WWE Talent Reportedly Confused By The Rock’s WrestleMania Absence – The Rock’s involvement — or rather, lack thereof — at WWE WrestleMania 41 continues to spark discussion within the wrestling world. After making headlines with his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, where he discussed his role in WWE’s Elimination Chamber premium live event and the resulting storyline shift, backstage sources have begun to shed light on how talent perceived his absence from WrestleMania.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, several members of the WWE roster noted that The Rock did not appear on television or participate in any promotional efforts leading up to WrestleMania 41. While The Rock has said he was brought in around Elimination Chamber time to help boost ticket sales through a compelling narrative, many within the company were unclear about his actual involvement in the weeks that followed.
Creative sources reportedly expected The Rock to step away after Elimination Chamber, and although some thought plans may have changed due to his and John Cena’s storyline developments, there was no significant follow-up on programming. One source confirmed the belief that his return was primarily to assist with ticket sales and not to be featured in long-term build-up or promotion.
A longtime WWE talent told Fightful, “The roster always loves seeing The Rock at shows,” but also pointed out that last year’s now-infamous remark — “the card is at the mercy of Dwayne” — continues to linger, creating mixed feelings. While the sentiment toward The Rock wasn’t one of frustration this year, there was noticeable confusion backstage.
Another talent speculated that The Rock’s minimal involvement could be an “overcorrection” from last year’s backlash when fans believed he was shoehorned into WrestleMania plans at the expense of others. However, they also noted that this year’s situation was markedly different, and his absence was strange given his importance to the overarching storyline involving John Cena and Cody Rhodes.
One wrestler told Fightful, “We all found it kind of weird that he didn’t promote the show at all.” Others backstage reportedly found it odd that The Rock didn’t acknowledge the WrestleMania 41 main event on social media, nor was he heavily referenced on the broadcast itself, despite being a key part of the build-up weeks prior.
Although speculation continues among fans about potential behind-the-scenes tension between The Rock and Triple H, sources close to the situation indicated that if such friction exists, it has not reached the general locker room.
Ultimately, while the mood wasn’t one of hostility, there was a consistent undercurrent of uncertainty among the roster regarding how The Rock factored into WrestleMania 41’s creative direction — or why he didn’t.
WWE Talent Reportedly Confused By The Rock’s WrestleMania Absence
