Chaos ensues after Cody Rhodes chooses to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania

Who will face Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40?

It’ll be Cody Rhodes − for now.

After all sorts of speculation, the WWE universe was left confused at the WrestleMania 40 kickoff Thursday. Reigns chose to face The Rock, and The Rock accepted, but 2024 Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes wasn’t going to let it stand.

‘At WrestleMania 40 in the main event, I choose you Roman Reigns,’ Rhodes said in front of the crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, invoking his title opportunity.

Reigns told Rhodes he already had his moment, and insisted that he instead face World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins with the ‘No. 2s.’ Reigns called Rhodes an embarrassment ‘just like your dad.’ Rhodes then made it personal with Reigns and The Rock, saying both of them ‘haven’t been doing any of the cooking for two years’ and that their families and ancestors would be ashamed of Reigns. The Rock stepped in, said disrespecting Reigns is disrespecting him, and he slapped Rhodes. Rhodes and Rollins were then held back as the two sides yelled to cap off the wild and confusing event.

After the show, WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque tried to make sense of what happened, but he was approached by The Rock and Reigns. The Rock told Levesque to ‘fix it’ and said the scene was what happens when you talk about their family.

Levesque then took to social media to say it will be Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania.

What’s next for Roman Reigns, The Rock and Cody Rhodes?

It’s been clear WWE fans prefer Rhodes face Reigns over The Rock. When Reigns announced he chose to face The Rock at WrestleMania, it produced a mixed reaction from the crowd.

By the time The Rock took the microphone, the crowd was mostly booing, with chants ‘Rocky sucks’ and ‘We want Cody’ echoing through the arena. The Rock made it clear the crowd was full of ‘Cody crybabies’ while explaining why it was important for him and Reigns to finally face at WrestleMania.

Clearly, this story is far from over, and it seems shaky to think Reigns vs. Rhodes will stand as long as The Rock is in the picture. There are different ways WWE could go forward with it:

The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes for the right to challenge Reigns at WrestleMania.
The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, and the winner between The Rock and Rhodes facing Reigns at WrestleMania.
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania.

While there is less than two months left until WrestleMania, the build-up is already intensifying, and could lead to one of the biggest matches in the company’s recent history, regardless of who is in it.