WrestleMania season is underway, and as we gear up for the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix and other upcoming WWE events, rumors about what's in store for WrestleMania 41 are making rounds. If last year's speculation wasn't chaotic enough, it's looking like another main event will largely rely on what Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wants to do.
The Rock and his absurd People's Championship were last seen on WWE programming in October, and we've been speculating when he may return to the brand. We might have an answer, thanks to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, in which Dave Meltzer noted what the current main event for Wrestlemania 41 is should The Rock be unavailable and unwilling to have a match (via f4wonline.com):
So for WrestleMania, the reports of Rhodes vs. John Cena are accurate as things stand right now. The idea of Cena challenging one of the two champions in an attempt to break the so-called record of 16 reigns that he and Flair share has been a working idea for months.
It would be the ultimate "Face" off, having the new hero of WWE go against the old. We've also reported on speculation that it'll be Cena that makes Rhodes finally turn heel and become a villainous champion going forward, as well as the speculation that John Cena will win the Royal Rumble and challenge Gunther for his title, so which should we believe?
According to this rumor, many possibilities are still on the table and it all comes down to The Rock. If The Brahma Bull does cash in on wanting another WrestleMania main event, the plan will likely change, but it's apparently not clear whether that will happen at this point as Dave Meltzer talked about how Cena was originally intended to challenge for the Heavyweight championship:
At first it was the Raw title given Rhodes vs. Rock would be for the other title and People’s belt. This isn’t etched in stone because whatever Rock wants to do, he’s likely going to be able to do. I do know that people are expecting him to appear on the show [WrestleMania 41] in some form. As for wrestling on the show, I even know people at the top who are expecting that, but it’s not a sure thing and one would think the Netflix show on 1/6 will kick off the season and tip the hand. Rock could do another match even though WWE title vs. People’s title was what he wanted after Mania.
Having reported all of this, I should note that while pro wrestling rumors are often accurate or pan out during the regular portions of the calendar year, WrestleMania season is often a crapshoot. There were all sorts of rumors flying around last year about who was doing what and who was winning what, and really it almost felt like some rumors were being spread to distribute disinformation deliberately. So, should we believe this theory or just take it with a grain of salt?
I'm on the fence because I do remember the alleged deals of Dwayne Johnson's contract when he joined the TKO Board of Directors, granting him influence over the WWE. It was substantial enough that it almost derailed a rematch between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns had it not been for a massive fan movement that led to him backing down on the request for a match with Reigns. I can certainly believe the WrestleMania main event, for now, anyway, is once again at Johnson's discretion, and there are seemingly multiple alternate plans in place in the event that any number of circumstances change.
For now, I just say we wait for the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix on January 6th and see what that hints toward regarding WrestleMania 41. It should be a thrilling night for the streamer and wrestling fans, and I'm hoping it lives up to the hype after we've been waiting for so long.
