WWE has received major negative mainstream attention for The Rock’s return and confrontation with Roman Reigns on SmackDown.
The Hollywood star showed up in the closing moments of the February 2 show, following Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes’ announcement that he won’t be facing Reigns at WrestleMania 40.
With the show going off the air during a Rock vs Reigns staredown, WWE has heavily indicated that this match will headline the April 6-7 event.
There has been a lot of backlash from fans online regarding this decision, with many arguing that Cody Rhodes has had his spot stolen following his hard work in 2023.
While it was previously reported that WWE believed The Rock vs Roman Reigns would be a greater attraction for the mainstream, and would create “positive momentum”, a number of news websites have been covering the negative reaction to Cody Rhodes stepping aside for The Rock.
TMZ discussed the backlash in an article titled “WWE FANS CRITICIZE NEW STORYLINE … Dwayne Skipped The Line!!!“, questioning whether or not it’s fair for wrestling fans to share their issues with the teased bout.
An article titled “The Rock’s Comeback Has Almost 300,000 Dislikes Amid Cody Rhodes Drama” has also been shared by Forbes.
USA Today also covered the negative fan reaction in a post titled “The Rock could face Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania and fans aren’t happy“, recounting:
WWE’s replies on social media were filled with negative comments, and terms like “We want Cody” were trending, with people pointing at how a star like Rhodes is being wasted for a big name that won’t compete in as many matches as him, and his Royal Rumble victory goes to waste. People also noted how its the same situation CM Punk faced in 2013, when The Rock was chosen to main event WrestleMania over him.
The reception has been negative on YouTube as well; the full segment from “Smackdown” has more than 200,000 dislikes compared to 71,000 likes.
Barstool Sports acknowledged the WWE fan moment to reinstate Rhodes’ main event, titling their article “#WeWantCody Is The #1 Trend In The United States After The Rock Stole His WrestleMania Main Event Last Night”
Other sites which have covered The Rock’s return include DAZN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report.
There have also been numerous clips shared from the WWE Knoxville house show, showing fans booing a video of The Rock, one of which you can watch below.
The Rock has since addressed Cody Rhodes and WWE fans following his SmackDown appearance which you can read more about right here.
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