Cody Rhodes didn’t comply with what WWE had hoped for before WrestleMania 40. Despite the expectations, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz has shed light on the situation, revealing that Cody Rhodes stepping aside for The Rock on the February 2, 2024, edition of SmackDown was meant to be seen as “uplifting”. Gewirtz, who collaborates closely with Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, provided insights into what transpired behind the scenes.
According to Gewirtz, Cody was supposed to deliver his promo with a more positive tone and agree to let The Rock challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Title instead. However, things didn’t go according to plan. Instead of appearing upbeat, Rhodes appeared melancholic as he potentially saw his WrestleMania 40 aspirations fade away.
Gewirtz empathized with Rhodes on a human level, acknowledging that he was simply being “genuine and real”. However, WWE didn’t anticipate the backlash from fans that followed. Gewirtz believes that “you couldn’t mask what [Cody] was really feeling”, which contributed to the situation.
Ultimately, Triple H decided to revert to Cody vs. Roman for ‘Mania after all.
It’s remarkable that WWE expected Rhodes to portray enthusiasm about The Rock replacing him on the grandest stage of the year.
