The Rock and Cody Rhodes were seemingly set to face each other at WrestleMania at one point. However, the match reportedly won’t be happening. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter,

The Rock debuted on NXT at New Year's Evil last night in Los Angeles, closing the show with one of his quick-witted promos as the show went off-air. The new investor in TKO addressed the criticism circling social media and the WWE Universe about his interactions with Cody Rhodes the night before on the Netflix debut of RAW.

Rock, who announced his intended appearance via social media on Sunday, entered after a rah-rah speech from WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque. Rather than reprising his recent heel character and building to WrestleMania 41, however, his appearance suggested that perhaps he won't be in Las Vegas this April after all.

The Rock's appearance at WWE NXT’s New Year’s Evil on January 7, 2025, sparked speculation about his storyline with Cody Rhodes. He acknowledged their mutual respect while hinting at a strategic rivalry,

When The Rock let it slip while RAW was on the air at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, that he was heading to NXT at The Shrine for New Year’s Evil, fans wondered what the “Final Boss” would have to say on WWE television for the second day in a row,

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson jumped back into the ring at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome to kick off the Netflix premiere of WWE’s Raw—and he wasn’t alone.