Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’slatest appearance onSmackDownleftWWEfans buzzing. After confirmingWrestleMania 42would take place in New Orleans in 2026, “The Final Boss” brought out Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to make a unique offer. He wanted to elevate Rhodes as “his” champion, demanding thatRhodes would need to give him his “soul"to make it happen. Rock closed the promo by saying he’d wait for Rhodes' answer at theElimination Chamberpremium live event on March 1.
The story hearkens back toJohnson’s original WWE run in The Attitude Era, in which a tyrannical Vince McMahon wanted “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to bend to his will. Austin refused, so McMahon eventually christened Johnson as the “Corporate Champion” by helping him win the WWF Championship at the 1998Survivor Seriespay-per-view.Rhodes will likely turn down Johnson’s offer, which in turn will cause Johnson to look elsewhere to find a “Corporate Champion” of his own. Fortunately for “The Final Boss,” he has plenty of options - some of whom could reveal themselves as early asElimination Chamber. Let’s take a look, from least to most likely.
7Randy Orton
The Viper Is Waiting to Get a Bite of Cody
Orton is the least likely of the bunch since he has a ready-made feud with Kevin Owens waiting for him whenever he’s back on TV. But a program between a babyface Rhodes and a heel Orton over the WWE Championship feels like an inevitability given their extensive history. Adding in “The Final Boss” feels like a weird way to get there (and feels a little too much like a retread of Orton’s days with The Authority) butit could theoretically work.
Orton has been off WWE TV since November when Kevin Owens nailed him with a Package Piledriver on an episode ofWWE SmackDown. The attack continued Owens' downward mental spiral during his feud with Rhodes, which ended at the Royal Rumble in January when Rhodes defeated him in a brutal Ladder Match.
6LA Knight
An Unexpected Heel Turn Could Get LA Knight Back on Track
This one is a bit of a curveball. But Knight has been spinning his wheels ever since his United States Championship reign ended and joining forces with Johnson would give him the main event push fans were clamoring for not that long ago. Plus,who better to be The Rock’s champion than the guy who sounds just like him?
While he’s not booked forElimination Chamber, Knight is scheduled to compete for the United States Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura on this week’sWWE SmackDown. Nakamura ended Knight’s championship reign atSurvivor Serieslast November.
5Seth Rollins
The Visionary Could Go Back to His Authority Days
Much like with Orton, Rollins choosing to “sell out” and join a heel force that represents WWE’s front office is a story we’ve heard before. But it makes sense.Rollins has openly spoken in interviewsabout howhe’s been passed over being the company’s “top guy” in favor of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. It would be a heel turn with years of history behind it and would amplify the programs “The Visionary” could have with Rhodes, Reigns, and CM Punk. The only real downsides are that the storyline would draw immediate comparisons to Rollins' time with The Authority and would keep building to matches WWE fans have already seen plenty of times.
The storyline would also have to address Rollins' recent history with Johnson. “The Visionary” chose to team with Cody Rhodes to take on Johnson and Reigns in theWrestleMania XLNight One main event. And despite being on the losing end of that match, dropping his World Heavyweight Championship to Drew McIntyre the following night and publicly dealing with a number of serious injuries, Rollins still chose to help Rhodes defeat Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship to close outWrestleMania XLweekend.
4Logan Paul
The Maverick Was Born For This Role
It certainly wouldn’t be the popular pick, but justimagine the hatredit would generatefrom live crowds. Now that Johnson is embracing his tyrannical leader persona, it’d only make sense that he’d look at a self-absorbed influencer like Paul as the ideal candidate he can mold into his own image. A Rhodes vs. Paul might not make for the most exciting WrestleMania main event, but Johnson’s involvement could put it over the top.
Paul previously challenged Rhodes for the WWE title atKing and Queen of the Ringin Saudi Arabia in May 2024. He came up short, losing to Rhodes in just under 25 minutes. However, the potential cross-media coverage that an alliance between WWE’s two biggest mainstream stars, Johnson and Paul, could generate may be simply too much to ignore.
3Drew McIntyre
The Scottish Warrior Could Become What He Hates Most
Here we have Drew McIntyre, a man so hellbent on getting revenge on The Bloodline that he threw away his principles and consistently portrays himself as a victim to justify his actions. But latelynot even that is working. He wound up on the losing end of his rivalry with CM Punk, and since the start of the year he’s taken pinfall losses against Seth Rollins and both of The Usos. But how wonderfully ironic would it be if he chose to align with The High Chief of the Anoa’i Family, joining forces with the very group he wanted to stop years ago?
McIntyre will compete inside the Elimination Chamber for a shot at facing Rhodes in the main event ofWrestleMania 41. An assist from Johnson could be enough to help McIntyre beat his five other opponents inside the steel structure. Also, don’t forget that when McIntyre re-signed with WWE last year, Johnson sent him a congratulatory gift. Foreshadowing of things to come?
2John Cena
Bitter Enemies, Better Friends?
Cena misses out on the No. 1 spot simply because the odds of him going on some sort of heel run in his final year feel unlikely. Butthe pieces are all there. Cena’s desperation to become world champion one last time is slowly growing, he’s already claiming to know what’s “best” for the company in interviews, he was the ultimate company man for well over a decade and has plenty of history with Johnson.
John Cena’s “Not Best For Business” Statement Can Finally Deliver On A Plan WWE Scrapped 13 Years Ago
John Cena may be a man possessed to secure his final belt in WWE, and a darker path could revive a genius scrapped idea from 2012.
All it would take is a loss inside theElimination Chamber, the growing pressure of racing against Father Time, and the right convincing from Johnson and even someone as straight-laced as Cena could be pushed over the edge. Seeing two of the best promo guys to ever step foot in the WWE work together for an entire program would be a dream come true for fans.
1CM Punk
It’s Time For Punk to Push Boundaries Again
Let’s get this out of the way. For as exciting as Punk’s WWE return was and as excellent as his programs with Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins have been,he has mostly stuck to playing the hits since coming back. His appearances follow a pattern - he’ll recycle lines from some of his most famous promos, he’ll ingratiate himself to the fans of whatever town he’s in by making some sort of sports reference (usually hockey) and he’ll occasionally have a match. It works, but it doesn’t push boundaries like his 2011-14 WWE run.
But to see Punk, who prides himself on rebellion and going against the grain,sell his proverbial soul just to ensure he finally fulfills his dream of maineventingWrestleManiawould be monumental. And for it to happen by having him align with The Rock - the man who famously ended Punk’s 434-day reign as WWE Champion 12 years ago to keep him out of theWrestleMania 29main event - is the kind of dramatic irony that would leaveWWEfans' jaws on the floor. It would breathe new life into Punk’s run with the company and giveWrestleMania 41a much-needed shot of adrenaline. It is, by far and away, the most exciting option.
