“You need to retire”: Dwayne Johnson Supporting his UFC Protégé Before Crucial Fight Infuriates Fans Who Believe He Stole Cody’s WrestleMania Spot – TH

“You need to retire”: Dwayne Johnson Supporting his UFC Protégé Before Crucial Fight Infuriates Fans Who Believe He Stole Cody’s WrestleMania Spot

Dwayne Johnson has fans riled up against him after taking Cody Rhodes’ spot.

In one of the most wholesome IG posts last year, Dwayne Johnson surprised UFC fighter Themba Gorimbo by purchasing him and his family a house. The story of Gorimba, whose bank account dropped to $7 before his first UFC win, caught the eyes of the People’s champion last year, which led him to help the Zimbabwe fighter overcome his homelessness.

And While Johnson took to X, to share his support for Gorimbo before his UFC welterweight fight, responding to the post, fans shared their frustration following The Rock’s booking in WrestleMania.

Dwayne Johnson in a still from Fast X.

Dwayne Johnson

Fans Are Not on Board With Dwayne Johnson Taking Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania Moment

Last year, Dwayne Johnson surprised Themba Gorimbo by purchasing a house for him, who was sleeping on his Gym couch and only had $7 in his bank account. Since then, the two have maintained a special bond, and Gorimbo’s recent IG post revealed that the two still are in contact, with Gorimbo thanking the actor in the caption for reaching out to him. The People’s Champion also took to X to share his support for Gorimbo prior to his match with Pete Rodriguez, as Johnson stressed he is honored to help the UFC fighter in his inspirational journey.

And while the UFC fighter notably won after knocking out Rodriguez in 32 seconds, the response to Dwayne Johnson’s post had little to do with Gorimbo’s achievement.

Themba Gorimbo and Dwyane Johnson

Themba Gorimbo and Dwyane Johnson

Considering that not long before his X post, Johnson made a Smackdown appearance, teasing a face-off between him and Roman Reigns, fans aren’t happy that he is taking Rhode’s spotlight. While fans were hoping that Cody Rhodes would get to finish his story after winning his second Rumble in a row, having The Rock face Reigns at the WM main event has left them enraged.

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It’s not that fans don’t want Johnson to face off against Reigns but aren’t content with Rhodes’ story being delayed to make room for it. Furthermore, keeping in mind that the Black Adam Star recently joined the Board of Directors at TKO Group Holdings, many suspect the Great One might’ve been behind pushing the idea.

It’s not that fans don’t want Johnson to face off against Reigns but aren’t content with Rhodes’ story being delayed to make room for it. Furthermore, keeping in mind that the Black Adam Star recently joined the Board of Directors at TKO Group Holdings, many suspect the Great One might’ve been behind pushing the idea.

Dwayne Johnson and Roman Reigns come face to face with each other at SmackDown

Dwayne Johnson and Roman Reigns come face-to-face with each other at SmackDown

Dwayne Johnson Was Behind Pushing the Idea Per Dave Meltzer

Although Cody Rhodes was initially set to finish his story, reports suggest the last-minute change was pushed by The Rock, following CM Punk and Brock Lesnar’s absence from WrestleMania 40. With Punk suffering an injury, and WWE cutting ties with Lesnar, Dave Meltzer wrote (via Wrestlinginc.com) that it was Johnson who pushed the idea of replacing Rhodes in WrestleMania. While some sources indicated the actor’s reported decision to main event WrestleMania was to save the event in the wake of controversies, other sources claimed he was going to push it regardless.

Cody Rhodes let Dwayne Johnson take his place against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40

Dwayne Johnson and Cody Rhodes

Even though fans have long dreamt of Dwayne Johnson facing The Tribal Chief, having Rhodes’ story sidelined for it to work wasn’t something they were expecting. Furthermore, Considering that Rhodes has only defeated Seth Rollins numerous times, having him face Rollins once again is a lot more underwhelming than him fighting Roman Reigns.