The Rock made headlines for a different reason prior to receiving criticism for replacing Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, where he is expected to face Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Dwayne Johnson was recently appointed to the TKO Board of Directors. He was also given the trademarked “The Rock” name, as well as $30 million in stock.
WWE is expected to announce Rock vs. Reigns this Thursday at the WrestleMania Kickoff event, after the former WWE Champion pushed hard for the match following changes to the WrestleMania card. This is despite Rhodes earning a title shot against Reigns by winning the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that part of The Rock’s deal to join the Board of Directors included a match with Reigns, which he and the company had wanted for years.
“When he made the deal on January 3 to come in, that was part of the deal. And why Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble was a question that I cannot answer because nobody will answer it for me.
Meltzer continued, “The belief was that it was Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, and nobody knew, but the deal had been made prior to that. It played out the way they wanted it to play out.”
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
