The prolonged actors’ strike in Hollywood has caused movie stars to continue returning to wrestling, who found it difficult to find time for their former hobby during the period of their main work. John Cena returned to WWE a few weeks ago and the latest episode of SmackDown featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making his first appearance since 2019.
Cena participated in the last WWE show in an unusual role:
“Meat grinder” equipment and an unexpected result. WWE Recovery Results
The Rock officially returned to wrestling and before graduating visited Pat McAfee’s show, where he said he was ready to fight at the 39th Wrestlemania show.
“We actually considered doing a match with Roman Reigns at the last Wrestlemania, but the idea of what is the best way to present that story to the viewer never occurred to us. Therefore, we decided to postpone this idea until the next show in Philadelphia. Maybe it would be more appropriate there. There is a lot of potential in this matchup, I am open to that match,” Johnson said.
The Wrestlemania anniversary promises to be on a large scale, so The Rock could have any star as an opponent. Especially considering the recent merger between WWE and UFC.
Let’s take a look at the top contenders for the role of The Rock’s rival.
Roman reigns
Roman Reigns is the current Undisputed WWE Champion. He won the Universe title back in 2020 in a match with Bray Wyatt, who is now no longer alive.
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At Wrestlemania 38 in 2022, Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. He unified the belts becoming the undisputed champion of the federation.
During these three long years as champion, Reigns has seemingly beaten everyone on the WWE roster, so experts and fans agree that if anyone can stop Reigns, it will be his cousin, The Rock. It seems that everything is ready for his fight at Wrestlemania 40, but such an open message from Johnson about his desire to do this match makes one wonder. Will WWE move this story to another time, or maybe even forget it entirely?
Roman reigns
Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images
Conor McGregor
The former UFC star has repeatedly hinted that he wants to try his hand at wrestling, so why not take advantage of a moment of free time in The Rock’s schedule? The fight between McGregor and Johnson will easily surpass the stardom of the confrontation between Sena and The Rock 10 years ago. Just what WWE needs to make the WrestleMania anniversary a great event.
McGregor and Johnson have no conflict, but wrestling is not a place where personal relationships are put at the forefront. Suffice it to remember how good friends Donald Trump and Vince McMahon starred in the “Battle of the Billionaires.” A conflict can be invented in a weekly magazine and in a few months the atmosphere between rivals can heat up to the limit.
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Brock Lesnar
Former UFC star Brock Lesnar ended his feud with Cody Rhodes at Summerslam in early August and took a long break.
The media wrote that Lesnar would appear on the screens no earlier than 2024 and would definitely be involved in the next Wrestlemania. The Rock already crossed paths with Lesnar in the WWE ring in 2002-2003, so why wouldn’t the company stage a similar matchup again? If it takes place, the match will definitely be the best of the decade.
By the way, their match was discussed at Wrestlemania 30, which was confirmed by Johnson himself, but the matter did not go beyond the conversations.
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Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes made his triumphant return to WWE at Wrestlemania 38 and immediately became the company’s best good guy. His merchandise sells well and he is adored by children and other fans, so Rhodes, who spent a lot of time recovering from a torn chest, won the Royal Rumble in 2023 and got the chance to face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 39. , But lost. He then faced Brock Lesnar, and now it looks like Rhodes is being set up for another big fight. Why exactly with Rock? BWE hinted at this, saying that WWE has not signed a deal with Johnson yet, but is in negotiations with him about the next storyline, and Rhodes is a top contender for the opponent role.
Cody Rhodes
Photo: Gladys Vega/Getty Images
John Cena
The confrontation between Cena and Johnson in WWE was arranged 10 years ago, so the option with John for The Rock is one of the most unlikely. However, both are filming less and less due to the actors’ strike, so such a scenario cannot be ruled out. On the last SmackDown, Cena and Johnson met in the stands and hugged each other.
David Bautista
Batista officially retired from wrestling four years ago and has not appeared in WWE again. However, wrestlers are those same athletes for whom the last fight is often never the last. Batista, like Cena and Johnson, is a sought-after actor, so he is out of work during the strike. Dave is definitely in good shape and can prepare for a good match. Why not?
