12 Upcoming Wrestling Stories That Are Already Doomed

2. Roman Reigns vs. The Rock

Brock Lesnar John Cena
WWE.com

The Rock believed that audiences were so desperate to see his match against Roman Reigns main event a tentpole WrestleMania that he booked himself to take Cody Rhodes' spot in the middle of the ring on SmackDown.

Underestimating just how connected WWE fans were to ongoing storylines and the longstanding quest Rhodes had been on since losing to the 'Tribal Chief' one year prior, it proved to be one of the funnier screw-ups of 'The Great One's latter-day career. Stuck in the past (and up his own hole) Rock's certainty and hubris being shattered was amusing, but it did go some way to diminishing the excitement around a contest that had indeed had years of Bloodline lore attached. Rock and Roman Reigns were hypothetically positioned next to and against one another for most of Reigns' topline run, but the more Roman finally found himself as WWE's actual top guy, the less a battle with his most famous family member felt all that crucial.

Removed from the drama of the WrestleMania 40 build, the two could easily reheat a major match, but Rock's persistent verbal diarrhoea and moving of goalposts has done so much to wreck what was once a genuine slice of familial magic. And it's not the only mega money Johnson dream match that now seems like it can't possibly live up to expectations...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett