Manipulation Reportedly Affected WWE WrestleMania XL Main Event

WWE enjoyed considerable success in early 2024, driven by The Bloodline's sustained dominance, Cody Rhodes' increasing popularity, and The Rock's return. This peak came during WrestleMania XL when The Rock and Roman Reigns paired up to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. However, Rhodes quickly bounced back, clinching the Undisputed WWE Universal Title from Reigns the following night.

Dave Meltzer discussed on Wrestling Observer Radio that there were significant behind-the-scenes developments at the event involving the central figures.

“There is a lot of stuff behind the scenes with Rock that I didn't realize, you know, as far as the whole thing. It's really pretty obvious to me that there were a lot of games being played earlier this year when it came to the WrestleMania thing. I mean, it's like Cody Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble was definitely done to..... there's definitely people who did not want Roman Reigns in The Rock match. And it was a lot of manipulation going on, that a lot of people aren't aware of. I mean, it seemed too convenient to me. But it really was; there's a lot of reasons for it to just kind of, not I wouldn't even call it power plays, just very interesting games being played on both sides with just people who were, it was actually funny because, you know, Roman Reigns and Rock are cousins and everything. And, you know, there were a lot of people who wanted Cody Rhodes to get that spot before the fan thing happened and didn't want The Rock to get that spot. But The Rock was going to get that spot and let's see, volunteered not to have it. Because, you know, he's gonna get what he wants, just like in some ways, it's good. In some ways, it's bad. I mean, there's obviously a lot of people who were resentful, no one can say anything bad about him publicly. But that, you know, there are people who were very resentful of him going like, I came back in wrestling school after, you know, WWE had, you know, a tremendous year. And, you know, the idea that he's kind of trying to take credit for this resurgence that happened a year before he came back.”

Meltzer continued, “No, there are even people who were very negative on him readily admit that when he came in, it made, it made the brand more popular that he drove TV ratings to a great degree. He helped drive this WrestleMania to be the biggest today. WrestleMania there's been I mean, there were definitely people who took what's the word I'm looking for? who were happy that Sunday outgrew Saturday when it came to viewers. But you know, at the same time, I mean, Sunday was the climax. The idea that the match with The Rock and his return did not outdraw Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, but you can also make the argument that everyone knew that the Rock was going to be in that match too involved in that match, too. The match ended up being, you know, Sunday, which was the bigger day than Saturday."

For those who want a paraphrased version, see below:

There were a lot of backstage politics around WrestleMania this year, particularly involving The Rock and Roman Reigns. It's clear there was some manipulation to prevent Reigns from facing The Rock. Instead, Cody Rhodes, who won the Royal Rumble, was pushed into the spotlight, which many believe was orchestrated by those who opposed a Reigns-Rock matchup. Despite the family ties between Reigns and The Rock, this situation led to mixed feelings within the industry. While some supported Rhodes taking the spotlight, others were keen on The Rock having that opportunity, although he eventually stepped aside. This move by The Rock was seen as both positive and negative, causing resentment among some, especially given his significant influence and the impact he's perceived to have on the WWE's recent success.

Meltzer added that despite some negative sentiments towards The Rock, his return undoubtedly boosted the brand's popularity and drove TV ratings, contributing to making this WrestleMania the biggest yet. Interestingly, while The Rock's match on Sunday didn’t outdraw the Reigns-Rhodes match, it was still part of the climax, helping Sunday become a more viewed day than Saturday.

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