WWE’s product hasn’t been this scorching in many years. And with the type of momentum not seen for the reason that Angle Period, the promotion is barreling towards WrestleMania 40 this weekend in Philadelphia. 

But when you have not been watching recently, you might need just a few questions relating to the present’s two most important occasions. Why is The Rock again? Why is he evil now? And what’s this “story” folks maintain happening about with Cody Rhodes? 

 We have solutions for all of that, however there was loads happening within the final yr to get to this epic level.

An surprising nightmare

Having left the WWE in 2016 and reinventing himself on the unbiased scene — whereas serving to launch what’s now the second largest promotion on this planet in AEW — Rhodes returned to the corporate at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 and instantly established himself as one of many promotion’s high babyfaces. He minimize a promo on the primary episode of Uncooked following his return and successfully known as his shot — he was again to win the WWE championship, a title that eluded his well-known wrestling household for many years. That title now belonged to Reigns, who unified it with the common championship the night time prior. 

Rhodes’ journey to the championship would finally obtain its personal tagline: “End the story.”

However as an alternative of instantly concentrating on Reigns, Rhodes wound up in a months-long program with Seth Rollins. He’d go on to attain two extra wins over “The Visionary,” however Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral days earlier than their scheduled match at Hell in a Cell 2022. He gutted his method via that match however was then stored off WWE TV for the remainder of the yr to endure surgical procedure and get better. 

Rhodes made his in-ring return within the 2023 Males’s Royal Rumble match, getting into at No. 30 and punching his ticket to the WrestleMania 39 most important occasion with a win. In the meantime, Reigns was using a large wave of momentum due to a prolonged, emotional program with Sami Zayn. And between Rhodes being introduced because the conquering hero and Reigns’ Bloodline faction lastly taking a loss at WrestleMania 39 Evening 1, it regarded just like the stage was set for Rhodes to dethrone Reigns within the closing moments of WrestleMania 39 Evening 2. 

However then a humorous factor occurred — Rhodes misplaced.

Rhodes had Reigns useless to rights by hitting his Cross Rhodes finisher twice, just for Paul Heyman to leap onto the apron and distract the referee. Solo Sikoa, regardless of being ejected by the referee earlier within the match, all of the sudden appeared behind Rhodes and nailed him within the neck with a Samoan Spike. Reigns then hit Rhodes with a Spear for the win, sucking the oxygen out of a sold-out SoFi Stadium.

To at the present time, the reserving resolution stays controversial. Based mostly on backstage reviews, it wasn’t a last-minute resolution, nor was it a shock decree from Vince McMahon because the stability of energy inside WWE’s entrance workplace continued to shift — although we’ll get to that. 

It was, nonetheless, a choice that aged poorly. 

Rhodes would go on to spend the remainder of 2023 spinning his wheels, participating in packages with Brock Lesnar, The Judgement Day and Shinsuke Nakamura. He by no means misplaced the assist of the followers, however the nagging sensation that each one of his large matches would’ve meant extra with him as world champion lingered.

In the meantime, the excitement surrounding the undisputed WWE common championship took a nosedive due to Reigns’ notoriously mild schedule. He has defended the title on pay-per-view simply 3 times for the reason that Rhodes match — a conflict with Jey Uso at SummerSlam the place the title took a again seat to Reigns’ place as “Tribal Chief,” a forgettable match with LA Knight in Saudi Arabia and an much more forgettable four-way match on the 2024 Royal Rumble.

However by the top of this yr Royal Rumble, it regarded as if WWE had discovered from its earlier mistake. Rhodes gained the Males’s Rumble match but once more and the present went off the air with him pointing straight at Reigns, who was seated in one in all Tropicana Area’s suites excessive above the ring. Reigns vs. Rhodes II seemed to be a lock for the WrestleMania 40 most important occasion. And whereas we’re nonetheless getting that match, issues obtained rather more sophisticated. 

The folks’s champion

By 2015, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had absolutely reworked from ex-wrestler into one in all Hollywood’s largest names. And whereas he was just a few years faraway from his WrestleMania duology with John Cena, the 10-time world champion nonetheless made a shock look at that yr’s Royal Rumble and aided a a lot youthful and less-experienced Reigns in successful the Rumble match. The choice was met with resounding rejection from the gang inside Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Middle, and the explanations behind why so many followers have been vocally towards Reigns’ ascent inside WWE is a prolonged story in its personal proper. 

No matter that night time’s infamy, Reigns and Johnson have been linked within the minds of followers from that time on. The concept of a dream match between the 2 cousins grew as years handed, even because the combined response surrounding Reigns as a WWE most important eventer endured. He underwent a long-awaited character transformation in August 2020, reemerging from a hiatus because the vindictive and manipulative “Tribal Chief.” And as soon as he began reducing promos about sitting at “The Head of The Desk” and being the chief of his household, followers’ ears began perking up as that household tree additionally included Johnson.

As soon as the Pandemic Period ended and WWE was again to touring in entrance of dwell crowds, rumors of Reigns vs. Rock grew to become an annual affair. WrestleMania 39 was theorized to be the perfect occasion given its Los Angeles location and Johnson’s intensive ties to Hollywood, but it surely by no means occurred. Johnson confirmed final September on The Pat McAfee Present that the match was “locked” at one level, just for negotiations to fall via. 

That McAfee interview was only one piece of a large plan Johnson created to tease the thought of the match. That additionally included him discussing it in over a dozen interviews, Instagram promos from his “Iron Paradise” house health club and even on his “Young Rock” comedy series. The ultimate tease arrived on the New Yr’s Day version of Uncooked again in January when Johnson made a shock look, shortly dispatched of Jinder Mahal and requested the followers in attendance if he ought to sit “at The Head of the Desk.”

Lower than three weeks later, Johnson joined the board of administrators for TKO Group — which grew to become WWE’s guardian firm after a merger with UFC below the Endeavor banner. Information dropped the identical week through The Wall Avenue Journal that WWE government chairman Vince McMahon was being sued for abuse and intercourse trafficking by a former worker, only one in an inventory of sexual misconduct allegations. With McMahon formally gone, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was now in a position to freely e-book WWE’s weekly programming with none interference from his father-in-law. WrestleMania 40 could be the primary occasion of its sort to don’t have any enter from its authentic creator. 

The last word pivot

Regardless that Rhodes made his resolution to problem Reigns fairly clear, Rollins tried to steer him in one other route. He pleaded his case on an episode of Uncooked that Rhodes ought to problem for his world heavyweight championship as an alternative because it was the true “workhorse” championship his father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, would’ve needed reasonably than Reigns’ “Hollywood” title. And whereas Rhodes’ must “end the story” centered round him beating Reigns for his undisputed championship, Rhodes mentioned he’d think about his choices. 

Rhodes then appeared on the Feb. 2 version of SmackDown to confront Reigns. The champ additionally tried to push Rhodes to problem Rollins as an alternative. And, to the shock of the wrestling world, Rhodes agreed with him. “The American Nightmare” proclaimed he would finally beat Reigns, but it surely simply would not be at WrestleMania. He then bowed out, visually and metaphorically, as Johnson arrived for a staredown with Reigns, who was visually sad to see his cousin. 

The response from wrestling followers was as loud because it was offended. Regardless of Reigns vs. Rock being a long-awaited dream match, followers needed to see Rhodes have his second of triumph and refused to have almost three years of funding casually brushed apart. “#WeWantCody” grew to become a rallying cry on social media, nonetheless trending days after Rhodes’ resolution. With a possible catastrophe on their palms, the corporate opted to pivot. 

WWE introduced a “WrestleMania Kickoff” occasion on Feb. 8 on the T-Cell Area in Las Vegas, inviting reporters and followers alike as numerous wrestlers puffed up the two-night occasion. The particular culminated with a section involving Reigns, Rhodes, Johnson and Rollins. Rhodes introduced he’d be difficult Reigns, whereas Johnson took exception to Rhodes mentioning the Anoa’i household lineage and Rhodes’ followers, which he dubbed “The Cody Crybabies.” By the top of the particular, Johnson and Reigns have been a unified pressure towards “The American Nightmare” and all indicators of the notorious Feb. 2 Smackdown section had vanished. 

The stakes have been raised even larger within the weeks that adopted. Johnson, sporting the brand new moniker “The Remaining Boss” and enraged that the followers pressured his dream match to be scrapped, introduced that WrestleMania 40 Evening 1 would have a tag staff most important occasion — Rock and Reigns vs. Rhodes and Rollins. If Rhodes and Rollins win, the Evening 2 most important occasion will happen with none interference from The Bloodline faction. But when Reigns and The Rock win, the Evening 2 most important occasion will likely be contested below “Bloodline Guidelines” — all however guaranteeing Reigns will retain due to heavy interference from his household.

Wanting again on the previous 4 many years of WrestleMania, the concept WWE would have such a large match in its palms solely to name an audible looks like lunacy. Have been this firm nonetheless below the Vince McMahon regime — the place good enterprise overpowered what followers needed almost each time — this type of change probably would not have occurred. We might be weeks into the corporate collectively burying its head within the sand, making an attempt to drown out fan backlash. However by deciding to make a change and create one thing that has all of the potential to be even higher, it exhibits WWE actually has entered a brand new period. 

As a substitute of weeks of forgettable tv, each episode the place The Bloodline, Rhodes or Rollins are current is now must-see. We have been given moments just like the return of “The Rock Live performance” and Johnson brutalizing Rhodes within the pouring Chicago rain. We now have Johnson working at a degree not seen in many years and three males all prepared to match his depth. 

And all of that’s with out mentioning the opposite 9 matches already confirmed for this weekend. After the corporate almost drove the showcase a cliff simply two months in the past, WrestleMania 40 may simply be WWE’s finest present in years.