The dream match between The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 was nearly a reality.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, The Rock revealed that a headlining match with him and Reigns was “locked” for WrestleMania 39. He detailed how he met with Vince McMahon and Nick Khan, and they agreed to it.
“The Rock headlining WrestleMania with Roman Reigns, SoFi Stadium, that was locked. We were doing it. We were doing it. But let me just tell you. So about in the beginning of 2022, Nick Khan, very good friend, he was very instrumental in bringing Vince and I together. We all flew to LA. We met, we sat, this is the beginning of 2022. We broke out the Teremana, we toasted life, we toasted the business we love. About an hour later, we started talking about the potential of this match could be between myself and Roman Reigns headlining WrestleMania, SoFi.
“We shook hands and we hugged right there, all three of us at the table, and said let’s do this. So then we had a year to really think about this. So the North Star thought was, okay, let’s not do something good, let’s not do something great. Let’s do something unprecedented. It was in what can we create for the fans that has never been done before. A match, great. Roman, incredible athlete. He’s gonna be on Mount Rushmore. Super handsome, good dude, my cousin, family, amazing. We can have the match, but the bigger thought was what can we do for the fans and the business that we love where WrestleMania isn’t the end of something, it’s actually the beginning of something bigger.”
The Rock Teases He’s Open To WrestleMania 40
The Rock went on to describe how they ultimately couldn’t figure out how to do the match the way they wanted. As a result, they “put their pencils down” for the time being, and he teased that WrestleMania 40 is coming.
“We got really, really close, but we couldn’t actually nail what that thing was,” The Rock said. “So we decided to put out pencils down. Then we agreed. Hey, listen, there’s a merger coming up. Eventually, that will happen. There’s WrestleMania in Philadelphia [raises eyebrow and faces the crowd]. I’m saying that that’s a potential too. I’m open. I’m open. But again, let’s figure out what that is. The fans deserve something just incredible and unprecedented.
“Not only that, but I also want to deliver to the locker room and the boys and the girls back there that are working their asses off. What can we do to put them in position where they’re part of something that is a new change, an era in this world of pro wrestling. Vince is a big picture thinker, and this is why we’ve gotten along for years. Just trying to think big-picture, so we’ll see.
According to Mika Rotunda, The Rock showed remarkable kindness to the Rotunda family after Bray Wyatt passed away.
Click here to see what Brian Gewirtz had to say about The Rock’s potential WWE return.
