt me? Ask Reigns himself, as Jimmy Fallon did earlier this yr. Reigns stated The Rock does two of the three issues wanted to be an energetic skilled wrestler completely together with his weight coaching and vitamin. His conditioning? The Rock hasn’t taken a bump in over a decade. Can he do it? Completely. Ric Aptitude and Terry Funk retired what number of instances? Neither of them tried to essential occasion WrestleMania in a match that will seemingly be for 2 world titles, and due to this fact, expectations must be harshly excessive. And The Rock attempting to tug that off now’s a determined cry for assist. It’d be an incredible spectacle to see, however the match doesn’t want the titles or the massive block of time generally carved out for WrestleMania essential occasions.

Reigns himself has labored his lightest schedule ever this yr whereas being wholesome and his subsequent match is reportedly not scheduled till November. Whereas Reigns is all-but locked into the WrestleMania 40 essential occasion, a route the place it’s not a rematch with Rhodes if The Rock can’t compete, or Johnson really pulling it off and wrestling a protracted match for the primary time in over a decade, is simply as unlikely. Getting a narrative down that satisfies WWE’s new possession group, TKO, in addition to Reigns and The Rock, appears extra seemingly to attract eyes to the product. It’d be one other determination of these in and round WWE chasing cash over the perfect product doable.