Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a huge part of WWE’s WrestleMania 41 storyline leading up to the event—but when the show went down in Las Vegas, the Final Boss was nowhere to be seen. Fans had theories. Wrestlers had questions. And now, the locker room took notice of the silence.
During The Pat McAfee Show, The Rock explained his absence in his own words: “We can insert the Final Boss into this finish, but why get involved in that finish when that should just be focused on John, a 17-time champion, and what 2025 looks like. That is the anchoring storyline.” He also said he wasn’t backstage during WrestleMania Night Two—he was at home watching as a fan. “I just wanted to watch like a fan,” Rock said, adding that “The Final Boss’ work is done” was something he told Cody Rhodes and John Cena after Elimination Chamber.
But behind the scenes, WWE talent didn’t know what to make of it. On Fightful Select’s backstage podcast, Sean Ross Sapp revealed: “A number of talent took note of the fact that The Rock was not on TV at WrestleMania, didn’t do any promotion leading up to the event, or even tweet about the show.” That quiet absence raised eyebrows, especially after The Rock popped up on McAfee’s show shortly after the event to speak openly about ticket sales and creative decisions.
One WWE source backed up the idea that The Rock was called in to help boost ticket sales, and that it was seen as a positive move internally. Still, creative sources said they had been working under the assumption that Rock wouldn’t be involved with WrestleMania’s final card. After Elimination Chamber, many thought things would change, but were told to “not factor him heavily into the promos.”
Even long-tenured WWE names weren’t fully clear on the situation. Sapp said a veteran wrestler summed it up with a comment from last year that still applies now: “The card is at the mercy of Dwayne.” That same talent added that while the roster always enjoys seeing The Rock backstage, they also felt he “possibly didn’t understand how integral he would be to this story.”
Others said the absence wasn’t frustrating—just confusing. “There was one talent who called it an ‘overcorrection’ and said that last year’s reaction to Rock being inserted was wildly different from this situation—and that this didn’t need that level of course correction,” Sapp reported.
While some chalked up the silence to possible creative strategy, another wrestler mentioned Rock’s media choices didn’t add up. “We all found it kind of weird he didn’t promote it,” one wrestler said, pointing out his total blackout on social media around WrestleMania.
As for critics like Dave LaGreca questioning The Rock’s authenticity, another WWE talent fired back with a pointed question: “What does that mean? Is he working every time he stops by and talks to us backstage too? Was the McAfee interview a work, even though he specified he wasn’t in character?”
Despite all the speculation, one thing is clear: The Rock’s absence left more questions than answers—especially for those who expected him to be part of the biggest wrestling weekend of the year.
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Do you think The Rock was right to stay out of Wrestle Mania 41’s finish—or should he have stepped in to close the story? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.