The Rock explains bizarre WrestleMania 41 absence – and WWE fans are having absolutely none of it
Dwayne ' The Rock ' Johnson has revealed his reason for skipping WrestleMania 41, leaving millions of wrestling fans gutted.
The Final Boss was expected to attend the Las Vegas showstopper for the culmination of six weeks of 'build' for John Cena vs Cody Rhodes.
The Hollywood A-lister was the in-ring mastermind behind Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber, which rocked the WWE universe to its core.
But The Rock never appeared in Sin City as, instead, his accomplice and music star Travis Scott helped Cena over the line to lift the WWE belt for a record-breaking 17th time.
Fans came out in their droves to slam his absence with many loyalists convinced the Hall of Famer would appear.
And now he has responded when speaking Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show - and revealed he never wanted to continue his involvement in one of the biggest storylines in pro wrestling history.
"When we were moving forward with John and this idea of him getting crowned at WrestleMania and becoming 17, and being a heel champion, I knew then the best thing for The Final Boss," Johnson said.
"We've established this idea of Cody's soul. We can always come back to it. I did feel, I made the call, I don't want to be involved in that. Let 'The Final Boss' step back into the shadows.
"Let all the spotlight go to John, let it go to Cody. Let's not make it about Cody's soul or John's soul. Let's let them do what they do."
The storyline began way back after February's Royal Rumble where The Rock made a shock appearance and vowed to take Rhodes' "soul."
But The Rock said his role in the rivalry had ended just weeks later.
"I called John after Elimination Chamber, spoke to him, called Cody, and I said, 'I think 'The Final Boss' work is done. We've established it,'" Johnson said.
"We just pulled off the greatest angle in the history of professional wrestling, other than Hulk Hogan turning heel back in the '90s.
"I said, 'This is amazing. We have six weeks. Now, let's build. You guys go and crush it. I'll be right there with you, and I'm always here if you need me, but I think it's best for 'The Final Boss' not to be involved in that finish. Six weeks to plan for that.'
"I loved the finish of [Sunday's] match. I would have finessed things a little differently in how they got there, but that's just me creatively. There are a lot of minds in the room.
"That's my thought, but still, ultimately, the bottom line was I loved John getting 17. I never had a concern about John pulling this off.
"My thoughts were always to Cody because of what we've established with him and his story, and the kind of babyface he is.
"So, if done right, and I think if finessed right and nuanced right, down the road, that guy not only has an incredible babyface run again as champion, but also just an unheard of rise as a heel down the road."
Although Johnson was satisfied with Scott's involvement, he didn't think it was perfect.
"We can insert 'Final Boss' in the end of this finish, but then where do we go?" Johnson said.
"There's other commitments that I have. I want to also be careful that we're not overstepping and leaning over our skis too much here.
"Can get involved in the finish, but I said, 'Why get involved in that finish when the spotlight should just be on, in my opinion, John, 17, heel champion, what does 2025 look like if this man says he is going to ruin professional wrestling?'
"That, to me, is the anchoring storyline. It's not soul right now. We'll go back to it."
Fans on X were quick to hit back at The Rock's explanation with the census he had misled them.
One said: "The Rock's interview was full of passive-aggressive comments & contradictions Oh to be a fly on the wall for HHH/Rock communications over the past year... Regarding his excuse for stepping back, he is either dumb (he's not) or this was a receipt for derailing his WM40 plans."
Another posted: "The Rock inserting himself in this feud just do do sweet f*** all when it actually matters."
One fan quipped: "The Rock randomly pulls up to a weekly show, blows up creative by inserting himself into a story, then f***s off with no intention to coming back to finish what he abruptly started."
Another raged: "This photo should've been the closing shot of WrestleMania [with a picture of John Cena, The Rock and Travis Scot in the ring]."
John Cena now looks set to rekindle his rivalry with Randy Orton after they came to blows at WWE Raw on Monday.
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