The Rock returns to the ring: Legend will compete at WrestleMania 40

It’s been teased for weeks but now it’s official: The Rock will be in the ring at WrestleMania 40.

He will team up with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for a match against Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

The match, which will take place during night one of the two-day event, will have a stipulation: If Rhodes and Rollins win, The Bloodline will be barred from being ringside on night two for the main event match between Reigns and Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. If The Rock and Reigns win, then it will be Bloodline rules, which means The Rock will do ‘everything’ to make sure Rhodes doesn’t win the title.

The two-vs.-two match was made official Friday during ‘Smackdown’ as Rhodes and Rollins appeared on the program and accepted the conditions, which were initially proposed by The Rock on last week’s episode of ‘Smackdown’ in response to Rhodes declaring at Elimination Chamber he wanted a match against The Rock. Rollins then added he would have Rhodes’ back if a match took place.

A WrestleMania match has been brewing for weeks, ever since it appeared The Rock would challenge Reigns at WWE’s flagship event, even though Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble and had already said he would pick Reigns as his WrestleMania opponent. The abrupt decision was met with backlash from WWE fans. Then, at the WrestleMania 40 kickoff in Las Vegas, Rhodes invoked his title match after Reigns said he and The Rock would face off in the ring. Words were exchanged, and the event ended with The Rock slapping Rhodes.

Rhodes got a little revenge Friday, slapping The Rock during the ‘Smackdown’ broadcast.

This will mark The Rock’s first WWE match since 2016, when he quickly defeated Erick Rowan in six seconds at WrestleMania 32. Before that, he last competed in WrestleMania 29 in 2013, when he lost to John Cena.