Fans have been begging WWE to have Roman Reigns face off against The Rock for years. As we all know, Reigns and The Rock are cousins. We have seen The Rock make appearances and support Reigns in the past, like at Royal Rumble 2015. We have also seen Reigns beat down The Rock multiple times as a member of the Shield. With Roman Reigns becoming WWE's biggest star over the last few years, now would be the perfect time to start a storyline between the two. The two's history runs deep, so fans want to see this match happen.

Fans hoped this was the year we would see Roman Reigns vs. The Rock. With WrestleMania being in Hollywood this year, everybody suspected that The Rock would finally make his return to WWE to battle his cousin. Whether he returned to win the Royal Rumble, cost Reigns his WWE Undisputed Universal Championship, or confront him, fans were anticipating some sort of comeback. But it never happened.

Whether plans fell through the cracks or it was never in the cards this year, we will not be seeing Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania in Hollywood. Roman Reigns will instead headline WrestleMania with the winner of the Royal Rumble match, Cody Rhodes. This has been the plan ever since Rhodes returned to WWE last year, and WWE wasn't going to change their plans for The Rock.

The story Roman Reigns has been telling over the last few years with Sami Zayn and the Bloodline has been one of the best stories WWE has told in decades. This is the best example of where long-term storytelling can get you. WWE has put so much time and effort into this story that it legitimately transformed Roman Reigns into a megastar. With a story this good, you can't throw it away when a big match is put on the table. Roman Reigns vs. The Rock would tear the house down at WrestleMania, but this wasn't the year to do it. The plan was always for Cody Rhodes to main-event WrestleMania with Roman Reigns. Whether he wins is another story, but this was always meant to be Rhodes' spot, not The Rocks's.

Just because the match won't happen this year doesn't mean it will never happen. The clock is ticking, though, because The Rock will be 51 years old in May, while Reigns' time in WWE may be coming to an end soon. It's no secret that Roman Reigns will eventually move on from WWE and transition into Hollywood, so WWE doesn't have too much time to set this match up.

WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood is shaping to be one of the most memorable events in recent history. Next year WWE will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of WrestleMania, and that's the event where they should have one of the biggest main events in history: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock.

The issue WWE would have run into this year if they ran with Reigns vs. The Rock is how believable it would have been. If Roman Reigns walked into WrestleMania as the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion, nobody would believe The Rock is defeating him for the belts. The Rock hasn't competed in a WWE ring in nearly seven years, and it was the shortest match in WrestleMania history. Nobody would have thought The Rock would walk out of WrestleMania holding the company's two top championships.

If WWE decides to run Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 40 with no belts on the line, the match would feel infinitely more important. The focus of the match wouldn't be about who is walking out of WrestleMania as WWE Undisputed Universal Champion. The focus of the match would be on the Bloodline and who the actual Head of the Table is.

It'll be interesting to see what WWE has in store for Roman Reigns in 2023. Will Roman continue his reign of dominance and hold both championships past WrestleMania? Will he lose both titles to Cody Rhodes and start a storyline with his cousin Jey Uso? Or will this be the year that we see the downfall of the Bloodline, which concludes with Roman Reigns facing The Rock to prove he is the one and only Trible Chief? That's for us to find out.

Everybody thought we were getting Roman Reigns vs. The Rock this year, but maybe we should wait until next year to have this match. That way, WWE can get a full year to build up the story and get the belts off Reigns. WrestleMania is shaping up to be one of the best events in history, but WWE can top it next year if they finally have this match.

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