The WrestleMania 40 main event saw Cody Rhodes finally triumph over Roman Reigns to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The closing moments of the match saw John Cena, Seth Rollins, and The Undertaker fend off The Bloodline, but Stone Cold Steve Austin was conspicuous by his absence.
The last time we saw the Texas Rattlesnake in a WWE ring was when he came out of retirement to defeat Kevin Owens in the WrestleMania 38 main event.
WWE had hoped to bring him back for the Show of Shows last year, but Austin's commitment to an A&E series made it impossible. Now, it's been revealed in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there were indeed plans for the WWE Hall of Famer to confront Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson during Rhodes vs. Reigns II.
Unfortunately, the two sides couldn't agree on money, leading to The Undertaker returning to take The Rock out with a chokeslam. That was an amazing moment which generated a huge pop, but Austin hitting the Brahma Bull with a Stone Cold Stunner...well, it would have been magic.
During the RAW after WrestleMania, The Rock confronted Rhodes and made it clear he likes the feel of the title on his shoulder. However, regardless of whether the American Nightmare still holds that when he returns, the Final Boss is coming for him.
There's since been speculation that The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes could take place at SummerSlam, with the former then facing his cousin, Roman Reigns, at WrestleMania 41.
According to Dave Meltzer, The Rock is instead pushing for a bout with Rhodes at next year's Showcase of the Immortals.
"From what we’re told, this is very much a long-term thing. There is no planned date for Rock to return for a match, but it’s been talked about next year’s Mania," he claims. "While nothing is official, Rock vs. Reigns would figure to be Mania 2026, but anything that far out would be subject to a million different unforeseen things that could change it."
If accurate, this suggests The Rock plans to stick around for the long haul, with a WrestleMania 42 match with Reigns likely serving as his retirement bout.
Many fans expected him to only stick around for a few months, but when Johnson just received more than $9 million for this year's Show of Shows, we're not surprised WWE is once again a priority for him. Plus, he's on the TKO Holdings board these days, meaning the company's success is a major priority for The Rock.