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The Rock tells two stories regarding his involvement in the booking WWE storylines over the last six months.
The Rock said he is a long-term planner when he appeared at the post-Elimination Chamber PLE press conference in March after John Cena turned heel to end the show. The Rock was asked if his appearance at Bad Blood last October was supposed to be part of the build that eventually led to Cena’s heel turn to join Rock and rapper Travis Scott at the end of Elimination Chamber.
“It meant something. I’m a long gamer. I like long gaming,” said Rock. “I like creating with Paul Levesque and Brian Gewirtz and Maya Lasry, who is on my side of the team. I like creating with Paul and his team as well. We’re long gamers. A lot thought Bad Blood, when I just did a small subtle thing, there was a lot of criticism. ‘Oh, it didn’t mean anything.’ It did. It’s okay. It’s okay if you’re not thinking about it now, but just trust me when I tell you, we are thinking about this stuff and long gaming this.
“Same thing when we opened up with Netflix in L.A. when I came out as the Director of the Board and welcomed everybody and thanked Cody Rhodes for carrying the company. I gave him dap and a big hug. I knew this night was coming. We are long gaming.”
The Rock had a different answer for his involvement in WWE storylines when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and when he talked about how his participation in the Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena storyline came about last minute. “I got a call about a month before Elimination Chamber,” said Rock. “I get a call from Ari Emanuel, who we know owns TKO, TKO owns WWE, he’s been my long-time business partner and one of my best friends for over 20 years. He said we need help at Elimination Chamber, ticket sales are a little slow.
“But beyond that, he goes, ‘What we are finding is with Elimination Chamber, it’s become the pay-per-view that’s been interesting and fans have had fun, but it’s also the conduit for WrestleMania. And how do we create an Elimination Chamber that people must tune in to see. How do we create that.’ And he said, ‘Right now we don’t have that. Will The Final Boss show up?’”
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The Rock said he came up with the Cody Rhodes giving him his soul storyline and that he pitched the idea that Rhodes would turn heel, but as they got closer to Elimination Chamber, Triple H suggested that Cena turn heel instead. “It was a litmus test to find out, in my opinion, how will fans respond if Cody sold his soul to The Final Boss?” said Rock. “Let’s get a temperature check on this. Let’s establish it, let’s anchor it in. And come to find out, there were a lot of fans who were saying: ‘Sell your soul. This shit is going to be crazy. Whatever it is, it’s compelling, it’s going to be great, let’s do it, sell your soul.’ So I was an advocate of that. Not turning Cody heel soon.
“But eventually down the line, I like the idea of that because Cody is a smart guy, he’s an intelligent guy, he’s a ring general. And I think this idea of you give him a reason to turn – way down the road, by the way – you give him a reason to turn not based on titles, not based on this, but it’s his soul and what that means that affects generations. It’s transcendent beyond pro wrestling and fans were loving it.
“As we got closer to Elimination Chamber, we were kicking ideas around, myself and Triple H. And that’s the fun part by the way, I’ve been kicking ideas around with Triple H for 20 years, dude. We’re always having a great time with him and Nick (Khan) and my team as well. And Triple H says, ‘What about this, what about John turning? I said I love it, I love it.”
The Rock was asked about not appearing at WrestleMania and said he decided after Elimination Chamber that his involvement in the storyline was over for now. “So, when we were moving forward with John and this idea of him getting crowned at WrestleMania and being a heel champion, I knew then the best thing for the Final Boss, we’ve established this idea for Cody’s soul, we can always come back to it,” said Rock.
“I did feel and I made the call, I don’t want to be involved in that. Step back. Let the Final Boss step back, back into the shadows. Let all of the spotlight go to John, let it go to Cody. Let’s not make it about Cody’s soul, eventually or John’s soul, no, let’s let them do what they do.
“And I called John after Elimination Chamber, spoke to him, called Cody, and I said I think the Final Boss’s work is done. We’ve established it, we’ve just pulled off the greatest angle in the history of professional wrestling other than Hulk Hogan turning heel back in the ’90s. I said this is amazing, we have six weeks, now let’s build. You guys go and crush it. And I’ll be right there with you and I’m always here if you need me, but I think it’s best not for the Final Boss to be involved in that finish.”
Rock was asked his thoughts about the Rhodes vs. Cena WrestleMania match and said he was “surprised” to see Travis Scott in the match. “The moment I saw Travis, I knew that immediately amplifies the Final Boss. They were waiting,” said Rock.
He said he wasn’t part of the creative behind the finish of the Rhodes vs. Cena match at WrestleMania. “They had six weeks to plan for that,” said Rock. “So, I loved the finish, finish of the match. I would have finessed things a little differently in how they got there, but that’s just me creatively. There are a lot of minds in the room, that’s my thought, but still, ultimately the bottom line was that I loved John getting 17 (title wins).
“And I never had a concern about John pulling this off. My thoughts are always to Cody because of what we’ve established with him and his story, and the kind of babyface that he is. So if done right, and I think if finessed right and if it’s nuanced right, down the road that guy not only has an incredible babyface run again as champion but also an unheard of run as a heel down the road.”
(h/t to prowrestling.net for the transcriptions of Rock’s comments on the Pat McAfee Show.)
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