Where is The Rock’s story going? Is it really a story or just an assortment of semi-connected appearances and moments? Let’s get a little silly with it!
With WrestleMania 41 now in the rearview mirror, there’s been some fervent discourse around the main event which saw John Cena claim a record 17th world championship win in WWE.
Although Cena did get an assist from rapper Travis Scott, it’s fair to say many fans did also expect a cameo from The Rock as well. The expectation stemmed from The Final Boss’ instrumental role in Cena’s already legendary heel turn at February’s Elimination Chamber.
In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Dwayne Johnson explained his WrestleMania absence, suggesting that he wanted the spotlight to stay on Cena and now former champ Cody Rhodes.
But the bigger story, if you’re ready to lace up your fantasy boots, isn’t the struggle for Cody’s soul or even Cena’s soul. The bigger story is the fight for the soul of WWE.
There’s a part of this that definitely is textual, or kayfabe, with The Rock’s character seeking to build a champion that he can control. But there’s another part that’s much more meta – which is the idea that there is a tension between The Rock and Paul “Triple H” Levesque in terms of WWE creative.
We got a glimpse of this with last year’s WrestleMania build when The Rock returned and was summarily booed when he threatened to take Cody’s main event spot. The pivot, to create the Final Boss character and partner The Rock with Roman Reigns against Rhodes and Seth “Freakin’” Rollins, went down an absolute treat.
But while the unfolding storyline and execution were fantastic, the direction also appeared to stem from an offscreen creative tension, made fairly clear by WWE’s own Behind The Curtain documentary. As an aside, it’ll be fascinating to see how much of this kind of thing we get to bear witness to with the upcoming Netflix show, WWE: Unreal.
The Rock and HHH are longtime legendary onscreen rivals whose paths, on the creative side of things as Dwayne Johnson and Paul Levesque, are now intertwined by their respective positions as TKO board director and as WWE CCO.
So where do we take all this..?
Ladder Match For The Soul Of WWE: The Rock vs. Triple H
WWE is often at its creative best when they’re able to harness some degree of metatext and work it into a story – as with last year’s WrestleMania.
This fantasy contest could also serve as a dual retirement match. HHH appears to be practically retired but unfortunately hasn’t had an official last match. And The Rock’s been semi-retired for a good while now. A definitive end point for two of pro wrestling’s biggest stars with dramatic ramifications for the WWE would be a tremendous draw.
Is this realistic? No, for quite a few reasons. But, I would also entertain the same ladder match with H and Rock each selecting someone to represent them. Could be an avenue for Cody to get his win back over John Cena, for example. Or the ultimate showdown between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns??
Anyway, just some stray thoughts in the post-WrestleMania haze. Hey, is that Motörhead I can hear on the airwaves?
PS: Shoutout to comics writer and playwright Michael Garvey-Eckett for planting the seeds of this one when he suggested to me during last year’s ‘Mania that he wouldn’t mind seeing The Rock and HHH tied up one last time!
