Report: WWE WrestleMania 40 Match With Roman Reigns Was Part Of The Rock's Deal To Join The TKO Board

The anticipated WWE WrestleMania 40 match between Roman Reigns and The Rock was likely part of the latter's recent deal when joining the TKO board of directors.

This is according to a recent report by PWInsider Elite, which explains: 

"[The match] is a done deal and as we noted on Saturday, likely something that was contractually locked in as one of the milestones Rock would be involved in as part of his TKO Board of Directors deal."

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer also reported: 

"When (Rock) made the deal on January 3 to come in (facing Roman at WrestleMania) was part of the deal. Why Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble is a question that I cannot answer because nobody will answer it for me."   

This comes following an intense few days of speculation regarding WWE's booking in the build to WrestleMania 40, and the reasons behind one decision in particular.

Last Friday's SmackDown saw Cody Rhodes appear to willingly forfeit his long-desired rematch against Roman Reigns (despite winning the men's Royal Rumble match the previous week, and even pointing to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion as the show went off the air.)

Instead, the American Nightmare brought out The Rock for a staredown with Roman, with Dwayne Johnson now Reigns' likely opponent at WrestleMania 40. This is a booking decision which has sparked a major backlash among many WWE fans online, specifically due to its contradictory nature. Rhodes has been built up as Reigns' opponent for a long time, garnering huge crowd support in the process. The Rock's involvement has therefore been met with widespread disdain, particularly given Cody's Rumble win, and recent reports that Rock may have used political clout backstage to push for his own inclusion in the WrestleMania main event.