The Rock has addressed critics questioning the significance of his surprise WWE appearance at Bad Blood last October, explaining that the brief moment was deliberately crafted as part of a comprehensive long-term narrative.
Speaking during the WWE Elimination Chamber post-show press conference, The Rock revealed that his seemingly subtle appearance at Bad Blood 2024 served a specific purpose in the broader storyline now unfolding toward WrestleMania 41.
So what a lot thought of Bad Blood when it was a pay-per-view that the Rock attended and I just did a very small subtle thing. There was a lot of criticism like ‘Oh it didn’t mean anything.’ Well it did. It’s okay. It’s okay if you’re not thinking about it now but just trust me when I tell you we are thinking about this stuff and long gaming this and I love that.
The former WWE Champion’s comments came in response to questions about the timeline of John Cena’s shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber, where Cena aligned with The Rock to attack Cody Rhodes following Rhodes’ rejection of The Final Boss’ proposal.
The Bad Blood appearance, which occurred in October following Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ victory over The Bloodline, initially confused many fans when it wasn’t immediately followed up in subsequent programming, including during Johnson’s appearance at RAW’s Netflix Premiere two months later.
Same thing last week, same thing when we opened up with Netflix in LA where I came out as the director of the board and welcomed everybody and welcomed the Netflix executives. I thanked Cody Rhodes for carrying this company in such a tremendous way on his shoulders. I gave him a dap; I gave him a big hug. Well I knew this night was coming.
The Rock’s explanation establishes that WWE’s creative team has been executing a meticulously planned storyline spanning multiple months, with seemingly disconnected moments now revealed as calculated steps toward the WrestleMania 41 program involving Rhodes, Cena, and The Rock.
This revelation comes amid the rapidly developing storyline following Elimination Chamber, where John Cena earned a championship opportunity by defeating CM Punk in the main event, only to later stun audiences by turning heel for the first time in nearly 20 years of maintaining a heroic persona.
The strategic approach described by The Rock indicates WWE’s commitment to crafting extended narratives that reward attentive viewers, with payoffs that may take months to materialize but ultimately connect seemingly disparate story elements into a cohesive championship program heading into WrestleMania 41.