Dave Meltzer Was Urged To Coax The Rock Back To WWE As WrestleMania Saga Takes New Twist (WWE News)

The political battles rages on.

by Michael Sidgwick
The Rock
WWE

WrestleMania season in 2025 has not been defined by classic matches, nor fabled 'Moments'. Instead, the intrigue lies in the controversy surrounding the Rock's involvement, or lack thereof, and the critically-savaged nature of the finish of Cody Rhodes Vs. John Cena on night two.

To recap the saga briefly:

The Rock was asked by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel to appear at the Elimination Chamber PLE in order to drive ticket sales; Rock pitched an angle to turn Cody heel; Triple H's alternative idea was to cast John Cena as the heel, which was unanimously agreed upon; the Rock subsequently dropped out of the storyline, citing that the emphasis should be squarely placed on Cena's "record-breaking" 17th World title win; after much in the way of backlash, Rock broke down his side of the story on the April 22 edition of the Pat McAfee show.

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(Incidentally, Fightful Select have since corroborated with a WWE source that the Rock, whose motives and transparency have been questioned in some circles, was in fact contacted by Emanuel.)

Rock took to Instagram several months ago to post "don't believe any of that bullsh*t" when a concerned fan expressed their fear that the Rock, who did in fact not work WrestleMania, would not work WrestleMania. After all, Rock's input last year was hugely acclaimed.

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The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer - whose reporting over the last few months has been validated in recent days - revealed a new, shocking twist in what many fans are reading into as an ongoing political saga.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer revealed that somebody - he did not specify, but almost certainly someone within WWE - urged Meltzer to report that the Rock would miss WrestleMania altogether. The apparent motivation behind this was that the Rock would get "so mad" that he'd actually appear at 'Mania to prove everybody wrong.

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Some fans believe that the Rock is easily "gotten-to"; it would seem that this belief is echoed within WWE, too.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!