WrestleMania XL Kickoff Show: ‘The Rock’ vs Cody Rhodes & The Slap Heard Worldwide

It was the slap heard worldwide as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson stuck to his signature line of “Laying the Smackdown” as he slapped Cody Rhodes on the stage of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, as part of the WWE’s WrestleMania XL kick off show. The event was a hit with 4.7 million views worldwide and counting, making this the most-viewed press event in WWE history.

How WWE got to ‘The Rock’ vs Cody Rhodes on the stage was brilliant

All week, fans and media were trying to figure out how this WrestleMania XL kickoff show would go as The Rock versus Roman Reigns on the surface was not received well after months of rumors that it would finally happen. Then, not only did Rhodes, through a WWE press release, say that he would make his decision at the kickoff show, but the day prior, The Rock went on the Pat McAfee show and called the Rhodes’ fans “Cody crybabies.” The Rock doing that felt like he was considering turning heel, and it was a preview of what was to come.

At the kickoff show, Seth Rollins came out first to a nice ovation, and when he called for Rhodes to come out to make his decision, Roman Reigns instead popped out. Reigns would follow last week’s outstanding Friday Night Smackdown promo with more insults on Rollins, with The Rock abruptly coming out during the segment.

The Rock turned heel, and we are all here for it

The first indicator on heel Rock was that he was wearing all black and looked visibly annoyed at the mixed reactions he was getting from the crowd. After The Rock went into his promo, an image was posted on the big screen showing the family tree and where he and Reigns fall within it. Then Rock started to really get into his heel character and told the fans in so many words that it would be him against Reigns, regardless of whether they liked it.

Cody Rhodes comes out, visibly upset, then says he chooses Reigns as his opponent for WrestleMania. This upset The Rock, and he started getting into his family tree again and alluded to Rhodes’ family not being relevant after Cody insulted the family tree. After some back-and-forth jaw-jacking, The Rock would slap Rhodes, and all hell broke loose. The crowd erupted, and it made for a great segment.

Afterward, Triple H was being interviewed in the back when The Rock and Reigns walked up behind him, and the Rock told him, “You need to fix this, or we will.” Shortly after, Triple H announced on X that the WrestleMania main event would be Reigns vs Rhodes, but where does this leave The Rock? Will there be a tag team match at Elimination chamber between The Rock & Reigns against Rhodes & Rollins? Plenty of questions remain, but one thing is for sure: heel Rock is here, so get ready for the ride.

Quick Hits

–Bianca Belair started the press conference off with a solid promo, but she was outdone by Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, who had the second biggest moment of the afternoon. There was real heat for that matchup, and the WWE crowd in attendance was showing their support for it.

–CM Punk did well as part of the broadcast team, and this could be the start of something good for him as he recovers from his recent surgery.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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