Rumors of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson headlining WrestleMania have circulated for over a year now. Unfortunately, it's looking like the rumored match between "The most electrifying man in sports entertainment," and Roman Reigns might not happen after all. This is because a new rumor is circulating about The Rock's status for WrestleMania 39, and the odds of him competing don't sound great.
The latest report indicates that The Rock does not believe he'll be ready to wrestle at WrestleMania 39. Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Dwayne Johnson allegedly informed the WWE he won't be at WrestleMania 39 as he doesn't believe he can get in shape in enough time to have a match (via Cultaholic). Meltzer did add that he was unable to confirm that Johnson officially turned down the opportunity to have a match, and he noted that it is possible The Rock's return could still be on, ahead of the event's premiere.
It's hard to imagine Dwayne Johnson not being "in shape," given his various gym videos over the years, but those muscles say nothing about the cardio needed to perform in a quality wrestling match. It's possible that Johnson doesn't feel like he could work a 30-minute match at the pace he'd like, and he doesn't want to compete in the ring in anything less than his peak physical shape. That's certainly a feeling I could understand, especially if the rumors of The Rock headlining WrestleMania alongside Roman Reigns were true.
One thing that is surprising about this news is Dwayne Johnson allegedly stating he wouldn't be at WrestleMania 39, period. The Rock has appeared at past major events for the WWE, and he even had some brief encounters in the ring with other wrestlers. While none of those encounters were on the level of what he'd need to do in a main event at WrestleMania, they were easy enough to execute. To flat-out reject appearing at all seems odd, especially given the upcoming WWE event is happening in Hollywood, a place where he has made a name for himself.
While there have been hints about The Rock from both sides regarding his return, wrestling fans should remember that neither the WWE nor Dwayne Johnson ever publicly confirmed he'd be there or back in the WWE in general. It's entirely possible that discussions of The Rock appearing and competing were overinflated, which is probably why nothing official was been said by either party.
The larger question now is: If The Rock does not take on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, who will? Right now, there's a lot of speculation that Cody Rhodes will win the Royal Rumble, and at least challenge Reigns for one of his two titles. My assumption is that another wrestler will challenge for the remaining title that is not tied up in a match with Rhodes. While it's a bummer Dwayne Johnson might not be at WrestleMania, the mystery of who could take his place for another title match would create a bit of new excitement for fans who have been following the rumors closely.
Ultimately, we don't know anything until it happens, so this is all to say that it's always good to take any WWE rumor with a grain of salt. The best we can hope for is that if Dwayne Johnson doesn't appear, the WWE had plenty of time to get another wrestler that everyone will be excited about onto the card.
Dwayne Johnson may not be at WrestleMania 39, but anyone with a Peacock Premium subscription can check out some of his best matches on streaming. The Rock has a litany of iconic matches for fans to enjoy and, hopefully, at least one more down the road if we're lucky.
