Three Questions WWE Faces After The Rock’s Shocking Roman Reigns Tease

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a surprising return to WWE on Monday night, appearing on the “Day 1” episode of “RAW” three days after chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque teased an appearance by a former champion.

At first, it felt like a random one-off segment, with The Rock interrupting Jinder Mahal (who was introduced as the aforementioned former champion) and ultimately trading blows with The Modern Day Maharaja — a cameo not dissimilar to when The Rock mixed it up with Austin Theory on a “SmackDown” episode back in September.

But then, The People’s Champ dropped a bombshell tease.

“Tonight, after all this (butt) kicking, The Rock is going to go out in San Diego, I’m a little hungry, I’m going to go get something to eat,” he said Monday night. “When The Rock goes out to get something to eat tonight in San Diego, should the Rock sit in a booth? Or should The Rock sit at the bar? … Or should The Rock sit at the head of the table?”

The crowd at Pechanga Arena went nuts, realizing it was an obvious shot at undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, The Rock’s real-life cousin and self-proclaimed “Head of the Table.” But we’re now left to wonder what exactly it all means on the road to WrestleMania 40.

Alas, here are three questions we must consider after The Rock’s return.

1. When will The Rock face Roman Reigns?
Let’s assume this all culminates with a highly anticipated family showdown, a match that’s been years in the making with Reigns asserting his dominance as The Bloodline’s “Tribal Chief.” The expectation long has been that The Rock and Reigns would square off at WrestleMania — the biggest stage in sports entertainment — and that still could be the case, with this year’s Show of Shows taking place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 6 and 7. But it’s not a foregone conclusion, by any means.

This year’s Elimination Chamber premium live event is scheduled for Feb. 24 — roughly one month after the Royal Rumble — in Perth, Australia. And a recent report indicated Australian tourism officials were pushing for The Rock to make an appearance. So, perhaps Monday’s stunning call-out paves the way for a bout on international soil.

It’d certainly be unconventional, especially with the time-zone difference between Australia and the United States. Roman Reigns (the face of WWE) vs. The Rock (one of the most recognizable celebrities on the planet) simply feels too big not to have at WrestleMania. But a match at Elimination Chamber seems very much on the table — at the head of the table, that is.

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2. How does this affect Cody Rhodes’ story?
Rhodes seemed like Reigns’ most likely WrestleMania 40 opponent before The Rock entered the picture. The American Nightmare has been built to look strong. The two had an epic staredown during an October episode of “SmackDown” that seemed to foreshadow an eventual rematch between the WrestleMania 39 adversaries. And there continues to be talk of Rhodes’ quest to “finish the story” and finally become WWE champion. Now, there’s more uncertainty than ever before, with some assuming The Rock’s return means Rhodes will be bumped from the WrestleMania 40 main event.

Such an assumption probably is premature, given the Elimination Chamber scenario outlined above, but it’s definitely a talking point in wake of The Rock calling out Reigns. Maybe WWE inserts Rhodes into a different feud for WrestleMania — like against, say, Randy Orton. Or maybe The Rock actually is a steppingstone toward a ‘Mania rematch between Rhodes and Reigns.

Whatever the case, that we’re even having this discussion speaks to how solid business is for WWE right now. WWE doesn’t need The Rock with so many great internal options. The product is as unpredictable as it’s been in a while.

3. Will Jey Uso be involved in the Roman Reigns vs. The Rock feud?
He has to, right? Someway, somehow.

Jey Uso became a full-blown solo act with his departure from The Bloodline and jump from “SmackDown” to “RAW” (a move facilitated by Cody Rhodes). It’s gotten over with the WWE Universe, too, evident by the weekly pops “Main Event Jey” receives from live crowds.

That said, it still feels like there’s unfinished business with The Bloodline saga, which presumably will lead to a match between Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania 40. And since the build for Roman Reigns vs. The Rock figures to center around their family ties — not necessarily the undisputed WWE universal title — it’s hard to imagine Jey, Jimmy and their other brother, Solo Sikoa, not being involved in some capacity. It’s just difficult to figure out what the whole buildup looks like.