The Rock was widely expected to battle Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who will now face Cody Rhodes in the main event
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It appeared briefly earlier this month that WWE could have Steve Austin and The Rock booked for either Night One or Night Two of WrestleMania 39 in April. But it appears that neither guy will be competing in Los Angeles in two months as the aftermath of Royal Rumble weekend and the WrestleMania situation become more evident.
The Wrestling Observer Radio of today says that Austin also probably won’t be wrestling at WrestleMania 39, however, neither guy is ruled out of attending the event. The Rock was already believed to be unlikely to participate in the event. “As far as Austin goes, Steve might be at the show, he might do something on the show, but he did, in fact, turn down wrestling at the show. He was offered Lesnar, he was offered Roman Reigns. He could’ve named his opponent if he wanted to do it with anybody else. But he did not choose to wrestle on the show. The same goes for Dwayne,” according to WOR.
Rock was widely expected to battle Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who will now face Cody Rhodes in the main event until it became known that he wouldn’t be competing on the card. Meltzer did point out that a Rock-Reigns Mania battle may still happen, but not until WrestleMania 40 in 2024.”He left the door open for next year if he has more time,” Meltzer said.
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The Rock and Steve Austin speculated to face off in a contest, but WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has his reservations. Flair remarked on “To Be The Man” on Rock’s fame in Hollywood and his duties to the XFL. He said, “[The Rock] never stops. He’s great at what he does.”
Flair noted that neither guy needs the money and mentioned that it’s possible that Rock isn’t in “ring shape.” He said, “Obviously [Johnson] looks like a million dollars, as does Steve [Austin]. [Steve will] only do it if he wants to do it. As far as The Rock goes, obviously, he doesn’t need the money, and if he did it, I don’t see him doing a favor, and why would he?” Losing in his hometown, according to Flair, would be a dishonor to Rock’s image.
Flair answered, “Why would he do a favor at WrestleMania in his hometown?” When Conrad Thompson, his co-host, pushed on knowing that Johnson how would be “doing the favor” for a relative, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
“Roman doesn’t need the favor,” Flair exclaimed, noting that Roman has “already made his own brand,” and going on to note that all an appearance from The Rock would do is add to the Premium Live Event’s buy rate.
“I think it’s more likely that Steve [Austin] would come back,” Flair stated, addressing rumors that Austin was offered a big-money deal to face Roman Reigns, though he noted that Austin would need to get himself in shape for a world title match, noting that it’s a different situation than what was essentially an exhibition match last year against Kevin Owens.
