In a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided a new update on the status of Dwayne “The Rock” appearing at WrestleMania 40.
Despite a tease from Johnson on the Pat McAfee Show that he could potentially work at the show in Philadelphia next April, Meltzer confirmed an earlier report from Sports Illustrated that there are currently no plans for The Rock at WrestleMania 40:
“Regarding the stories that WWE won’t do Rock vs. Reigns at Mania if Rock wants to do it, what we were told is this. If he wants the spot I can’t believe WWE would turn him down but after Johnson turned it down last year, nobody is going with the idea he’s going to do it this year. The match is not scheduled, unlike at this time last year when the match was considered a good shot.
The belief is that Johnson will have plenty of work once the strikes are over [and] he’ll have plenty to do. What we were told is that Rock is not going to come back and win the title. I’d never anticipate that would be an issue as if the match was to happen, I always figured Reigns to win and Rock then retiring in the ring.”
As of time of writing, the SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing, which has added to the speculation of Johnson’s involvement in WWE following a surprise appearance on SmackDown alongside McAfee in September.
Source: F4WOnline