By this point, most pro wrestling fans seem to agree that the end of the WrestleMania 41 main event fell flat. And the confusion regarding the disappointing finish was only amplified on Tuesday when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined The Pat McAfee Show.
Over the course of the conversation, the pro wrestling legend explained that it was never the plan for him to be at WrestleMania, despite him being the primary catalyst in the Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena feud. He also threw WWE’s creative under the bus, admitting that there were things he would have done differently in the build to the company’s biggest show of the year.
That didn’t sit well with Busted Open Radio‘s Dave LaGreca, who responded to The Rock’s appearance on McAfee with one of his trademark rants.
“You’re gonna go on [McAfee’s] show and say, ‘Yeah, I would have done it differently. Yeah, I would have adjusted some things.’ It’s nice to hear from you now, pal! It’s over!” LaGreca said. “You talk about a Monday morning quarterback? That’s a Tuesday morning quarterback. Thanks pal! Didn’t make yourself available, didn’t show up at WrestleMania. But now I’m gonna say, ‘Yeah, I would have done things differently. You talk about completely throwing [WWE chief content officer] Triple H completely under the bus, that’s exactly what The Rock did… if you’re not going to be there and you didn’t take part in it, then you shouldn’t say anything about it.”
Despite The Rock being one of the most famous (and busiest) people on the planet, LaGreca’s rant made its way to “The People’s Champ.” Not only that, but the WWE legend commented on the Instagram post of the clip, insisting that the McAfee Show interview — like everything else in pro wrestling — was a “complete work” (wrestling lingo for remaining within the storyline).
“Hi Dave, the business is a complete work. Always has been, always will be. Every aspect of it. Every match. Every interview,” he wrote. “Please join me, Cody, Cena, Brian and the rest of us for our creative discussions so you can expand your perspective. Until then, stop ranting, it’s not healthy my friend. Enjoy the show. Ps, tell [Busted Open Radio co-host] Bubba [Ray Dudley] I have Grand Marnier and hush puppies for all of us.”
Taking The Rock at his word, all of this seems like an even bigger mess than it did on Tuesday.
How does explaining your version of events of behind the scenes happenings while criticizing WWE’s actual creative add to the storyline? Is The Rock — who has 12 upcoming projects in various stages of development listed on his IMDB page — expected to be back in WWE anytime soon? And if not, then why is he giving interviews on ESPN airwaves two days after the biggest show of the year?
Furthermore, the Pat McAfee interview and the comment to LaGreca opens up a whole new can of worms. Initially, The Rock said that he was appearing as TKO board member Dwayne Johnson in the interview. He even admitted that he knew all the WrestleMania 41 finishes ahead of time. But in telling LaGreca that every interview is a work in a video about the McAfee conversation, is he now changing course and claiming that this was a work too? If the McAfee interview was something that was actually in-character, when The Rock was revealing intricate details about Elimination Chamber ticket sales lagging and creative conversations regarding John Cena and Cody Rhodes, then it complicates things a thousand times over.
Also, are we supposed to take The Rock’s response to LaGreca seriously? Or is that a work too? Is he working himself into a shoot or shooting himself into a work? How is anybody supposed to know what exactly is going on here?
It’s also worth mentioning that The Rock curiously didn’t single out Triple H as a part of the creative process involving himself, Cena, Rhodes and his longtime writer, Brian Gewirtz, despite his former on-screen rival being the head of the company’s creative. If we ever get a Team Rock vs. Team Triple H feud down the line, then maybe all of this truly was a work. But until then, it just gives the appearance of a behind-the-scenes power struggle making its way into the public eye.