Rumours Of Heat Between WWE And The Rock

Notes on what might have stopped 'The Great One' from working WWE WrestleMania 39.

by Michael Hamflett
The Rock WWE
WWE.com

Is a quiet animosity a reason for The Rock's surprise omission from this year's WrestleMania card?

The issue was discussed by WrestleVotes in collaboration with GiveMeSport, with the scoopster account offering the following insight;

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"Is there animosity towards The Rock? I would imagine not. Like with Stone Cold Steve Austin, that door is always open. Maybe he said let's do it next year? When those guys say yes, WWE is going to say okay."

The Rock had been rumoured for the show for several years, especially when the company announced that the event would take a Hollywood theme way back in 2021. That the gimmick coincided with Roman Reigns' lengthy Undisputed WWE Universal Championship run added credence to the possibility of a huge showdown between the pair, especially when Reigns' character leaned in so hard on being 'The Head Of The Table' within The Bloodline.

By Royal Rumble season, it had all been shot down, with The Rock himself confirming that he wouldn't be able to "get in shape" in time for the 'Show Of Shows'. Wrestling being wrestling, many thought he might be misdirecting the masses, but this proved not to be the case as the card started coming together.

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For now, at least, this suggests the door is still open on both sides. The wait for 'The Great One' to work one last time might have to be extended to next year's WrestleMania in the interim.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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