WWE WrestleMania 40 Odds: Roman Reigns Vs The Rock Odds-On To Be Main Event
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WrestleMania 40 has become shrouded in controversy after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made a shock WWE return last week and declared he is to face Roman Reigns for the top title.
WWE super fans have been left furious after Friday's SmackDown when Cody Rhodes faced off with Reigns in the ring and told him he wouldn't be taking him on in April's WrestleMania, causing chaos on betting sites.
The Rock then made a shock appearance and had a dramatic stare down with the Undisputed WWE Universal champion Reigns, who he now appears scheduled to face at the main event of WrestleMania 40 (night two) on April 7 in Philadelphia.
But it looks to have backfired on the WWE after The Rock and Reigns' SmackDown stare down became the WWE's most disliked video ever, after it surpassed 600,000 dislikes in under 72 hours.
It has been speculated for years that The Rock and Reigns could face off at WrestleMania.
The two are both part of the Anoa'i family, a family of pro wrestlers originating from American Samoa.
Reigns was declared undisputed WWE Universal Champion after securing both major WWE championships, and he and his cousins have become known as The Bloodline.
It makes sense for The Rock to fight him, given their shared family history, and it is a mouth-watering match on paper. However, news of the fight has not gone over well with WWE super fans. For them, the timing is shambolic.
Their hero Rhodes looks set to be denied a second attempt at the top title -- after he lost out to Reigns last year -- he so desperately craves after his father, late wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, didn't ever win it.
The day after The Rock's SmackDown shock, #WeWantCody began trending in the US and dominated social media for days. The people have spoken. They want Rhodes.
The Rock In, Rhodes Out
For now, it looks as though WWE fans will be disappointed at WrestleMania, and Rhodes will have to wait at least another year to achieve his late dad's goal.
It is -150 on specials betting sites that The Rock faces off against Reigns at WrestleMania's main event.
It would be A-list actor The Rock's first legitimate match since 2013, and will surely attract hundreds of thousands of additional viewers.
The Rock is a busy man in Hollywood nowadays, and he won't be ring-fit forever.
So, it would be a shock if the WWE passed up the opportunity to have him face Reigns in a match that has been on the cards for years.
While the WWE has come under fire for its decision to face off The Rock and Reigns at Rhodes' expense, the fan and media attention have been astronomical, so they must be secretly delighted about that.
One thing The Rock guarantees is viewing figures, so there is surely no way the WWE just sends him back to a Hollywood movie set without the wrestling legend taking part in WrestleMania's main event.
WrestleMania 40 Triple Threat Match?
However, if the WWE is determined for The Rock and Reigns to face off, but also want to please the fans by including Rhodes, then a triple-threat match could be the answer.
It is +200 on betting apps that The Rock, Reigns and Rhodes all take to the ring together.
Should this happen, it would hark back to events at WrestleMania 30 in 2014, when WWE fans were desperate for Daniel Bryan to compete in the main event.
Randy Orton and Dave Bautista, who like The Rock have hit Hollywood hard, were the scheduled match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but the WWE caved in to fan pressure and included Bryan in the lineup for the match, which Bryan won.
If history is to repeat itself then Rhodes may well be added to the match up against The Rock and Reigns, and he could secure the title that he and his dad craved.
Rhodes faced off against Reigns last year, and he looked set to "finish the story" by winning the top title, but Reigns' cousins The Usos and Solo Sikoa intervened, resulting in Reigns winning the match.
WWE To Reverse Shock Rock Decision?
Another way for the WWE to placate fans would be to go back on their new plan and have Reigns take on Rhodes after all.
Rhodes returned to the WWE in 2022 after co-founding All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and his comeback has been a triumph.
He secured consecutive Royal Rumble match victories for the first time since the legendary "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 1998, but following The Rock shock, fans have questioned why Rhodes won the Royal Rumble if he wasn't going to face Reigns at WrestleMania.
According to new betting sites, Rhodes and Reigns are +400 to face each other without The Rock's involvement, but it looks unlikely at this stage that WWE would reverse their decision to have The Rock participating.
However, something needs to be done to appease the fans. Could that be a Rhodes vs Reigns match but with The Rock as the referee?
It is +1000 that happens, and it could certainly be another way of getting The Rock involved.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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