NEW DELHI: The
WrestleMania XL Kickoff event
at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas brought together four WWE heavyweights—Cody Rhodes,
The Rock
,
Roman Reigns
, and Seth Rollins—setting the stage for a series of unexpected twists and confrontations.
As the Royal Rumble winner,
Cody Rhodes
had the privilege of choosing his opponent for the main event at WrestleMania in April.
Fans eagerly anticipated his decision, with speculation swirling around whether he would face Roman Reigns or
Seth Rollins
. The drama escalated as Reigns declared his intention to face The Rock, a decision that wasn't under his control.
Amidst a sea of boos, The Rock took the stage and playfully dubbed Rhodes fans as the "Cody Cry Babies." He made his case for facing Reigns at WrestleMania, but Rhodes interrupted, opting to challenge Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.
What followed was a tense standoff between Rhodes and The Rock, culminating in a heated exchange of words and a resounding slap from the People's Champion across Rhodes' face. The on-stage chaos prompted officials to intervene and separate the four competitors.
In the aftermath of the incident, Seth Rollins shared his perspective with Fox News Digital. He expressed frustration at the powerful exerting their influence and criticized the perceived injustice of the situation. Rollins tried to persuade Rhodes to challenge for his World Heavyweight Championship, emphasizing Reigns' part-time in-ring schedule and positioning his title as the working man's championship.
Rollins, while understanding Rhodes' decision, expressed his discontent with The Rock's return after an eight-year absence from WWE. He voiced concerns about The Rock's position on the Board of Directors and questioned the fairness of his immediate involvement in high-profile main event storylines.
"At least two matches appeared to be set for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia," the report noted. The other match was determined on "Friday Night Smackdown" when Bayley chose to vie for the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Iyo Sky.
(Inputs from agencies)
English (US) ·