Before going into WrestleMania 41, WWE had created a build-up for the exciting pay-per-view event. The main event on Day 2, a high-stakes clash between the then-Champion Cody Rhodes and the challenger John Cena, was expected to be a jaffa. However, more than the clash, the WWE fans waited for The Rock to show up at some point during the match.
The FE!N music interrupted the match, but guess who showed up? Travis Scott and not The Rock. An unprecedented twist unfolded when Cena claimed the Championship. Yet, it wasn’t just his vow to ruin wrestling that shook the industry; it was The Rock’s actions that ultimately did the most damage. These are the thoughts of a veteran WWE commentator who hates The Final Boss for what he did to the WWE.
Veteran WWE wrestler opines that The Rock did the most damage to WrestleMania by not showing up
Former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman had some interesting thoughts on The Rock’s absence from WrestleMania 41 and his subsequent explanation for his absence. Speaking about it on the ‘Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling‘ podcast, Coachman shared:
He knew by not showing up that all anybody would talk about was him not showing up. And then what happened? The 13 other matches, two nights of WrestleMania, nobody talked about any of them. You watch any of the recaps, any of the shows, nothing. And that to me was a real disservice to the talent that got onto the shows, He sucked the entire oxygen out of that entire event by simply not showing up and then two days later giving us that excuse for not showing up.
Additionally, he remarked that The Rock should’ve appeared himself instead of Travis Scott. He said that in wrestling, the beginning and the end of a particular storyline should be completed by the same person. He dismissed the argument of the former People’s Champion that the job of the final boss was done. Coachman exclaimed that all he had done by not showing up at the event was to annihilate the spotlight from other talents in the event.
The correct scenario, according to Coachman, should’ve been Cena winning the title as a babyface and then selling his soul to The Rock in the subsequent edition of the weekly rosters. In this way, according to Coachman, The Rock would’ve had a proper way out of the storyline. But currently, the turn of events would’ve turned out to be an embarrassing blow for him.
While he ultimately received John Cena’s allegiance, the board member of the TKO group initially wanted Cody Rhodes to be his Champion. What happened after that stormed the WWE universe.
Cody Rhodes denied The Rock’s offer at the Elimination Chamber
At Elimination Chamber 2025, Cody Rhodes stood his ground against one of the biggest names in WWE history by turning down The Rock’s enticing offer. The Rock, dressed entirely in black and accompanied by Travis Scott, urged Rhodes to change his path and follow him, promising to propel him to new heights.
But Rhodes didn’t think so. In front of a packed arena, he declared that he must fight for his legacy instead of having it bestowed upon him. His disobedience had consequences. A startling betrayal ensued when John Cena, influenced by The Rock, turned on Rhodes and viciously attacked him, leaving him broken and bloodied from his Rolex.
Rhodes lost everything as a result of that attack at WrestleMania 41, when Cena defeated him as the Undisputed WWE Champion. The American Nightmare did make an emphatic return at Saturday Night’s Main Event and subsequently defeated Cena in a tag team match at Money in the Bank with Jey Uso, but will he take back what was rightfully his? Only time has the answer to this question.
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