Former WWE Insider Alleges The Rock Deliberately Undermined WrestleMania 41
The Rock’s role in WWE has long been associated with box office success and headline moments, but a former employee is now accusing the global superstar of intentionally derailing one of the company’s biggest events of the year. According to Tommy Carlucci, who once worked behind the scenes at WWE, Dwayne Johnson may have played a direct role in the creative chaos that surrounded WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
Speaking on the podcast Behind The Turnbuckle Studios, Carlucci did not mince words. He suggested that The Rock purposefully walked away from the angle leading into the 2025 WrestleMania card, leaving WWE scrambling and ultimately forcing the company to turn to rapper Travis Scott as a last-minute solution to the fractured storyline involving Cody Rhodes and John Cena.
The situation traces back to early 2024, when The Rock returned to WWE programming in a surprising heel turn. His transformation into “The Final Boss” became the focal point of the WrestleMania XL build-up in Philadelphia and was widely praised for adding fresh intrigue to the product. However, heading into the following year, WWE attempted to replicate that momentum but ran into significant creative shifts after the Elimination Chamber event in Toronto. That show saw John Cena turn heel and marked the sudden disappearance of The Rock from WWE’s weekly narrative.
Carlucci questioned The Rock’s absence, speculating that it was not due to scheduling issues or storyline adjustments but rather a calculated move motivated by ego. He implied that Johnson knew the resulting storyline would not resonate with fans and allowed it to fail anyway.
“If he doesn’t show up at SummerSlam, then we’ve got some real issues,” Carlucci said. He went on to state that The Rock sabotaged WrestleMania 41. According to him, Johnson had already anticipated that the replacement storyline involving Travis Scott would fall flat with audiences but chose to distance himself instead of helping to fix it.
The decision to bring in Travis Scott for the Rhodes and Cena angle was seen by many as an odd creative direction. WWE has a long history of involving celebrities in its biggest events, but in this case, the execution appeared rushed and disconnected from prior storytelling. The absence of The Rock left a void that could not be easily filled, and the mixed fan reactions only added fuel to the controversy.
What had started as a promising annual showcase turned into an event riddled with backstage uncertainty and conflicting egos. The Rock’s silence in the aftermath and his current ambiguous status ahead of SummerSlam 2025 have only deepened speculation about his commitment to WWE’s long-term plans.
Despite the controversy, The Rock remains one of the most bankable names in wrestling and entertainment. His heel persona as The Final Boss sparked renewed interest in WWE earlier in the year. Still, fans and insiders are now questioning whether that momentum was squandered or deliberately cut short.
WWE has not publicly addressed Carlucci’s remarks, and there is no official word on whether The Rock will appear at SummerSlam. For now, the conversation continues behind the scenes and across social media, as fans wait to see whether Johnson will return to clear the air or continue to let the speculation grow.