WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield has offered his perspective on The Rock’s mysterious interaction with Cody Rhodes during the February 21 episode of SmackDown, suggesting the segment’s deliberate ambiguity served its storytelling purpose.
The segment, which began with The Rock announcing New Orleans as WrestleMania 42’s host city for April 11-12, 2026, took an unexpected turn when The Final Boss delivered a cryptic message to Rhodes about wanting his soul after initially praising the Undisputed WWE Champion.
During a recent episode of the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL explained why he believed the segment’s unusual nature was intentional and effective.
I thought it was strange and I thought it was probably supposed to be strange. Sometimes you do stuff that you don’t have a finish to. It’s why you call it episodic television, and I thought that’s what that was. I have no idea what ‘I’m gonna take your soul’ [means]. I don’t think anybody else does. I thought it was incredibly well done. It looked uncomfortable, and I think that’s how it was supposed to look.
The TKO board member also revealed his plans to appear at Elimination Chamber on March 1, where he intends to have Rhodes respond to whether he will agree to be “his champion.”
The segment continues to generate speculation among fans as The Rock’s intentions remain unclear heading into the upcoming premium live event, creating anticipation for how this storyline will develop in the weeks leading to WrestleMania.