Brian Gewirtz Discusses How WWE Pivoted on the Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, & Rock WM 40 Storyline

– During a recent interview with The Masked Man Show, Brian Gewirtz how WWE shifted course with the main event angle with WrestleMania 40, recalling the night where Cody Rhodes seemingly introduced The Rock as Roman Reigns’ opponent for WrestleMania 40. Gewirtz revealed the original plan was to have Cody Rhodes deliver a strong promo favoring The Rock beating Reigns, but instead, Cody Rhodes looked absolutely miserable. Of course, the WWE Universe didn’t bite on the potential Rock vs. Reigns match, wanting to see Cody Rhodes finally “finish the story” instead. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Brian Gewirtz on how Rhodes delivered the promo that The Rock would face Roman Reigns instead: “Cody is a human being who is genuine and real and he wears his heart and emotions on his sleeve. If you read the transcript, you’re like ‘Nixon kicked [Kennedy’s] ass’ but if you watch it it’s like ‘Oh he [Nixon] was a sweaty terrible mess.”

On how Rhodes looked miserable when he delivered the promo: “He looked like someone shot his dog in the face in the parking lot. That, I don’t think helped matters…I don’t blame Cody for that. He’s real. He’s one of the realest people I’ve ever met.”

On how Rhodes’ body language and fan reaction to the angle left WWE with a choice: “We could push forward like WWE has often done, …or we could do something pretty incredible.”

Of course, at WrestleMania 40: Night 2, Cody was finally able to defeat Roman Reigns to win the WWE Undisputed Championship and finish the story. The following night, The Rock indicated that he would be targeting Cody Rhodes the next time he returns to WWE.