WrestleMania XL Behind the Curtain Wrestlemania XL Behind The Curtain
Wrestlemania XL Behind The Curtain
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00:00:00Biggest WrestleMania of all time, 40 years in the making.
00:00:10The pressure of it being WrestleMania is overwhelming.
00:00:20This card for WrestleMania penciled in on a piece of paper.
00:00:29Was probably 80% done in October.
00:00:32Along the way a lot of things happen.
00:00:34Finally, The Rock has come back home.
00:00:40People want to see Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns.
00:00:45Absolute anarchy in bedlam.
00:00:47That is complete and utter bullshit.
00:00:50Something magical will come out of this chaos.
00:00:53I'll see you at WrestleMania.
00:01:30Few roads we travel in life are straight.
00:01:35The journey lies in how we navigate the turns and forge the paths before us.
00:01:40The path to WrestleMania 40 has had more curves and corners than anyone imagined.
00:01:47At the helm of this multi-million dollar venture is WWE head of creative, Paul Levesque.
00:01:54That man Triple H is a 14 time world champion.
00:01:59The guy at the top has been there.
00:02:01He's been to the top, knows what it takes and has an open mind.
00:02:06I look at creative like a GPS, right?
00:02:08I put it in the destination.
00:02:10And if you do that, then the GPS just tells you the turns to take along the way.
00:02:15But you know what your North Star is.
00:02:24For Cody Rhodes, the journey starts in his home state of Georgia.
00:02:29For nearly two years, Rhodes has made it his mission to win the WWE championship.
00:02:35A promise he made to his father, the late great Dusty Rhodes.
00:02:41I'm going to give the distinction that my family has long since been denied.
00:02:46And I am going to do it for the American dream.
00:02:50I am going to do it for the American dream, Dusty Rhodes.
00:02:58Will Cody Rhodes finish the story?
00:03:01A year ago, Cody took on the head of the table.
00:03:05The undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns for the title at WrestleMania 39.
00:03:13No! Spare!
00:03:20The moment the referee's hand hit three at WrestleMania 39,
00:03:25Roman Reigns successfully defended the title.
00:03:27The audience was clamoring for the rematch.
00:03:30Despite the loss, Cody remained focused on finishing his story.
00:03:38I've spent an entire two years fixated on the title that Roman has.
00:03:41People kept saying, you know, finish the story.
00:03:43I was saying finish the story.
00:03:46But there's plenty of things that could stop me.
00:03:48You don't always get the fairytale ending, as we already found out.
00:03:51But we're still going to try.
00:03:54The intent was to give Cody a hot year.
00:03:57Rhodes to the top! The undisputed tag team champions!
00:04:04And we get to WrestleMania 40 with Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns.
00:04:09We had that story and that match planned out.
00:04:12But there was another story.
00:04:14A blockbuster story.
00:04:16We had been talking about it for years.
00:04:18It was just a matter of finding the right opportunity
00:04:21in which to tell it, Roman Reigns and The Rock.
00:04:26We had an opportunity to create another main event
00:04:29in The Rock and Roman Reigns.
00:04:31Something that fans have been waiting for for years.
00:04:34Something that we have been building to
00:04:36adjacently but quietly for years.
00:04:40I remember having my first conversation with Nick Khan about it
00:04:43back in December of 2021.
00:04:45I had dinner with Nick and his sister, Nanachka.
00:04:49And we were talking that night at dinner
00:04:51about us being kids in Hawaii,
00:04:53going to my grandmother's wrestling promotion.
00:04:55Polynesian! No wrestling!
00:04:58Nick also presented me with some really cool gifts
00:05:01from the Polynesian professional wrestling days.
00:05:04And we were also talking about
00:05:06what could WrestleMania look like?
00:05:09Nanachka, who was the creator of our show Young Rock,
00:05:15we actually even teased it on the show.
00:05:17Acknowledge me!
00:05:18By the way, that's my cousin Joe,
00:05:20who would later go by Roman Reigns,
00:05:22future WWE champion.
00:05:24Come on, Dewey, let's wrestle!
00:05:27No. The world's not ready.
00:05:30A match that big can only happen at WrestleMania.
00:05:33We started looking at the roadmap to WrestleMania
00:05:37and this idea of Rock and Roman,
00:05:40the biggest main event of all time.
00:05:44But the deal wasn't quite there.
00:05:46So we decided to shoot for WrestleMania the following year,
00:05:50which of course was WrestleMania 40.
00:05:52Then in September of 2023,
00:05:54it felt like the pieces were finally falling into place
00:05:57after Endeavor acquired WWE.
00:06:00Let's get the opening bell.
00:06:02This newly formed sports and entertainment company, TKO Group.
00:06:08We were coming off of the high of TKO
00:06:11and the acquisition of WWE.
00:06:13And it all started to converge and dovetail really nicely.
00:06:16Ari Emanuel has been a very close business partner of mine
00:06:20for over 20 years.
00:06:21He's a man who I consider my big brother,
00:06:23which is always funny.
00:06:24We had discussed, myself, Ari, and Nick,
00:06:26what kind of value can I begin to bring the company.
00:06:29Just a few days later,
00:06:30The Rock would meet up with WWE president Nick Khan
00:06:34for those discussions
00:06:35and appeared on the Pat McAvee show in Boulder, Colorado,
00:06:39revealing to the public for the first time
00:06:41the possibility of the dream match.
00:06:44Rock and Roman, SoFi, was that close?
00:06:46All right, so The Rock headlining WrestleMania
00:06:49with Roman Reigns, SoFi Stadium,
00:06:52that was locked.
00:06:54What?
00:06:55We got really, really close,
00:06:56but we couldn't actually nail what that thing was.
00:07:00So we decided to put our pencils down,
00:07:02and then we agreed,
00:07:03Hey, listen, there's a merger coming up.
00:07:06Eventually that will happen.
00:07:08There's WrestleMania in Philadelphia.
00:07:11That's a potential two-stop.
00:07:13Oh!
00:07:15So what happened after that?
00:07:17SmackDown was just down the road in Denver,
00:07:21and I showed up.
00:07:28The Rock and the people,
00:07:29we're having fun, baby!
00:07:31Had an amazing time.
00:07:33It was electric.
00:07:34It was a really beautiful homecoming on SmackDown,
00:07:38and the feeling was really, really good,
00:07:40and all the pieces were coming together,
00:07:42and it felt like everything was making sense,
00:07:44and that roadmap to WrestleMania
00:07:46started to become even more clear.
00:07:50The Rock's story had unfolded,
00:07:52and it was time to reveal it to his people.
00:07:57Day one, January 1st, 2024,
00:07:59let's go to San Diego.
00:08:01Let's cut a promo.
00:08:02Let's kick the new year off right.
00:08:07Let's go.
00:08:13Oh, shit, mother******!
00:08:15Oh, shit, mother******!
00:08:18Yeah!
00:08:19Dude!
00:08:21Yeah, come on!
00:08:22Come on.
00:08:27How are you, brother?
00:08:29Good to see you.
00:08:32You too, as always.
00:08:34We were discussing what WrestleMania could look like.
00:08:41On paper, that main event
00:08:43was Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes,
00:08:46and that was something, as we all know,
00:08:48the company has been working towards
00:08:50for the past couple of years.
00:08:51We also knew that we had an opportunity
00:08:53to create another main event.
00:08:55Here is the man!
00:09:04Yeah!
00:09:10Absolute pure electricity!
00:09:14There is no one on the planet like The Rock!
00:09:23You can only go around so many times
00:09:25before you have to test the waters,
00:09:28and that testing of the waters
00:09:30was a recommendation I had that afternoon.
00:09:32When The Rock goes out to get something to eat tonight,
00:09:35should The Rock sit in a booth,
00:09:38or should The Rock sit at the head of the table?
00:09:45Okay, that changes some things.
00:09:48It's like, all right, gets people talking.
00:09:51Oh, my God, are we getting it?
00:09:53Finally, The Rock has acknowledged Roman Reigns.
00:09:58The match for the head of the table,
00:10:00which is Roman and Rock.
00:10:01Rock versus Roman Reigns.
00:10:03It's the idea that in some way seems like the dream match.
00:10:07For 1,161 days,
00:10:12Roman Reigns has been champion!
00:10:15A champion in modern times of almost four years
00:10:20when no one has even come half as close in 40 years?
00:10:25That's an iconic run that Roman Reigns
00:10:28has been on and continues to be on.
00:10:32The tribal chief is head and shoulders above everybody!
00:10:38So when The Rock came back,
00:10:40that just presented us with a million other options.
00:10:44One option was not going to the rematch of Roman Reigns
00:10:48defending the title against Cody Rhodes,
00:10:51but Roman Reigns versus The Rock.
00:10:54You can make an argument that,
00:10:55is that bigger than Cody and Roman
00:10:58from an outside-of-our-world standpoint?
00:11:01You certainly can, right?
00:11:02If you think bigger picture, that certainly could be.
00:11:06Could be.
00:11:07While Roman versus Rock had box office potential,
00:11:11the WWE landscape was shaken up even further
00:11:15as the man himself, Dwayne The Rock Johnson,
00:11:19joined the TKO board of directors.
00:11:22I started to think about what this company means to me,
00:11:32our business and life of WWE.
00:11:34This is the thing that I love the most, right here.
00:11:39The benefit of me being on the board and being a director
00:11:42is that I've been there and I've done that,
00:11:44and I know what it's like to have that DNA
00:11:46having grown up in professional wrestling.
00:11:51I love all this.
00:11:53This is the one.
00:11:56Can I pick it up?
00:11:57Yeah, yeah.
00:11:58That's the back one.
00:11:59Yeah, yeah.
00:12:02You know what we should do?
00:12:04If you're cool, I'd love to take a picture of me and you
00:12:07and me and all this.
00:12:08Yeah.
00:12:09This is amazing.
00:12:12A little bit more.
00:12:14Two steps.
00:12:16What an opportunity that I have as director of the board
00:12:20to create greater opportunities for our talent,
00:12:24but also help create and shape a culture
00:12:27that not only can they thrive in it,
00:12:29but their relationships at home can thrive.
00:12:33That's incredible.
00:12:42Yeah.
00:12:43Thanks for that, man.
00:12:51It was really a very, very special morning,
00:12:53special announcement.
00:12:54We could possibly put on the greatest and the biggest
00:12:57WrestleMania of all time.
00:13:00We had a lot of conversations along the way with Rock.
00:13:03What we agreed upon between myself and Nick and Triple H
00:13:08is let's continue to adjacently run the storyline
00:13:12of Cody and Roman, because that's important,
00:13:15but also let's start to explore what this other main event
00:13:19could look like.
00:13:20So we're rolling into the Rumble.
00:13:22It's sort of all happening in real time.
00:13:25Four days after The Rock joined TKO's board,
00:13:29the Royal Rumble.
00:13:31Before the doors even open,
00:13:33the media all wants to hear from one man.
00:13:37Does finishing the story have to happen
00:13:39at WrestleMania for you?
00:13:40I don't think I have a definitive answer,
00:13:43but I will tell you, I think it does.
00:13:47The year I've had, it feels like it has to be
00:13:51at WrestleMania.
00:13:53This time around, we've been on the journey,
00:13:56including the hardest of hardships together.
00:14:01Going to the airport, TSA guys saying finish the story,
00:14:04doing the press event this morning,
00:14:05and everyone having that deep connection to,
00:14:07hey, I hope you get it.
00:14:09And that's just really touching.
00:14:14I sat with Cody at the Royal Rumble
00:14:18in the afternoon and told him
00:14:21it was becoming more of a reality
00:14:23that the match of Roman and Rock
00:14:25could take place at WrestleMania.
00:14:28And I don't think anybody knew a thing
00:14:32outside of Cody.
00:14:34And I'm sure that was a brutal day.
00:14:38The stakes are high.
00:14:40The winner of the Royal Rumble
00:14:42faces the champion of their choice,
00:14:44Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns,
00:14:47at WrestleMania.
00:14:50The American Nightmare is here!
00:14:54The American Nightmare is setting St. Pete on fire!
00:14:58Looking for the God of Sleep,
00:14:59Cody though able to catch him,
00:15:00he's not Dusty's kid anymore!
00:15:02Unbelievable!
00:15:03Cody Rhodes is going to WrestleMania!
00:15:08Here is your winner
00:15:10of the Men's Royal Rumble,
00:15:15The American Nightmare!
00:15:20My gut was that if Cody fails here,
00:15:24it damages him.
00:15:27We gotta have him win the Rumble.
00:15:29We gotta see what the reaction is
00:15:31and then go from there.
00:15:34If it all ends tomorrow,
00:15:35it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
00:15:39But it's not gonna end tomorrow
00:15:41because we still gotta finish the damn story.
00:15:45Cody Rhodes already knew the story was shifting,
00:15:48but had to put on a brave face for all the fans.
00:15:53The last 48 hours of my life
00:15:57has been rather challenging.
00:16:01Everything is good, all is well,
00:16:04but on Saturday,
00:16:06you will never know how much I needed you.
00:16:13Most people will ask me about what's going on.
00:16:18I've had to tell them I really don't know how I feel
00:16:20because I don't want to be angry,
00:16:23I don't want to be overexcited,
00:16:24I don't want to be...
00:16:25I don't know how I feel.
00:16:27I've gotten to the point now
00:16:28where I really don't believe anything
00:16:31until I'm standing in the ring and it happens.
00:16:34Let's make WrestleMania 40 official!
00:16:39Burn it down!
00:16:43Wait a minute!
00:16:44The World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins!
00:16:46Seth Rollins' initial match for WrestleMania
00:16:49at that moment in time was CM Punk.
00:16:52The Royal Rumble, CM Punk gets injured.
00:16:59It changes everything.
00:17:01Now, both title matches on the men's side
00:17:06are sort of up in the air.
00:17:08So as we're starting to look at the Rock Cody thing,
00:17:11we got to look at the Seth thing,
00:17:12so Seth kind of fits into that.
00:17:14If you choose to fight Roman Reigns at WrestleMania,
00:17:18you're making a mistake.
00:17:21What's that?
00:17:25I think you should fight me instead.
00:17:30I've been a part of some chaotic builds
00:17:33to WrestleMania in the past,
00:17:35but this one has been the wildest,
00:17:38I would say, so far.
00:17:40If you sort of relax and let the process take place,
00:17:44something magical will come out of this chaos.
00:17:47That chaos leads to greatness,
00:17:49but you have to have the patience to let it play out.
00:17:55A few days later on SmackDown,
00:17:57Cody must come to terms with hitting a roadblock
00:18:00in his journey.
00:18:02This is a heavy situation.
00:18:05We're going to really clear up
00:18:07what WrestleMania 40 is going to be.
00:18:12And...
00:18:15forgive me if I don't seem overly enthusiastic.
00:18:21The moment has arrived.
00:18:24Who will Cody Rhodes challenge at WrestleMania?
00:18:29I want that title.
00:18:34But not at WrestleMania.
00:18:39I took a great deal of counsel this week
00:18:44Roman, one of the individuals I talked to,
00:18:49he knows you very well.
00:18:52Hit this man!
00:18:57The most electrifying man in entertainment
00:19:02is here on SmackDown!
00:19:05Cody! Cody! Cody!
00:19:09The place went crazy.
00:19:11We had a nice moment with Cody and I inside the ring.
00:19:14Then Roman and I just had our stare-down.
00:19:16And now, essentially, you're looking at
00:19:19the new main event for WrestleMania 40.
00:19:23Cody! Cody! Cody!
00:19:26Cody! Cody!
00:19:28You should smell.
00:19:30That's okay.
00:19:32Thank you.
00:19:51These guys were going right towards zero,
00:19:54but we had that extra minute.
00:19:56Oh, shit!
00:20:02It's cool because our fans have been
00:20:05clamoring for this for a long time.
00:20:08Thank you, boys.
00:20:10So it's good to be able to give them something
00:20:12that they're looking forward to.
00:20:13It's good to deliver on something.
00:20:20Minutes after the show,
00:20:22Cody was still processing what just happened.
00:20:27I have to believe, right?
00:20:33One thing, you can lose the faith of the fans.
00:20:37We've seen it tons of times.
00:20:40I have to believe that I won't lose their faith.
00:20:43And there might be fans who are upset
00:20:45that I've been talking about this title for two years
00:20:48and haven't decided to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
00:20:56Obviously, his next question is,
00:20:59where does that leave me?
00:21:01I'm like, not sure yet.
00:21:04So that's on me to figure out
00:21:06because this is all happening in real time.
00:21:10We're going to see, at least that's how I saw it,
00:21:13is we're going to see what the reaction is.
00:21:16The immediate reaction from the fans was overwhelming.
00:21:20It's happening.
00:21:22Oh, my God, it's happening.
00:21:25The Rock, get back!
00:21:32Oh, snap! We're getting it!
00:21:36The Rock, the biggest star in the world,
00:21:39the biggest star on planet Earth,
00:21:42will be taking on his cousin Roman Reigns
00:21:45for the head of the table conversation
00:21:48that has been chatted about forever.
00:21:50Now, I love Cody Rhodes.
00:21:52Who doesn't?
00:21:53I love The Rock, and I love Roman Reigns.
00:21:55Mm-hmm, of course.
00:21:56So I'm very torn on this entire thing.
00:21:59This unique thing happened
00:22:01where the power goes back,
00:22:04as it should, as it always does, to the people.
00:22:08And then they start voicing their concerns.
00:22:11The WWE universe took to social media,
00:22:15hashtag WeWantCody,
00:22:17trended for 72 hours straight.
00:22:22Their concerns were obviously understandable.
00:22:26Cody has been our guy.
00:22:28We've invested in him for a couple of years now.
00:22:31Rock, we love you.
00:22:32We get Rock and Roman in the big main event.
00:22:35Don't know if it should be now.
00:22:37Maybe what about next year's WrestleMania?
00:22:39If Rock Roman happens in any other time and place
00:22:43that match is made,
00:22:45it's the biggest thing of all time.
00:22:47But as a testament to how big Cody was
00:22:50and how over Cody was
00:22:52and how much people had invested in him personally
00:22:56in this storyline.
00:22:58So as that groundswell started to happen,
00:23:01a few things can happen when you're in this scenario.
00:23:05Number one is, as it often happens
00:23:08in the world of professional wrestling,
00:23:10you just truck through it.
00:23:13Or you truly take in what the fans are saying.
00:23:18Just days later on Monday Night Raw,
00:23:20what started online became a real-world phenomenon.
00:23:25It has been a hell of a week here at WWE
00:23:29and after last Friday in SmackDown,
00:23:33I certainly smell what's cooking.
00:23:41And you make the decision to pivot.
00:23:48I called Nick and Triple H and I called Ari.
00:23:53I said, here's how I'm feeling.
00:23:56We can truck through this and we can put on this main event.
00:24:00And the majority of the world,
00:24:04many of which who don't watch WWE,
00:24:06who we do plan on pulling in,
00:24:08in the execution of our marketing plan, et cetera,
00:24:12they're gonna love this idea of Rock and Roman
00:24:15and we're gonna tell an amazing story.
00:24:17Hopefully this will be the first chapter of a few.
00:24:21We could do that.
00:24:24However, I said, my gut says,
00:24:26I said Ari, Nick and Triple H,
00:24:29my gut says that I don't like,
00:24:35even if it's a segment of fans,
00:24:37I don't like that they're upset.
00:24:40And that really bugged the shit out of me.
00:24:42And it's not how I've operated my entire career.
00:24:45I don't like it.
00:24:46And I knew that the choice essentially was mine.
00:24:51It was either we truck through this
00:24:52and we make this main event or we don't.
00:24:56And I went with the latter and I told those guys,
00:25:01here's what I believe we should do.
00:25:04I believe we should go Roman Cody.
00:25:09Will Cody finish his story?
00:25:12And take care of those fans
00:25:13because it's critical and important.
00:25:15Those Cody crybabies who I called them.
00:25:19Love Cody, I love his passionate fans.
00:25:21Then there's the other passionate fans of Cody.
00:25:25And they're called the, what's that?
00:25:28Oh, Cody crybabies.
00:25:29Yeah.
00:25:30Okay, all right.
00:25:31Okay, got it.
00:25:32I didn't know the name that was coming.
00:25:33It was the Cody crybaby.
00:25:34And just like that, an insult was born.
00:25:38As soon as I heard him say Cody crybabies,
00:25:40I knew there was about to be something real.
00:25:41And to see him just drop right back into the rock
00:25:46was awesome.
00:25:48And we pivot.
00:25:49The good thing is that everybody in this group of people,
00:25:52whether it's the writing teams here,
00:25:54whether it's The Rock, whether it's Roman,
00:25:56whether it's Paul Heyman, whether it's Cody Rhodes,
00:25:58myself, Nick, everybody gets together,
00:26:02talks about it, decides that that's the way to go.
00:26:04We all agree on this now, let's go.
00:26:06And we pivot in a way that blurs the lines
00:26:09of fiction and reality.
00:26:16As the main event continued to evolve,
00:26:18WWE held a press conference in Las Vegas.
00:26:29I'm so locked in all the time that it's hard for me
00:26:33to just sit back and let it surround me
00:26:37and saturate me too much,
00:26:38because I'm just always focused on the next.
00:26:41Like, what's this thing right in front of me?
00:26:44You know, like, what's the next thing?
00:26:46And the way my career's gone,
00:26:47we've just constantly escalated and progressed
00:26:51and leveled up.
00:26:55Dude, I know exactly, you know,
00:26:57the journey we're gonna take to get there now,
00:26:59but I always knew what the destination is.
00:27:07Super Bowl weekend,
00:27:08the eyes of the world are on Las Vegas.
00:27:11And while everybody is looking,
00:27:13we're doing a press event to talk about WrestleMania.
00:27:20We're gonna light the world up today.
00:27:24Las Vegas!
00:27:30It's a party here tonight!
00:27:34It's also an event where now you can pivot,
00:27:37because we never gave specifically,
00:27:40this is what's going to happen at WrestleMania.
00:27:43Now, what do you say we cut to the chase
00:27:48and we get ourselves a main event?
00:27:51The Rock and Roman Reigns
00:27:54in the biggest main event
00:27:56in the history of professional wrestling.
00:28:00Hold on, hold on.
00:28:04This right here is bullshit!
00:28:09It is not your right, it is not your distinction
00:28:13to determine the main event.
00:28:15It is mine!
00:28:17I choose you, Roman Reigns.
00:28:22Cashing in on what you set up is always good,
00:28:25but if you can continually swerve them
00:28:27and keep them on the edge of their seats,
00:28:30then we've done our job.
00:28:31This is a done deal!
00:28:33You're old news!
00:28:34You're irrelevant.
00:28:36Just like your dad.
00:28:41You've invoked my father before,
00:28:43so let me go ahead and do the same.
00:28:46If your father was here,
00:28:50if his grandfather was here,
00:28:54they'd be ashamed of you.
00:29:01With the whole world watching,
00:29:02how do we get this to be the biggest moment that we can?
00:29:06How do we make this go viral?
00:29:08Now...
00:29:11we have a problem.
00:29:18And it was, boom, smacked him off,
00:29:20and the whole world heard it,
00:29:21and this whole thing kind of took quite a turn.
00:29:24The road to WrestleMania is the real deal.
00:29:28I think this story goes down a path
00:29:31that no one in their right mind could have ever anticipated.
00:29:36Rock said, I have a thought,
00:29:38and he and I just, as he would say, chopped it up.
00:29:41We went back and forth on a bunch of thoughts and ideas.
00:29:44We're doing all this talking creatively, strategically.
00:29:48What does WrestleMania look like?
00:29:49What could it be?
00:29:50Is it Rock and Roman, the main event?
00:29:51Is it not? Is it a triple threat?
00:29:58And I thought, well, what's the best way
00:30:01to keep everybody involved
00:30:02while at the same time pushing this WrestleMania
00:30:06to unprecedented heights?
00:30:08And I remember speaking to Brian Gerwurtz,
00:30:11who is a very, very close friend
00:30:14and business executive on the Seven Bucks team,
00:30:17who was also, as many of you know,
00:30:19head writer for WWE for many years.
00:30:22And we came up with this idea of a tag match.
00:30:26But with a catch.
00:30:28So what if it was The Rock and Roman Reigns
00:30:31against Cody Rhodes and Seth Frick and Rollins?
00:30:34And the outcome of that match on Saturday night
00:30:37directly impacted the main event on Sunday night.
00:30:41And again, the idea was just trying to do something
00:30:43that was unprecedented.
00:30:46All right.
00:30:48Let's get this show on the road.
00:30:51Well, that's not opening.
00:30:53F*** that door.
00:30:54All right, let's go to work.
00:30:57The creative begins to change.
00:31:01Now we're adjusting the video shoot, the photo shoot.
00:31:05We're creating in real time.
00:31:07Sensitive.
00:31:09Intimidating.
00:31:11Charming.
00:31:12Charming.
00:31:13Curious.
00:31:14Curious?
00:31:15No, not so much curious.
00:31:17Curious is a good one.
00:31:19I can do curious.
00:31:21Seeing everybody in the same place,
00:31:24all these egos in the same area,
00:31:27knowing what we're getting ourselves into.
00:31:303, 2, 1, walk.
00:31:32You look to your right, and there's a Seth Rollins.
00:31:35You look to your left, there's a Roman Reigns.
00:31:38You look to your left, there's a Roman Reigns.
00:31:41The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
00:31:43Just legends upon legends.
00:31:45It is cool to take a moment and feel that.
00:31:47Awesome, yes.
00:31:49That's what makes this shit really good.
00:31:51Our team is always just, what do you need me to do?
00:31:55And we go out there and do it.
00:31:58The beauty of WrestleMania being two days,
00:32:01this helped us be able to utilize
00:32:04our biggest name marquee players
00:32:07for both nights of WrestleMania
00:32:09in different situations.
00:32:11You have a tag team match,
00:32:13and then you have the match that Cody earned on Sunday night.
00:32:18It's almost like an episodic story
00:32:20that Legion Night 1 into Night 2.
00:32:22That wasn't the original plan,
00:32:24but it was the plan that we all came up with together
00:32:26when the world told us what it should be.
00:32:31This is where it gets tough.
00:32:32You start to ramp up and all these big stories
00:32:34start to come together to culminate in WrestleMania.
00:32:37The tricky part is getting them to a place
00:32:40where they all come together at the right point in time.
00:32:45Everybody that is involved right now is super active
00:32:49because they've been encouraged to be super active
00:32:52at how can I make this the best it can be.
00:32:54And you begin to get situations where you get a Cody Rhodes,
00:32:59a Roman Reigns, a Rock, Paul Heyman, myself included,
00:33:04just riffing ideas with each other.
00:33:07The guys that are on top in this business
00:33:10understand it's what's best for overall product.
00:33:14I remember being in Hawaii,
00:33:17and I called Nick, and I called Ari.
00:33:23I said,
00:33:26now you're going to see Rock 10.0 as the final boss.
00:33:32And there was silence.
00:33:36And at the same time, I'll never forget it,
00:33:38Nick said, love it.
00:33:40Ari said, f***ing love it.
00:33:44And Ari said, go for it.
00:33:49The Rock and Roman Reigns,
00:33:52the biggest, the biggest WrestleMania main event
00:33:56in the history of WrestleMania.
00:33:58You had it in your hands, and you let it go.
00:34:04This character transition that I think,
00:34:07not only Dwayne, but we're all kind of in.
00:34:10You see us kind of filling out the boundaries.
00:34:12You feel us kind of seeing what kind of space
00:34:14and maneuverability we have with this new dynamic.
00:34:17But man, it's powerful.
00:34:19You got to have chops to be able to do this shit.
00:34:21We want Cody! We want Cody!
00:34:24Cody's got to finish his story!
00:34:26You're spoiled, entitled, little crybaby bitches.
00:34:48I am injured.
00:34:50Recovering from a torn MCL and a torn meniscus in my left knee.
00:34:54An injury that I suffered about six weeks ago.
00:34:57And I'm very happy that it didn't cause me to miss WrestleMania.
00:35:01And I was able to just focus and rehab.
00:35:04So I feel confident that I'll be at 100%.
00:35:09The knee feels great. Yeah, it's no problem.
00:35:11I could have braces. It's nothing.
00:35:13So hopefully we'll get rid of that by Mania.
00:35:15But for now, it's great. Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:22Let's do it on this one.
00:35:25On the music.
00:35:27Yeah.
00:35:30Exactly. And then start to turn on the other music.
00:35:32On the second music.
00:35:34So I'll cue a lot off you then, Stu, right?
00:35:37As you start to come as well.
00:35:39I think we'll meet at a nice time.
00:35:41Great.
00:35:45Now that The Rock's character has changed,
00:35:47The Rock has decided to take on a new challenge.
00:35:50It's a new challenge.
00:35:52It's a new challenge.
00:35:54It's a new challenge.
00:35:56Now that The Rock's character has changed,
00:35:58The Rock has decided his entrance must change as well,
00:36:01to reflect that.
00:36:05Does that feel good to you?
00:36:07What, when you wipe me away?
00:36:08I think so, right?
00:36:09As a heel, yeah.
00:36:10Right, yeah.
00:36:11I'll try to keep you in the shot as well.
00:36:12I'll go this way with you.
00:36:13Oh, okay. You know, yeah.
00:36:14So, Stu, yeah.
00:36:16Yeah.
00:36:18Thank you.
00:36:20I should walk to a mark.
00:36:22Absolutely.
00:36:23That no one sees but me.
00:36:24Okay.
00:36:25Yes.
00:36:26Eight.
00:36:27Was it eight?
00:36:28Was it nine?
00:36:29Was it nine?
00:36:30No, I think it was seven.
00:36:34Yep.
00:36:36What's up, brother?
00:36:37What's going on?
00:36:38How you doing, man?
00:36:39You went from eight to nine.
00:36:40You're like, yep, nope, seven.
00:36:41It's seven, guys.
00:36:42I told you.
00:36:44It's on eight or nine.
00:36:45It's seven.
00:36:47You can put a thing here, can't you?
00:36:49That's what I was going to do.
00:36:50I can see if he can see it.
00:36:51We're going to black everything out.
00:36:53Does that do anything optically to the shot at home
00:36:55or anything like that when you see the T-mark there?
00:36:57Because I feel confident I can hit it.
00:36:59Okay.
00:37:00When everybody's contributing is when it's the best.
00:37:03I'm of the opinion that the best ideas come from everybody.
00:37:07I also thought just walking to it, just seeing glimpses.
00:37:10It's cool, man.
00:37:11It's cool.
00:37:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:37:13Hit me some more!
00:37:14What?
00:37:15What?
00:37:16He's tweeted the most electrifying man in all of entertainment
00:37:20and the man who turned the road to WrestleMania upside down.
00:37:26Becoming this new version has been the most gratifying decision
00:37:31that I've ever made.
00:37:33The Rock is a director of the board,
00:37:35which means he's your boss!
00:37:37This idea of final boss and final boss talk
00:37:40where you go, you know what, f*** that.
00:37:41I'm not doing that.
00:37:42I'm not being pretzeled.
00:37:43Don't tell me what to do.
00:37:45This is a fresh coat of paint on The Rock.
00:37:47You were a mistake.
00:37:50You begin to run with things.
00:37:52What if we did this?
00:37:55That's something cool.
00:38:03I don't know how long it's going to last.
00:38:08Business is the hottest it's ever been.
00:38:10And it's been the challenge on me to be the champion
00:38:13but without the title for a year, essentially two years.
00:38:17I hope I've lived up to the challenge.
00:38:20I'm of the thought that it could end tomorrow.
00:38:22And if it did, I would like to make sure that everyone who paid to see us
00:38:27or specifically to see me, I got them.
00:38:32Sorry.
00:38:34I think a lot of people think it's indulgent.
00:38:36They think it's excessive.
00:38:38They don't get it.
00:38:40It's not for me.
00:38:42They put their time in to come here
00:38:44and I just, I love doing it.
00:38:46I love doing it.
00:38:47I won't change.
00:38:50If I did not have this connection with the people,
00:38:52The Rock would be wrestling in the main event wrestling me.
00:38:55I am beyond blessed that the biggest star in the world came back
00:38:59and people said, hold up.
00:39:03We want him.
00:39:04It's not that we don't want you.
00:39:05We just, he's got to finish the story.
00:39:08That's why I'll take all night banking each and every one of you.
00:39:13The WWE fans were fully invested in this multi-layered story
00:39:18and their excitement was on full display each and every week.
00:39:23Home arena.
00:39:2511 straight television sellout on the road to WrestleMania.
00:39:29So taking the fans with us on this journey
00:39:32is the highlight of what we do as professional wrestlers.
00:39:36I got to tell you, it's such a rewarding experience
00:39:38and we have so much fun doing it.
00:39:41But it's also one of our anchoring tenets,
00:39:44which is always, always, always take care of the fans.
00:39:48You have, in the wrestling world, gone back to being a heel,
00:39:51to being a villain in the thing.
00:39:53Yes.
00:39:54And to the point where you are actually like antagonizing people
00:39:58in the local cities that you visit.
00:40:00Yes.
00:40:02The number one city in America for cocaine and meth use
00:40:07is Phoenix, Arizona.
00:40:13I know what you're thinking.
00:40:14Let the final boss say it.
00:40:16You don't have to say it.
00:40:17You're going to get in trouble.
00:40:19But I'm not going to get in trouble.
00:40:20We're going to have some fun tonight.
00:40:22You want to have fun?
00:40:24Your hero's going to bleed and need some stitches.
00:40:29So whine about that, you crybaby bitches.
00:40:34There's some lines you just don't cross.
00:40:39You all can kiss the ass of the final boss.
00:40:48As a performer, as an entertainer,
00:40:51I have never received so many texts and phone calls
00:40:56from people I know, from people I don't know,
00:40:58people out on the streets about the ideology of final boss.
00:41:03And saying, I'm done with that.
00:41:06I'm done with it.
00:41:07I don't like being told what to do.
00:41:12Nobody does.
00:41:13But not everybody's in the position where they could say,
00:41:16you know what, f*** this.
00:41:19I'm going to do it my way.
00:41:21I'm going to say it my way.
00:41:23And when that rock is done whooping your son,
00:41:26the rock is going to whisper in your ear, Mama Rhodes,
00:41:30what can I say except you're welcome?
00:41:37Your job is to elicit an emotional response
00:41:40through your art.
00:41:41And I dare say we do that more consistently
00:41:45and better than anyone else.
00:41:49You want to be a hero, huh?
00:41:51No!
00:41:52This is what happens when you f*** with the final boss!
00:41:57With the final boss!
00:42:01So becoming the final boss,
00:42:03the greatest heel professional wrestling has seen.
00:42:06Look at your son, Mama Rhodes.
00:42:08It just has allowed me to be as visceral as I want to be.
00:42:14There's nothing that the final boss can't do.
00:42:16What? Show is over and then it stops?
00:42:19F*** that!
00:42:20There's nothing that the final boss can't say.
00:42:25And I love also that I've been able to stand this persona up
00:42:31that is such an extension of myself,
00:42:34but in a way where the final boss can become
00:42:38an insurmountable antagonist,
00:42:40not only for Cody Rhodes,
00:42:46but for the entire locker room.
00:42:49I think that's pretty cool.
00:42:52And finally, you know, at the end of the day,
00:42:54the most important thing with creating the final boss is
00:42:58is the final boss entertaining to the fans?
00:43:01And really that's the only thing that matters,
00:43:03not only to me, but also in this world of professional wrestling.
00:43:13When you start putting all those minds in a room together
00:43:15and collaborating together to make something great...
00:43:18Oh, man.
00:43:20God, I'm so excited.
00:43:22We got there. We got there.
00:43:25There's nothing that can touch it.
00:43:31Just a few days before WrestleMania,
00:43:34Cody Rhodes takes a moment to reflect with his friends and family.
00:43:49Hey, while we're all here...
00:43:54Who was here last year?
00:43:56Oh, it's a lot of the same crew.
00:44:02I appreciate last year.
00:44:04We said that we were going to do this again
00:44:07and we were going to be here again,
00:44:09and it's amazing that we actually are.
00:44:11A lot happened, an incredibly tumultuous, difficult ride,
00:44:16but we made it. It's WrestleMania.
00:44:24After months of chaos,
00:44:26the blind corners and sudden curves along the journey,
00:44:30the destination has finally arrived.
00:44:36Check it out, man.
00:44:40To see it set up for WrestleMania,
00:44:42it's the same feeling I had when walking into WrestleMania 39,
00:44:45but I'd like a different feeling walking out.
00:44:49It can be mine.
00:44:51If I take it, it can be mine, and I want to take it.
00:45:04Sometimes it sucks when you have these crazy weeks
00:45:07and it's just an overflow of just dopamine hits.
00:45:11Dopamine hits and adrenaline rushes and stress and anxiety.
00:45:17This is just creative fun.
00:45:19We're entertaining.
00:45:21This is art to me.
00:45:32When you come out here and you look and you see all the pomp,
00:45:35all the circumstance, all the pageantry
00:45:38of what is the biggest event of the year, you know, it's something.
00:45:43You still got to concentrate on the task at hand.
00:45:48When the lightning bolt hits, I want a pyro kaboom.
00:45:51I want everybody in here to go, what the f***? Right? Yeah.
00:45:55The pressure to deliver is massive.
00:46:00But it's kind of what you live for.
00:46:02It's why you do what you do. That's the adrenaline rush.
00:46:06Let's do it, brother.
00:46:08There we go. Thank you. It's good stuff, right?
00:46:11There's so much shit going on right now.
00:46:14It's just trying to make sure nothing falls between the cracks.
00:46:17You know how that is.
00:46:19Yeah, I know.
00:46:21I can't tell you how much fun this is doing with you, man.
00:46:24Likewise.
00:46:26Have you seen this thing?
00:46:28No.
00:46:30So this is exactly, sort of, pretty much what we talked about.
00:46:33They made it in a week, but it's...
00:46:36Yeah, all that fire will come out of it.
00:46:38They'll be doing big bursts, kind of two-year music, if you want, behind you.
00:46:42It looks cool as shit.
00:46:45The prep is over, and the gates have opened.
00:46:49Buckle up. It's time for the greatest show in all of entertainment.
00:46:55As the match draws near, both the pressure and the adrenaline start to accelerate.
00:47:02This is WrestleMania!
00:47:12This match is a must-win.
00:47:16The final boss!
00:47:18Holding the People's Championship.
00:47:21At this point, you just sit back, you let them do their thing, you just hang on for the ride.
00:47:26A creative vision now needs its ultimate execution.
00:47:33Uh-oh, here we go!
00:47:36Cody and Seth going right after Rock and Roman, and the brawl is underway.
00:47:42And now Rock gonna go to work on the injured knee.
00:47:46And things have gotten dire for Seth and Cody.
00:47:50Seth trying to fight back.
00:47:53Oh! Down goes The Rock!
00:47:55Stunned!
00:47:58Cody Rhodes now with an opportunity!
00:48:02Wow!
00:48:03Rollins off the top rope!
00:48:05Splash for the win!
00:48:09Cover!
00:48:12Roman kicked out!
00:48:15It's the biggest weekend of your life, Cody.
00:48:17We finishing the story or not?
00:48:22Couple of super kicks in stereo.
00:48:26Roman's down.
00:48:29Stop!
00:48:30Cody!
00:48:32Crossroads!
00:48:34Cover on Reigns!
00:48:35Hook of the leg!
00:48:37And Rock just pulled the official out of the damn ring!
00:48:42Rhodes and Rollins have to be asking themselves,
00:48:45what the hell more could we possibly do?
00:48:48Wait, wait, wait, wait!
00:48:51Cody cover!
00:48:53Cody trying to buck the odds!
00:48:55Roman Reigns comes in and saves the whole thing.
00:48:59And it's time to go God mode!
00:49:04Seth Rollins saves Cody!
00:49:06Roman spared The Rock!
00:49:08Oh, no!
00:49:09Roman spared his cousin!
00:49:11This has been chaos since the start.
00:49:15No!
00:49:16Through the ass table!
00:49:19Chaos in Philadelphia!
00:49:23Cody caught him! Cody's got Roman!
00:49:27Oh, no!
00:49:29No!
00:49:34Rock bottom to Cody Rhodes!
00:49:41Feels like I'm back in the Attitude Era.
00:49:45People's Elbow!
00:49:52Welcome back, final boss!
00:50:00Night one is officially in the books.
00:50:06But Cody and Roman have less than 24 hours
00:50:09before they get back inside the squared circle
00:50:13to give fans the match they'd called for.
00:50:19This is a unique situation where night one of WrestleMania
00:50:22feeds into night two and the story carries on.
00:50:25How does Cody overcome?
00:50:27A lot to think about overnight and a lot to see tomorrow.
00:50:37Check this out.
00:50:40My bus is over there, I got off, boom.
00:50:43It's a good thing to wake up to, you know?
00:50:46He used to call that his million-dollar smile.
00:50:49But no human being smiles like that,
00:50:52so it was always funny when he would kind of pop it up.
00:50:56And then what else was I going to tell you guys this morning?
00:50:59I forgot. Oh, feels like a good morning to finish the story.
00:51:07Is there a way, if we pack the choir here,
00:51:10and pack the choir here, if I left the centre,
00:51:13depending on where they lay out these drums,
00:51:15that's what I'm going to figure out right now.
00:51:17So when he comes, then probably you three will move
00:51:20once Roman comes out.
00:51:26OK?
00:51:27This is the biggest stage, this is everything for us.
00:51:31Got new music.
00:51:37The choir and those big drums and everything
00:51:40are the biggest thing coming out of the preamble.
00:51:43This is where we want everybody to be like,
00:51:45God damn, they threw it big, man.
00:51:47So here's what I'm thinking, and we start to pull back
00:51:50through here at a fairly decent pace.
00:51:53This is the big ball right here.
00:51:57I was just out there doing what I've been doing my whole life.
00:52:00Main event in WrestleMania is just what Roman Reigns does.
00:52:06You are looking live at The Link,
00:52:09Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
00:52:12We are sold out again tonight for WrestleMania Sunday.
00:52:24It is our main event.
00:52:26Cody Rhodes hopes to finish the story.
00:52:29He earned this opportunity.
00:52:31Biggest night of your life, Cody Rhodes.
00:52:45Go get him.
00:52:48For 1,316 days,
00:52:54Roman Reigns has called himself champion.
00:52:58It literally does not get any higher profile
00:53:01or bigger than this matchup.
00:53:06And here we go.
00:53:08Big Fight Field in Philadelphia.
00:53:11This will be contested under bloodline rules,
00:53:14which means anything goes.
00:53:16Down goes Rhodes.
00:53:18Wow.
00:53:19The power of our tribal chief.
00:53:23Superhuman power.
00:53:25This is my company, you little bitch.
00:53:30Goddamn.
00:53:41Here comes Reigns. Cody caught him.
00:53:44The Philly fans try to rally.
00:53:46The American nightmare.
00:53:47Rhodes now, second rope.
00:53:49Cody caught him.
00:53:50Can Cody capitalize?
00:54:00Looking up to the heavens,
00:54:02Cody Rhodes knows his papa's looking down on him
00:54:06on the biggest night of his career.
00:54:10Dare I say, for the first time tonight,
00:54:13the champ is in trouble.
00:54:16Jimmy Uso.
00:54:18I think he just saved the championship for his cousin.
00:54:22Oh, yeah.
00:54:24Cody Rhodes has got some friends, too.
00:54:27Yeet.
00:54:29Jimmy and Jay on a collision course.
00:54:32On the stage.
00:54:34Oh, my God.
00:54:36Cody's got a champ.
00:54:40Solo Sikoa.
00:54:49Oh, yeah.
00:54:51Cena's coming against him.
00:54:54Cena's into the playing field.
00:54:58Hit this man.
00:55:00Holy.
00:55:02Here's Cody.
00:55:05The final boss has arrived.
00:55:10This is one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed.
00:55:14The final boss infuriated at John Cena.
00:55:27What the...
00:55:30Guys.
00:55:33Oh, my God.
00:55:35Seth Rollins is in the ring with a chair,
00:55:37and Roman just stopped Seth from taking out The Rock.
00:55:57The dead man coming.
00:56:03Undertaker's back in WrestleMania.
00:56:08Talk about WrestleMania moments.
00:56:12But now, the Tribal Chief is wielding a steel chair.
00:56:17Payback.
00:56:19And now Reigns setting up Cody Rhodes.
00:56:22Cody caught him.
00:56:24Crossroads.
00:56:26Cody's not done yet.
00:56:28Is he gonna do it?
00:56:33Cody Rhodes finished the fight.
00:56:43For the first time ever,
00:56:46a Rhodes can call himself WWE champion.
00:56:54As Cody takes in the moment he's waited two years for,
00:56:58the struggle, the pain, the tears,
00:57:01he can finally say what it all meant
00:57:04and who it was all for.
00:57:12It doesn't get any sweeter than this.
00:57:14Sometimes this business just gets you right in the heart.
00:57:22Pro wrestling is beautiful.
00:57:28It's beautiful.
00:57:58Thank you.
00:58:05Enjoy all of it, brother. You deserve it.
00:58:12I thought if I won this, I would feel complete.
00:58:17And to a degree, the story being finished,
00:58:20I do have a completion to it.
00:58:23Now we just gotta navigate it. That's our job.
00:58:26That's our job. Me, you, f***ing everybody.
00:58:28But we navigate this now once we grow up.
00:58:31One more. Do the classic.
00:58:35The first thing on my mind is,
00:58:38what do we do next?
00:58:40Right?
00:58:41What do we do next with this?
00:58:51The answers ahead are always in process.
00:58:56Cody Rhodes,
00:58:59your story with Roman Reigns is over,
00:59:03and you did it.
00:59:05But our story has just begun.
00:59:14A story beginning,
00:59:16while WrestleMania is just ending.
00:59:19You see all the people that do all the things
00:59:22to put their heart and soul in this.
00:59:24Talent.
00:59:25Everybody worked so hard to put this together,
00:59:28and just delivered what I feel is beyond
00:59:31any and all expectations.
00:59:34We set records for merchandise, by far.
00:59:37We set records for sponsorship, by far.
00:59:41This was legitimately, on every metric,
00:59:46the biggest WrestleMania of all time.
00:59:49The truth is, I'm gonna get up tomorrow
00:59:51and think, like, what can we do now?
00:59:53What can we do next?
00:59:55And in some manner, somewhere in my head,
01:00:00I'm gonna be plotting next year's.
01:00:02That's the beauty of it. That's the honor of it.
01:00:04That's the privilege of it.
01:00:05We get to do it again tomorrow.
01:00:07For Triple H, the creative mind
01:00:09and relentless architect of WrestleMania 40,
01:00:12the off-season will last eight hours
01:00:16before the planning for WrestleMania 41 begins.
01:00:23♪♪