The Rock Just Explained His Puzzling WrestleMania 41 Absence

At WrestleMania 41, John Cena shattered Ric Flair’s record as a 16-time WWE Champion to win his 17th Championship. Defeating Cody Rhodes with the help of Travis Scott, one man was noticeably absent. The lack of The Rock at WrestleMania has led to frustrations among fans who criticise “The Final Boss” for inserting himself at all. Rock attempted to clear the air about the situation Tuesday afternoon, but his response worsened an already frustrating situation.

“When we were moving forward with John and this idea of him getting crowned at WrestleMania and becoming 17, and being a heel champion, I knew then the best thing for ‘The Final Boss,’” Rock said on The Pat McAfee Show. “We’ve established this idea of Cody [Rhodes’] soul. We can always come back to it. I did feel, I made the call, I don’t want to be involved in that. Let ‘The Final Boss’ step back into the shadows. Let all the spotlight go to John, let it go to Cody. Let’s not make it about Cody’s soul or John’s soul. Let’s let them do what they do.”

The Rock’s appearances over the last year have been very sporadic. After involving himself with the build to WrestleMania 40 where Rhodes ultimately won the title, he took a backseat. Appearing at Bad Blood in October, he teased more of the story. Then, at Elimination Chamber, he helped John Cena turn heel on Rhodes. He whipped the champion and stood tall with Cena and Scott over his body. That was the last time Rock was on WWE programming. He even claims on the show that his appearance at Elimination Chamber was to boost ticket sales.

The Rock’s Baffling WrestleMania Absence

“I called John after Elimination Chamber, spoke to him, called Cody, and I said, ‘I think ‘The Final Boss’ work is done. We’ve established it,’” Johnson added. “We 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. I’ll be right there with you, and I’m always here if you need me, but I think it’s best for ‘The Final Boss’ not to be involved in that finish. Six weeks to plan for that.’

I loved the finish of [Sunday’s] 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 I loved John getting 17. I never had a concern about John pulling this off. My thoughts were always with Cody because of what we’ve established with him and his story, and the kind of babyface he is. So, if done right, and I think if finessed right and nuanced right, down the road, that guy not only has an incredible babyface run again as champion, but also just an unheard of rise as a heel down the road.”

For now, Cena will focus on one of his greatest rivals, Randy Orton. The 14-time Champion confronted Cena on WWE Raw this week, hitting him with an RKO.