The Rock, Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins Set for WWE WrestleMania 40

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVMarch 9, 2024

Louis Grasse/PXimages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Cody Rhodes and world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins appeared on Friday night’s episode of SmackDown and accepted a challenge laid down by The Rock for WrestleMania 40.

WWE @WWE”WE ACCEPT!” 😤@WWERollins is tired of hearing @TheRock talk and lets him know that he and @CodyRhodes accept #TheBloodline’s #WrestleMania challenge! 🔥🔥🔥#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/1VpqUHLMpe

A war of words in the ring between the two sides ended with Rhodes slapping The Rock in the face after the People’s Champ called his birth a “mistake.” The Rock tossed his mic outside the ring and appeared ready to attack Rhodes before Reigns calmed him down as the show went off the air.

WWE on FOX @WWEonFOX”You were a mistake!”#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/eKiD7QQxj3

On Night 1 of WrestleMania in Philadelphia next month, Rhodes and Rollins will team up to face The Rock and undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns with some major implications hanging in the balance.

If The Rock and Reigns win, then the Night 2 main event between Rhodes and Reigns for the WWE universal title will be fought under Bloodline rules, meaning anything goes.

However, if Rhodes and Rollins win, then The Bloodline will be barred from getting involved in the Rhodes vs. Reigns title bout.

After Rhodes won his second consecutive men’s Royal Rumble match in January, all signs pointed toward him challenging Reigns at WrestleMania, but The Rock made a surprise return on the ensuing episode of SmackDown, and Cody seemed to step aside to allow The Rock to face Reigns at WrestleMania instead.

Fans rebelled and showed their support for Rhodes in the days that followed, so The American Nightmare reversed course at a WrestleMania press conference in Las Vegas.

After Rhodes made his decision to face Reigns, and both Reigns and Rhodes took shots at each other’s families, The Rock shocked the wrestling world by slapping Cody across the face.

Since that moment, The Rock has clearly been portrayed as a heel, and he has become an official member of The Bloodline, even going so far as to acknowledge Reigns as his Tribal Chief.

At Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, last month, Rhodes challenged The Rock to a one-on-one match. The Rock declined last week on SmackDown, and he proposed the tag team match idea instead.

With Rhodes and Rollins agreeing to the star-studded affair, WWE now has one of the biggest tag team matches of all time in place to main event Night 1 of WrestleMania.

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