The Rock Turning Heel in WWE is Best For Business
Graham GSM Matthews@@WrestleRantThe Rock Turning Heel in WWE is Best For Business

Equally exciting as WWE pivoting to Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes as the WrestleMania 40 main event is The Rock turning heel, marking the first time he's portrayed an antagonist in the wrestling world in over 20 years.
Last Thursday's buzzworthy WrestleMania Kickoff press conference in Las Vegas saw the Hollywood megastar involved in a heated confrontation with Rhodes and slap him across the face when he felt his family was being disrespected.
What role Rock will have ultimately have at The Show of Shows on April 6-7 is unknown, but the road there with The Great One and Reigns aligning against The American Nightmare is shaping up to be a fun one.
Rock will next appear on WWE programming on Friday's SmackDown, and what he'll have in store for Rhodes should paint a clearer picture of what this unexpected character change will entail.
If WWE does decide to stick with heel Rock en route to WrestleMania and potentially beyond, it will prove to be both best for business and for The Great One himself—if he's the "long-gamer" he claims to be.
He's Proved He Still Has It as a Heel
It was as a heel that The Rock initially became comfortable as a character and hit his stride early in his career after languishing as a babyface. It took him to unprecedented levels of super-stardom through the Attitude Era and led to one of his most memorable runs as Hollywood Rock in 2003.
WWE fans hadn't seen that side of him until he embraced the boos and backlash from the fans at Thursday's press conference and came across as a natural in the process.
Dwayne Johnson has been among the most beloved and influential public figures for the past decade. He's a box-office sensation for that reason and has had success in a variety of ventures in addition to acting.
When he first returned to WWE in 2011, it was difficult for fans to envision there ever being a day when he tapped into his inner antagonist again. That's what made his comments about Rhodes on The Pat McAfee Show last week all the more shocking.
Per WWE insider X account WrestleVotes, Rock intends to lean into the animosity a vocal segment of the fanbase has for him right now. So far, he's excelled in the role and shown he very much still has it as a heel.
Hollywood Rock may not be making a comeback, but this Bloodline version of The Brahma Bull has real potential.
Becoming the Ultimate Foil for Cody Rhodes
The biggest issue fans had with The Rock replacing Cody Rhodes as Roman Reigns' opponent for WrestleMania 40—or so it seemed originally—was the focus of the main event scene shifting from The American Nightmare despite him winning the men's Royal Rumble match and earning the opportunity to face The Tribal Chief again.
Rhodes has built up major momentum since first falling to Reigns at WrestleMania 39. As a result, he's organically cemented himself as the biggest babyface in WWE who fans eagerly want to see get his just rewards.
Until that happens, the vast majority of the audience will detest anyone who is positioned as a roadblock for Rhodes. Reigns has been a fantastic foil for him thus far and pairing him with Rock will only add to The American Nightmare's aura.
Reigns vs. Rhodes must remain as is, but WWE can continue to build on the bad blood Rhodes and Rock generated at the press conference. It makes the outcome of the 'Mania main event a little less certain and leaves the door open for a future Rhodes vs. Rock matchup.
It's no different than Daniel Bryan's popularity skyrocketing amid his feud with The Authority 10 years ago. Likewise, corporate Rock is the perfect person for Rhodes to overcome.
Why a Match with Seth Rollins Is a Realistic Possibility
Rock vs. Rhodes feels inevitable following their faceoff at the WrestleMania press conference, but a potential Rock vs. Seth Rollins match isn't out of the question, either.
Rhodes could have easily held his own against The Great One and Reigns to close it out, but Rollins backing him up was an intentional choice. The 'Mania teaser trailer teased a tag team match between the four, and The Visionary further planted the seeds during his promo with The American Nightmare on Monday's Raw.
Regardless of when and where that stacked tag match happens (if at all), Rock vs. Rollins is very much a realistic scenario, which wasn't the case even a week ago.
That fantasy warfare can now become a reality thanks to The Great One's heel turn.
Rollins is already scheduled to defend his World Heavyweight Championship on one of the two nights of WrestleMania against the winner of the men's Elimination Chamber, so it can't happen as soon as The Show of Shows.
However, it would be an attraction worthy of the SummerSlam stage if Rock is down to do it. It would be his first appearance at the event in over 20 years, and Rollins would give him the best match possible.
Potential Power Struggle with Triple H
An interesting wrinkle that was added to the Rock, Reigns and Rhodes storyline last week was a potential power struggle between The Great One and Triple H.
The longtime rivals briefly crossed paths backstage at the WrestleMania press conference, and it was there that Rock alluded to legitimately being on TKO's board of directors as of late January.
Triple H reasserted his authority during a promo on SmackDown the next night, leading fans to believe there might be more to come between them in the weeks and months ahead.
A renewal of their rivalry in the ring is impossible due to The Game's retirement and near-fatal heart failure in 2021, but Rock being back to take control of the company can be incorporated into the angle and involve the WWE chief content officer defending his home turf from him.
If a Rock match isn't in the cards for 'Mania this year, a side story with Triple H could keep him busy. It would be an exciting spin on the tired evil authority trope and allow The Great One to make recurring appearances on programming throughout the year without wrestling.
Organically Turning Roman Reigns Babyface
If and when Rhodes dethrones Reigns as undisputed WWE universal champion at WrestleMania in April, the next chapter of the story should be to begin building to Rock vs. Reigns for the next installment immediately.
What's especially intriguing about holding off until next year for that dream match is that, by then, Reigns could be on the verge of turning babyface for the first time in nearly five years.
The dynamic could change completely with The Tribal Chief being positioned as the fan favorite and Rock portraying the hated heel. That's not what fans would have expected a month ago, but it would make for a much more compelling storyline heading into WrestleMania 41 if WWE chose to go in that direction.
Of course, Reigns shouldn't embrace the audience until after he loses the title first. That historic run should be ended while he's a heel to fully maximize the moment, but once he's been conquered, Rock can capitalize on his vulnerability and seize control of The Bloodline.
Rock vs. Reigns will always be the endgame, but The Tribal Chief could emerge as the biggest beneficiary if WWE sticks the landing with his current character arc while The Great One stays the course with his heel turn.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.