The WrestleMania Kickoff event left more questions than answers

Is The Rock now a full-on heel? What about poor Seth Rollins? WrestleMania Kickoff left some big questions unanswered.

WWE’s WrestleMania Kickoff event sure was something, wasn’t it?

I say something because I’m not totally sure what it was. It was hyped like a UFC-esque public press conference. But what we actually got was something that felt like a mixture of an E3 presentation with a couple of pro wrestling angles sprinkled on top at the end, to, as Emeril Lagasse would say, kick it up a notch.

First we got another chapter in the Becky Lynch–Rhea Ripley story, which feels like is clearly headed down a path that leads to them facing each other at WrestleMania.

But then we got to all of the drama surrounding the main event of WrestleMania, and boy, has there been plenty of it.

In case you missed it, wrestling fans essentially revolted against WWE and anyone associated with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the name of wanting to see Cody Rhodes “finish his story” at WrestleMania.

On social media, fans used the hashtag #WeWantCody to express their desire, which trended for multiple days. Things got so bad that they basically bullied Ava, The Rock’s daughter and NXT general manager, off social media, which was a terrible look for wrestling fans.

But it went further than social media. Fans in arenas across the country booed mere mentions of The Rock’s name.

So the theories were swirling around the event in Las Vegas as to how WWE would address this obvious elephant in the room. To WWE’s credit, it did.

The Rock came out before the live fans in Las Vegas and received a response that was at times tepid at best, and at other times, outright negative. It was almost surreal to watch. 

To The Rock’s credit, he has apparently leaned into the fans’ sudden resentment toward him. He called the fans who yearn for Rhodes to finish his story “Cody crybabies” and said it didn’t matter what they thought, his match against Reigns would be the biggest match in wrestling. 

The Rock then tore a page right out of the E3 playbook and gave a presentation to illustrate his point, which in this case was a giant graphic showcasing the Anoa’i family tree. And the fans still booed.

Rhodes eventually came out, chose Reigns as his opponent at WrestleMania, and told him and The Rock that their ancestors would be ashamed of them. 

That led to The Rock slapping the taste out of Rhodes’ mouth and cursing up a storm to Triple H backstage before saying that if Rhodes talked trash about the Anoa’i family again, “If you don’t fix it, we will,” as in he and Reigns.

Was a lot of that intriguing? Yes. Was it confusing? Also yes.

Eventually, we did get one answer via Triple H’s X/Twitter: Rhodes will challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania.

However, there are still a lot more questions than answers:

What is the deal with The Rock?

Is The Rock a heel now? If so, it would be the first time he’ll play a villain (in wrestling at least) since 2003. While it does not fit The Rock’s current public image, he is more than capable of pulling it off. 

Let’s not forget that when The Rock first headlined WrestleMania (WrestleMania 15, also in Philadelphia), he did so as the heel opposite babyface Steve Austin. Reminiscent to what is happening now, The Rock’s initial heel turn came after the fans basically turned on him.

And people are still talking about his exploits from 2003, when he fully assumed the persona of someone that had let fame go straight to his head, giving us some of the most memorable moments of his career in the process.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/av8tBc3Nn-Q

The Rock turning heel may not have been part of the original plan, but it does make him a lot more interesting than he was just last week. The Rock’s routine felt kind of old a decade ago when he was feuding with John Cena. His most recent appearances on WWE television felt like more of the same. In short, he was badly in need of a refresh. Oddly enough, Rhodes may have provided it for him.

Do we have a new two-man power trip?

It’s one thing for The Rock to turn against the fans that turned their backs on him, but it’s a totally different thing to see him walking side by side with Reigns. 

I really like the dynamic of Rock and Reigns siding with each other because someone disrespected the family. It feels authentic to who they are since family is such a big part of each of their narratives. 

When The Rock first debuted in WWE back in 1996, the only thing he was basically known for was the fact that he was a third-generation wrestler. Reigns’ entire character as the “Tribal Chief” revolves around his family and him providing for it.

Does this open the door for a tag team match? What about a four-way?

Oh, by the way: Did you know Seth Rollins was also on stage when The Rock slapped Rhodes? If you didn’t know or didn’t remember, don’t feel ashamed. He all but faded to the background once Reigns made his entrance. However, if you paid close attention, you could see him providing some classic reactions to all of the Anoa’i-Rhodes family drama.

With that said, he basically sided with Rhodes in all of this. It was a scene that felt like Adam Pearce was going to announce a tag match for the main event of Raw.

While no such announcement was made, will we get one in the future? If so, when? What if all four men were entered into a brief tournament to name a real undisputed champion like WWE did at Vengeance back in 2001?

How does the Elimination Chamber factor into this?

WWE is essentially promoting two stadium shows on opposite sides of the world at the same time, because before WrestleMania, the company will hold Elimination Chamber from Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

The event is largely built around Ripley and the Chamber matches, but could WWE throw The Rock in there in some capacity, too? If so, how?

Toss out your proverbial GPS, we’re veering off course on the Road to WrestleMania. Buckle up, this may get bumpy.