The Rock made a much-publicized return this past Friday on Smackdown where once more he crossed paths with the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The Rock, who hasn’t exactly been friendly towards Rhodes in the past (he attacked Rhodes and left him beaten and bloody on an episode of Monday Night Raw leading up WrestleMania 40 last year), called Rhodes to the ring, where the “American Nightmare” was sure that The Rock would demand to face him in the ring at WrestleMania XLI. Instead, The Rock said that he was interested in something else; in a performance that was evocative of corrupt, evil boss character Mr. McMahon, The Rock (who is a board member of TKO Holdings, the parent company of the WWE) stated that he wanted Cody’s “soul,” and for Cody to become his corporate champion.
Though he was reticent in revealing where exactly the narrative might be headed, The Rock says his storyline with Cody Rhodes ‘never has to culminate in a match’ during the Smackdown post-show conference.
“In the world of pro wrestling as we all know, everything will culminate to a match. Whatever happens it will end up in the ring. What I really love about this rare air space that we’ve gotten to, with the character of ‘The Final Boss’ it’s like this white whale, unicorn,” The Rock explained. “In that with ‘Final Boss’ and Cody Rhodes, it’s not about the WWE title. It’s not about having a match… It never has to culminate to a match. That’s a really special place to be, I think. Creatively and character-wise, you just think of how much fun you could have.”
The Rock said that although the storyline between he and Cody Rhodes doesn’t have to end up as a face-to-face showdown between he and Cody Rhodes in the ring, he also stressed that he’d be waiting for Rhodes’ answer to his question, and that the deadline to do so would be Elimination Chamber on March 1st.
What exactly does it mean for Cody Rhodes to become The Rock’s corporate champion? Does it mean what it has meant in the past, where The Rock himself was the Corporate Champion and chosen one for Vince McMahon? Would it necessitate Cody Rhodes turning heel, something we haven’t seen since his return to the WWE in March 2022? Let us know your thoughts on The Rock’s storyline with Cody Rhodes in the comments.
