Why Cody Rhodes, Not The Rock, Should Fight Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40

Cody Rhodes can't finish his story until he dethrones Roman Reigns as undisputed WWE universal champion, ideally at WrestleMania 40.

Rumors of Reigns facing The Rock instead in a long-awaited 'Mania-worthy showdown—fueled by Rock's recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show—would get in the way of that.

The Great One confirmed the contest was close to happening at this past year's installment in Los Angeles and teased it finally coming to fruition this year in Philadelphia. If so, it would be in direct conflict with the expected Reigns vs. Rhodes rematch on that same show.

Between the two marquee matches, Rhodes vs. Reigns should be considered the higher priority over Rock vs. Reigns. WWE and Rock missed their chance to book the latter for WrestleMania 39, but not paying off the former at the next April extravaganza would be even more egregious.

Despite what The Rock says, The American Nightmare is the only acceptable opponent for Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Here's why.

To address the obvious, WWE should not run the risk of having Reigns face both Rock and Rhodes on separate nights over WrestleMania weekend.

This would entail Rock vs. Reigns happening on Night 1, and Rhodes vs. Reigns happening on Night 2. However, it's extremely unlikely WWE would slot Rock's in-ring return for the first night with it being the bigger box-office attraction of the night.

Rhodes ending Reigns' near-four-year title run is too big of a moment to be relegated to Night 2. Reigns then beating Rock on Night 2—the inevitable outcome—would be incredibly anticlimactic in comparison.

Reigns has already headlined the last three WrestleMania events, winning on all three occasions. Having him headline both Night 1 and Night 2 next year would take well-earned opportunities away from other men and women on the roster.

A Triple Threat would be a worse idea, for those wondering. Rock and Rhodes have no reason to cross paths and one story should not come at the expense of the other.

The only other option would be for Rhodes vs. Reigns to be bumped up to the Royal Rumble, where The American Nightmare can take the title and free up The Tribal Chief for Rock at WrestleMania 40.

It's possible, but Rock vs. Reigns would automatically be a bigger attraction than anything Rhodes is doing and that unfairly diminishes the prestigious prize.

Fans were excited to see Rock return on the September 15 edition of SmackDown and understandably so. It marked his first appearance on WWE TV in almost four years, and the electricity and buzz he brings to any arena is palpable.

The odds of that moment happening if the SAG-AFSTRA strike had already ended are slim to none.

That strike could be over soon, with the Writer's Guild of America recently reaching a tentative deal to return to Hollywood, per SAG-AFSTRA. In other words, it's all but confirmed that Rock will resume acting well before 'Mania season gets underway, thus limiting his schedule considerably.

It isn't simply a matter of keeping WrestleMania weekend open, either. The Great One would need to commit to doing the match months in advance so WWE can begin preparing from a booking standpoint and so he can undergo the proper physical training.

In addition to The Show of Shows itself, he would also need to show up on television at least a few times to properly build the bout and interact with Reigns. Cutting promos exclusively via satellite will not suffice.

With how hectic his schedule seems to be at all times, that may not be feasible.

Reigns beating Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39 was not unanimously despised by fans at that point, but in retrospect, it was the wrong call.

The Tribal Chief adopted a part-time schedule starting in the spring of 2022, but he made more appearances on WWE TV and defended the title more frequently after WrestleMania 38 than he has following WrestleMania 39.

He was in action at Night of Champions and Money in the Bank, but his sole title defense since 'Mania occurred at SummerSlam where he defeated Jey Uso. Per Dave Metlzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he isn't expected to compete again until Crown Jewel in early November.

Meanwhile, Rhodes has been active this entire time, even having a feud with Brock Lesnar that would have benefited from some gold being up for grabs. He's been left to tread water until WWE is ready for him and Reigns to rekindle their rivalry next year.

Rhodes' loss to Reigns was unnecessary and merely delayed the inevitable. The only appropriate explanation is the challenger winning the rematch with the champion one year later at WrestleMania and kicking off his long-overdue title run there.

No one can argue Rock vs. Reigns will sell more tickets to WrestleMania 40 than Rhodes vs. Reigns. WWE is under new management after the recent merger with Endeavor and UFC, and the higher-ups may push the company to go with Rock vs. Reigns as the main event of 'Mania for that reason alone.

The biggest problem with the marquee match is that, after all this time, it would be almost impossible for it to live up to the hype.

WWE fans are well aware that Reigns can deliver when it matters most, no matter how sporadic his matches are. The question is whether Rock would be able to hold his own, especially after getting injured in his last two contests (not counting the six-second squash from WrestleMania 32) against John Cena.

Both bouts were over a decade ago. It could end up being a solid, well-worked match, but Rhodes vs. Reigns has all the makings of an instant classic, and the promos leading up to the event would be equally entertaining.

Moreover, it's no secret Rock would lose if it were a one-and-done, and his schedule is such that it would have to be. While discussing the possibility of the match years ago on his YouTube channel, he said he'd be honored to put over his cousin.

That takes away most of the drama, whereas Reigns vs. Rhodes II could go either way.

Rock had his last true hurrah in his three-year storyline with John Cena that spanned three installments of WrestleMania from 2011 to 2013. He put the franchise player over and raised his hand in the end, effectively passing the torch.

Anything after that for The Brahma Bull would have been the icing on the cake. His quick squash win over Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 was a pleasant surprise, but he hasn't competed otherwise because he can't afford getting hurt due to his Hollywood commitments.

If Rock vs. Reigns was going to happen, it would have years ago. They can still make money together in 2023, but that ship sailed earlier this year when they couldn't come up with something unprecedented for the feud, per Rock in his interview with Pat McAfee.

In short, he has nothing left to prove. Beating Rock would only add to Reigns' already-iconic legacy, but the focus now should be on making more stars and cementing Rhodes as the full-time face of WWE.

The company has one chance to produce a monumental moment with whoever unseats Reigns as champion after almost four years. Rhodes checks all the boxes, and WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia is the place to pull the trigger.

Rock vs. Reigns does not need a title on the line, and WWE can hold off until WrestleMania 41 if it so chooses. Regardless of whether that family affair materializes or not, Rhodes vs. Reigns is the WrestleMania main event that will actually alter the landscape forever.