At WWE WrestleMania 40, Roman Reigns was initially set to face The Rock in a highly anticipated dream match. However, fans’ strong backlash prevented the match from happening. Cody Rhodes, who won the Men’s Royal Rumble,

Roman Reigns comments on potentially facing The Rock. Fans have buzzed about the match for years, and it was set to become a reality at WWE WrestleMania 40. However, fans rallied around Cody Rhodes, so Reigns faced Rhodes instead.

Former WWE Universal Champion and the "OTC" Roman Reigns participated in an interview with Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated. In a video uploaded on November 27, Reigns discussed his return following his loss to WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

The WWE Universe was expecting The Rock to show up at Survivor Series: WarGames 2024. But The Final Boss did not appear at the event.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Reigns reflected on the changed WrestleMania XL plans. As the top dog, all that mattered was being in the main event of the PLE. Reigns main evented both Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, breaking Hulk Hogan's record for the most in history (10).

Plans changed at the WrestleMania XL Kickoff when Cody, the winner of the men's Royal Rumble, stated that he wanted to face Roman at WrestleMania XL. Instead of Roman vs. Rock, fans got Roman & Rock vs. Cody & Seth Rollins at night one of WrestleMania XL and Roman vs. Cody at night two.

Earlier this year, The Rock made his ground-breaking return to the Stamford-based promotion with a major twist. The People's Champion eventually became The Final Boss of WWE and aligned with The Bloodline against Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.