Cody Rhodes didn't necessarily say anything bad about The Rock.
Still, The American Nightmare felt the need to clarify his comments about Dwayne Johnson potentially appearing at WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
"With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs, The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening," Rhodes recently told The Daily Mail.
Harmless, right?
Well, Rhodes changed his tune a bit in a subsequent interview with Sports Illustrated, suggesting The Showcase of the Immortals would only benefit from The Rock's involvement.
"I said it in a pretty nice way, but I said, 'Hey, all respect to The Rock, I like what we have.' But I'm going to walk that one back," Rhodes told SI. "And I'm going to say, WrestleMania is amazing. If Rock decides to come to WrestleMania, please. Simply because, we're able to have WrestleMania because of someone like The Rock. And Rock was able to have WrestleMania because of somebody like (Hulk) Hogan, and because of the Dustys, and the Flairs and the Pipers.
"Our industry doesn't just exist. The content is so important in keeping it healthy, and keeping it going, and respecting these long-time fans. So, I hope I didn't talk out of turn there because I absolutely adore The Rock and would love it if he was present in any setting. His family is massively important to what we do, and if Rock decides to show up at WrestleMania, Hollywood would love that."
There had been speculation for months -- years, even -- that The Rock would return to WWE for a match with his real-life cousin, Roman Reigns, at WrestleMania 39. Not only is The Rock one of the most recognizable celebrities on the planet, a perfect face for this year's "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" tagline. It'd also be relatively easy to begin a program between him and Reigns, seeing as the latter has referred to himself as the "Tribal Chief" and the "Head of the Table" while leading the "Bloodline" faction that includes their other real-life cousins, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, as well.
It appears that scenario now is nothing more than a pipe dream, though. Which isn't to say The Rock won't return to WWE at some point, perhaps even for a match with Reigns. It's just unlikely to happen this year, leaving Rhodes, the winner of the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match, to main event WrestleMania, against either Reigns or Sami Zayn, depending on the result of this Saturday's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at the Elimination Chamber premium live event.
"I will say, if Rock doesn't come to WrestleMania, we have an unbelievable card, if not the best ever, at the biggest ever in terms of the financials, and the gates, two days in Hollywood," Rhodes told Sports Illustrated. "So, it's a win-win."
