The fallout from WrestleMania 41 continues to spark discussion, and now former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman has added his voice to the mix, this time with sharp criticism aimed at The Rock. Coachman, speaking on the "Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling" podcast, took issue with The Rock's decision not to appear at WrestleMania, claiming it caused major disruption to WWE's plans, particularly those involving John Cena and Cody Rhodes.
Coachman argued that The Rock’s absence shifted the entire narrative around WrestleMania 41 and overshadowed the rest of the event. According to him, The Rock’s decision not only impacted storyline continuity but also drew attention away from the matches and talent that did perform across both nights.
"He knew by not showing up that all anybody would talk about was him not showing up. And then what happened? The 13 other matches, two nights of WrestleMania, nobody talked about any of them. You watch any of the recaps, any of the shows, nothing. And that to me was a real disservice to the talent that got onto the shows," he said. "He sucked the entire oxygen out of that entire event by simply not showing up and then two days later giving us that excuse for not showing up."
Coachman believes The Rock should have been present at WrestleMania rather than watching from afar or sending an explanation after the fact. He disagreed with The Rock’s post-Mania claim that the "Final Boss" arc was already complete.
"When you're doing a wrestling angle, you start it and you finish it. But when he said, 'Oh, I called Cody and I called John afterwards and said, I think the final boss's job is done.' Remember when he said that on McAfee? 'I think my job is done.' All you've done is this [throat slash gesture]."
According to Coachman, the ideal conclusion would have involved Cena capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania before eventually aligning with The Rock in a post-match swerve.
"So, I would have let him win as a babyface and go crazy, and the crowd would have gone bananas. And then you spend this summer, he can sell his soul the next night. You could have brought Rock out."
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