Saving moments for months, maybe even years rather than pulling the trigger when given the chance isn’t always the right call.
The Rock is back in WWE. Well, he was for one night at least, making an electrifying comeback during a recent episode of SmackDown. It isn’t currently clear how long The People’s Champ plans on sticking around or if he’ll be back for one more match. Although he didn’t end up crossing paths with Roman Reigns during his flying visit, Rock revealed the two were supposed to clash in the main event of WrestleMania 39, and that the match might now happen when The Grandest Stage Of Them All is assembled in Philadelphia.
That’s all very exciting until you remember that even though WWE hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, the plan is presumably for Cody Rhodes to finally get his rematch against Reigns at WrestleMania 40. That on the anniversary of him failing to finish his story, The American Nightmare will be the one who brings the curtain down on The Tribal Chief’s three-plus years as champion to a close.
The Rock’s Return
The Rock poking his head back through the WWE door and casually saying he might be free to face Reigns at WrestleMania 40 throws a big old spanner into what WWE almost definitely has planned. A spanner that you can’t ignore or say no to since, well, it’s The Rock. As much as some fans might prefer to see Rhodes get his rematch, there’s no way WWE turns down the chance to have The Rock back for one more WrestleMania main event against not only the biggest star in the company, but his very own cousin.
It’s The Rock’s return and WrestleMania suggestions that have really highlighted the one big issue I have with Triple H’s approach to WWE creative. I’ve enjoyed most of what The Game has done since he was put in charge last year, and I certainly think he’s more in touch with what fans want than Vince McMahon was, or perhaps that should be is as he continues to stick his nose in. However, The Cerebral Assassin has a bad habit of not pulling the trigger on a big moment when the perfect opportunity arises.
Instead, he swerves the fans and holds onto that moment for another time. Prolonging the feud between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus is one example, and not having Shinsuke Nakamura beat Seth Rollins for the World Title may well be another. However, the Rhodes situation is easily the biggest example so far. Holding off on Rhodes winning at WrestleMania so you can presumably have him get revenge a full year later was a huge gamble, and it may now be one that doesn’t pay off.
Holding Back Your Big Moments
If you decide to hold off on something until the next week, event, or in this case the next year, anything can happen. A Superstar involved might pick up an injury. They could even leave the company. Or, in this instance, a more appealing opportunity is now on the table. WWE and The Rock are talking about how they can work together next, and if what they come up with is Rock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania, then Rhodes will be out of the equation and the happy ending Triple H decided was worth saving won’t happen.
Well, it might happen, but not in the way it was supposed to, and not in a way that makes having Rhodes lose at this year’s WrestleMania worthwhile. If Rock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania is going to happen, then the Rhodes story needs to be wrapped up before then. That means the grandson of a plumber beating Reigns at Crown Jewel or Royal Rumble, leaving a broken Reigns title-less when he faces Rock. A lesser moment for Rhodes than the one he deserved this year, and I’m also not convinced WWE will be happy with Reigns’ Rock match not having gold involved.
If Not At WrestleMania, Then Where Does It End?
The lesson here is that even though it’s nice, I’d even go as far as to say heavily preferable, for pro wrestling to be booked well in advance, saving moments isn’t always the best course of action. If that’s your approach every time you have the chance to do something special, then that something special might never happen. Hey, Rhodes having to wait another year to get his shot worked wonders, so how about we have Reigns win again and hold off on his story coming to an end until WrestleMania 41? Hell, make it WrestleMania 42, imagine how big a deal it’ll be then.
That line of thinking should especially count for WrestleMania. I can understand a big moment being saved for a big show like WrestleMania or SummerSlam rather than being used at somewhere like Fastlane or Payback, but to not cash in on the moments you’ve been building to for months on your biggest show of the year doesn’t make sense to me. WrestleMania always used to feel like the culmination of a year’s work, everyone’s rivalries coming to an end so they can call start afresh the night after on Raw. Now there’s the very real feeling going into WrestleMania that the rivalries and storylines that have been playing out for months might not only not get resolved, but they could be dragged out for another year. Or, as the case might be for Rhodes, never properly resolved at all.
