It’s often said that where there’s smoke, there’s fire and on Tuesday morning, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson certainly added fuel to the flames when it comes to the speculation of a potential WrestleMania 40 match with the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
The Rock made the rounds on Tuesday as he opened the day ringing the bell alongside his new colleagues in the TKO Board of Directors. The official press release followed, as TKO announced that the Rock would be joining the company’s Board of Directors. In addition, it was also announced that WWE had ceded ownership of the naming rights of “The Rock” to Johnson, a move the wrestler elaborated on its importance and significance when he appeared on ESPN’s First Take later that morning.
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“Had it not been for this name ‘The Rock’ I feel like there’d be no wrestling stardom, there’d be no Hollywood career. I owe so much to the name ‘The Rock,’ that wild lunatic that I was able to actually be myself in so it’s very, very special,” Johnson noted, describing the impact of his wrestling moniker.
The NYSE welcomes @TKOGrp in honor of appointing Dwayne @TheRock Johnson and Brad Keywell to the Board of Directors! $TKO | @ufc | @WWE pic.twitter.com/0Azp3C2adb
— NYSE 🏛 (@NYSE) January 23, 2024
While on First Take, Johnson also fielded questions about his new role on the board, the merger of the XFL with the USFL, and about the upcoming AFC Championship game this weekend. And of course, he was also asked by host and noted pro wrestling fan, Stephen A. Smith, about if fans will be seeing him in the ring anytime soon.
Johnson could have offered a vague response, but instead he was as forthright as he probably could be. Not only did he address the speculation but he answered in a way that, well, let’s just say if people questioned if the match was happening before, they probably don’t now.
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The Rock described himself as a “long gamer,” saying that he likes to build. And build he did when he showed up unexpected on SmackDown a few weeks ago to talk about where he should sit to grab a bite to eat. He suggested perhaps at the head of the table, a table that on First Take, he again alluded to multiple times when talking about how his grandfather and father helped build it. Naturally, the build for the Roman Reigns vs The Rock at WrestleMania 40 would have to include more than one SmackDown or Raw showing, and it seems that could be the case. How else are Reigns and The Rock going to put on, in Johnson’s own words, “the greatest and biggest WrestleMania of all-time.”
The Rock says that him and Roman Reigns could put on “the greatest and biggest WrestleMania of all time." 🍿 👀 pic.twitter.com/uwsaX7RajJ
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 23, 2024
“If myself and Roman Reigns were to main event WrestleMania, and I mean this very respectfully of all the WrestleManias prior because I grew up in this business and I love it, we could possibly put on, with us as a main event, and this incredible group of men and women who are these incredible group of performers, we could possibly put on the greatest and biggest WrestleMania of all-time,” The Rock said.
He was then prompted by co-host Molly Querim, “so you’re saying there’s a chance?” to which he replied, “there’s a chance.” And no doubt echoing the sentiments of the millions and billions, Smith said, “oh there’s more than a chance.”
While The Rock did not go on First Take to build a wrestling match, it was pretty clear he had no intent to shy away from the possibility either. As the interview went on, Johnson even humored the show’s hosts when they suggested getting involved in the match as his managers. Of course, it was all hypothetical but even just entertaining the ideas seems to suggest that this match, which has been several years in the making, could be closer to reality than its ever been before. Roman Reigns vs The Rock at WrestleMania 40 could be an option that isn’t just on the proverbial table, but that is sitting right at the head of it.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on Roman Reigns vs The Rock at WrestleMania 40, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
