It would be pretty iconic for the 40th WrestleMania to be headlined by a tag team match, just like the first one.
A tag team match headlining a WrestleMania is a thought that no one has entertained in what seems like forever, but thanks to The Rock, everything’s thinking about it.
Over the weekend, The Rock had fans salivating at the possibility of him and his cousin, Roman Reigns teaming up against the unlikely duo of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes in Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 – it’s been known that Rhodes and Rollins have a rivalry of sorts in real life .
The latter further fueled speculations when they promised to address the challenge on the March 8 Friday Night SmackDown episode.
The Rock’s return to the WWE ring for this match is a notable event, marking his first substantive in-ring action since WrestleMania 29, where he last competed for the WWE Championship. The choice to participate in a tag team match is actually a shrewd move.
Woah! @TheRock and The #Bloodline just challenged @CodyRhodes & @WWERollins to a Tag Team Match at #WrestleMania! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/RQjOZLxlpP
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2024
First, the proposed match capitalizes on the existing tensions and storylines among the participants. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins have been embroiled in a complex feud with The Bloodline, spearheaded by Roman Reigns. Inserting The Rock into this mix adds a new layer of intrigue, given his familial ties to Reigns and historical significance within WWE. This tag team match allows for the expansion of this storyline in a way a singles match might not, providing a platform for multiple narratives to converge and unfold.
We’ve already seen the masterful way the WWE has handled the complicated dynamic between The Tribal Chief and the Brahma Bull unfold on the March 1 episode of Friday Night RAW.
If WWE is building towards a match between Reigns and The Rock at WrestleMania 41, it could very well start planting the seeds in April by having the fallout between the two start taking place in the tag team match.
THIS FRIDAY on #SmackDown@CodyRhodes gives @TheRock his answer for what’s happening at #WrestleMania!
📍 DALLAS
🎟️ https://t.co/EsoIEQaeUk pic.twitter.com/0sDIP1RJRf
— WWE (@WWE) March 5, 2024
Moreover, the match structure benefits the participants, particularly The Rock, who has been away from regular in-ring competition for years. A tag team format allows for all of the involved parties to share the workload while reducing the physical demands on The Rock. This enables him to showcase his wrestling prowess and charismatic presence without compromising the quality of the match due to potential ring rust.
Additionally, this tag team match serves as a potent draw for WrestleMania 40, ensuring that Night 1 of the event has a marquee matchup that can attract viewers.
It’s become somewhat of a problem lately that Night 1 of WrestleMania is reserved for what WWE perceives as the lesser draw.
The Rock vs Roman Reigns still needs to happen but it needs a year’s worth of build up, which could start in WrestleMania 40.
The Rock vs Roman Reigns still needs to happen but it needs a year’s worth of build up, which could start in WrestleMania 40.
The fact that people are talking about WrestleMania 40 as potentially the first one to be headlined by a tag team match since WrestleMania 1 proves that this potential matchup elevates its status. Don’t forget that Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 was also headlined by a tag team match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and the Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
The star power of The Rock alone is a significant draw. When combined with the current top talents of Reigns, Rhodes, and Rollins, it creates a blockbuster match of substantial levels of hype. This is particularly important for this year’s WrestleMania, the company’s first following the merger.
Critically, the unconfirmed tag team matchup allows for a creative resolution to ongoing storylines without prematurely concluding them.
Given the complexities of the storylines involved, such a match at WrestleMania 40 is a way to advance these narratives without necessarily resolving them entirely. This leaves room for further development post-WrestleMania, ensuring that the momentum built up in the lead to the event can continue to unfold in interesting ways.
For now, all of this remains speculation but what’s confirmed is that Cody Rhodes will have another attempt at finishing his story against Roman Reigns in Night 2 of WrestleMania 40.