Over the course of a single weekend, The Rock inadvertently became WWE's biggest heel.
As we're sure you'll already know, it was during last Friday's SmackDown that Dwayne Johnson made his surprise return to the company and essentially stole Cody Rhodes' match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Some claim that was the plan all along, but unless The Rock plans to embrace being despised - "Rocky Sucks" chants dominated RAW on Monday - it's clear his and WWE's plans have gone awry.
Rhodes giving up his spot makes no sense from a storyline perspective and it's hard to imagine WWE anticipating #WeWantCody trending worldwide for days on end. It'll probably be tomorrow night at the WrestleMania Kickoff show in Las Vegas that the company's plans become clear and we're intrigued to see how - and if - they dig their way out of this hole.
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins is also mixed up in this as the American Nightmare's next potential challenger, and he hasn't shied away from making his feelings on the Brahma Bull's return known.
"Hey, look, man, if The Rock wants to jump on the bandwagon, ride my coattails into Wrestlemania, that’s totally fine with me. Look, I get it. WWE is as hot as it’s ever been. We are selling out arenas, stadiums. Any place we go right now is huge. We just inked two massive deals - SmackDown to USA Network and Raw. My show, which I’ve been anchoring for the last decade, just signed the most lucrative television deal in the history of professional wrestling with Netflix, which is going to be a game changer starting next year. So, we are living life right now."
"We are huge and for The Rock to want to come on board now, jump on my Wrestlemania, get his toes wet. I get it. So mad respect to him and everything he’s done outside of here and everything he’s done for our industry. So I got no problem with The Rock jumping on and doing his business for us, man. I mean, we appreciate having him. Like I said, he’s riding my coattails. He just needs to remember that."
"Look at the numbers. Look at who’s been on Monday Night Raw for the last ten years more than anybody. It’s me. I get the credit, not him. So he can come in, he can get what he wants. He can take his little piece, and then he can go back to Hollywood and do this thing because we got this thing. We don’t need you. We love to have you, but we don’t need you, big guy."
Is it a shoot? Is it a work? We can't say either way right now but, if nothing else, WWE has definitely got everyone's attention. Fingers crossed they don't drop the ball on this one and The Rock does what's best for business...