3 WWE Superstars who could ‘Sell their souls’ to The Rock
The Rock will be looking for an answer from Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, which could very well define the main event scene in WWE.
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Cody Rhodes and The Rock (via WWE)
The Rock made his return to WWE programming this week on SmackDown, announcing to the crowd in New Orleans that WrestleMania would be coming back to city and also confronting WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The Great One and The American Nightmare have been back and forth for the past year or so, with the original WrestleMania XL plan putting Rock vs. Roman Reigns in the main event.
This didn’t happen because of the backlash from fans and reportedly Cody himself, so Rhodes was factored into the main event plans because of his Royal Rumble win and would “finish the story” by beating Reigns in the main event of Night 2.
The Rock wanted Rhodes to become “his” Champion when he spoke to him in the ring on Friday night. What really changed the dynamic of the segment was when Dwayne Johnson told Rhodes that he already had everything he could want, and while he didn’t want the American Nightmare’s WWE title…he wanted his “soul.”
What that actually means is open for debate, and the two men will meet again in the ring at the Elimination Chamber event on March 1st in Toronto. What it does seem to indicate is that The Rock wants Rhodes to “sell his soul” and become a “corporate” champion, so could Rhodes be the one to do that? Or are there some other choices when it comes to a WWE Superstar being “The Rock’s Champion?” That’s what I’m going to explore here.
3. CM Punk
One of the biggest driving motivators of CM Punk‘s on-screen (and off, to be fair) character is that he desperately wants to get the WrestleMania main event. Being the last match on a Mania card is something that Punk has never been able to boast, and that could easily play into a storyline with The Rock and Cody Rhodes. Punk said to Rhodes in a segment earlier this year that he would “stab him in the front,” so there is definitely scope to do something with these two.
What makes this even juicer as a concept is how The Rock actually stopped Punk from being in the main events of WrestleMania 28 and 29. Granted it isn’t something that was ever made official on TV, but the return of Dwayne Johnson to WWE to ‘host’ Mania 27 would lead to the ‘twice in a lifetime’ matches between John Cena and The Rock at Mania 28 and 29.
Having Punk be the Superstar to “sell his soul” to The Rock, the man who perception-wise stopped him in the past, to finally get his WrestleMania main event would be a fantastic wrinkle to the story, and it is easily something I can see happening to revitalize Punk’s character post-WrestleMania season.
2. John Cena
Although not as likely to happen as Punk making deal with the devil, John Cena selling his soul to The Rock would have massive ramifications for his final year with the company. Cena is on his “retirement” tour, with 2025 being the last year that we’ll likely ever see the 16-time World Champion performing in a WWE ring.
Ric Flair currently holds the (official WWE number) record of World Title wins at 16, tied with Cena, so having Cena turn on the fans and Rhodes to join The Rock as ‘his’ Champion to get to number 17 would be absolutely epic. Cena has not officially been a heel on WWE programming for nearly twenty years, so to make him turn in his final year would be a sensational move.
A bit of fantasy booking here, but I could see The Rock and Cena holding the title hostage from Cody Rhodes throughout 2025, with the threat that Cena could walk away with the belt when the clock strikes midnight in 2026.
Rhodes would have to jump through every hurdle that the two megastars put in front of him, with a huge event at the end of 2025 (maybe a Saturday Night’s Main Event or the return of Starrcade?) being where Rhodes finally regains his Championship and Cena can ride off into the sunset. That would be a great way to put over the American Nightmare as the top guy and give Cena something to really sink his teeth into before he hangs up the boots.
1. Cody Rhodes
I’ve suggested both Punk and Cena, but there is still a chance that Rhodes could just take the deal with the devil and become The Rock’s Champion. I think this is less likely than Punk and Cena, but Rhodes’ title reign is starting to get a little stale, so having him turn on the fans and join the ‘corporation’ could be a way to revitalize his character for the rest of his reign.
Turning mid-title reign is something that has done wonders for Superstars in the past, with CM Punk’s 434-day reign having his turn to the dark side alongside Paul Heyman helping to drive the main event scene back in the early-to-mid 2010s. If WWE decide that is something they want to do with Rhodes, then someone like Punk, Cena or even Roman Reigns could then be chasing the American Nightmare to try and stop him and The Great One from ruling over the WWE universe.
What all great angles in pro wrestling do is get fans talking and wondering what is going to come next. While there have been some fumbles in the Rhodes/Rock storyline so far, the segment on Friday night really added that bit of intrigue that fans were looking for.
The reveal that Rhodes will give his answer at the Elimination Chamber helps to make that event even more special ahead of WrestleMania in late April. Hopefully, the end result will be able to live up to the theories that we’ll be seeing from fans and analysts over the next week ahead of the major Premium Live Event from Toronto on Saturday, March 1st.
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Jake Skudder
(30 Articles Published)