Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returned to WWE earlier this year and immediately attempted to hijack the WrestleMania main event for a match with then-Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Fan backlash followed and The Rock ended up teaming with Reigns for a tag team match against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Speculation has since run rampant about what's next for the Final Boss, including possible bouts with the American Nightmare and Original Tribal Chief.
Earlier this week, it was reported that WWE might be considering a Triple Threat match at next year's WrestleMania: Rhodes vs. Reigns vs. Rock.
However, Dave Meltzer has disputed that in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. "He’s not going to be able to do Mania. He already gave word that he wouldn’t be able to do that match," he reveals after speaking with sources.
Meltzer added that no specific reason was given beyond there being "different reasons were given to different people." He later pointed out that The Rock needs a lot of time to get into the necessary shape with one source adding, "The story is simply his schedule got too heavy, he couldn’t commit to doing it right."
It's not overly surprising that The Rock is giving the Show of Shows a miss. For WrestleMania XL, he trained for months and took part in intense rehearsals...and clearly still struggled. While we'd bet on Johnson stepping back into the ring, it's possible something else is planned or he'll have his final match sooner than the Show of Shows.
Either way, it's going to be interesting seeing how this impacts WrestleMania next April.
"I have a friend, maybe not a friend, as a rib he sends me all of Rock’s products," Rhodes recently revealed. "There is a lot. Deep profile. Papatui, Zoa, Teremana. These products, if I was in desperate need of them, I still have an issue. I still have somewhat of an issue because of the personal situation that has developed with him and I."
"I have heard nothing but good things about all of them. I’ve seen my wife sipping on some Teremana from time to time. He’s onto something."
Stay tuned for updates.