To say it’s been a whirlwind week for WWE fans when it comes to the biggest storylines heading into WrestleMania 40 would be a king-sized understatement. At least for now, it appears that it will be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, not Cody Rhodes, who will challenge Roman Reigns this April in Philadelphia.
The shocking turnaround from Rhodes’ Royal Rumble victory, which made it look for all the world that he would get his rematch with Reigns (who defeated him at WrestleMania 39), took place on the Feb. 2 episode of SmackDown. Rhodes is usually on Raw, but he appeared in Birmingham, Ala. to say more about which champion he would pick for his ‘Mania match.
Cody told Roman that he would come for his title and everything he held dear … but not at WrestleMania. The American Nightmare revealed that he had been getting advice from a number of people over the week, one of whom knows Reigns very well.
That brought out The Rock, who ended the broadcast in a staredown with Reigns. Before he did, though, he shook hands with Rhodes and leaned in to whisper something to Cody.
What did The People’s Champ say? Unless they decide to share it with the world, only Johnson and Rhodes know for sure. Fightful Select (subscription required) does at least have an idea about the topic.
The segment went down, and featured the Rock and Cody Rhodes shaking hands. We haven’t been able to find out what The Rock said to Cody Rhodes verbatim, but have learned it was something in reference to their fathers. We’ve long heard that The Rock and Cody maintained a great relationship for years.
Pretty much all but the youngest WWE fans know that Cody is the son of the late Dusty Rhodes, a legendary wrestler, promoter and trainer. Johnson is a third-generation wrestler, the son of Rocky Johnson and grandson (by adoption, on his mother’s side) of Peter Maivia.
In other words, both men have deep family roots in the wrestling business, and it’s not surprising those might come up during such a dramatic moment. There are probably Cody fans hoping it might have been an apology, but depending on how WrestleMania 40 plays out, it might not be necessary anyway.
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