9 Exact Moments WWE Booking Stopped Making Sense
8. Soul Man
...many folks were left asking why.
When, with less than 48 hours notice, The Rock appeared on the February 21st edition of SmackDown to confirm that WrestleMania 42 would be taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana (before it was unceremoniously moved back to Las Vegas, Nevada), yet more confusion reined about exactly what he'd be doing at the 2025 'Show Of Shows'. Having spouted messages of peace and love with Cody Rhodes in January, 'The Final Boss' wanted his heart and soul a month later.
This would be fleshed out somewhat to explain that he wanted to own Rhodes - to use his money and influence to power 'The American Nightmare' even further beyond his wildest dreams existence to a plane only Rock and select others were exposed to. It heeled him all over again, and drew into question exactly why on earth the two would be programmed to make peace beforehand. Unless of course Rock was once again mostly making it all up as he went along and perennial political enemy Triple H was only too happy to see him held up as a false idol in service of his own stolen valour?
It all ended up with good soldier John Cena turning heel in an admittedly incredible capital-M moment to set up a WrestleMania showdown with Rhodes. More on how that magic died elsewhere in this very piece, but with that business concluded, Rock disappeared once again. With 'The Great One' completely AWOL, the climax to one of the year's biggest anti-climaxes fell to somebody that barely looked ready for the spot he'd stumbled into months earlier...