The main event of WrestleMania 40 promised to be a fever dream of run-ins and legendary returns when Cody Rhodes squared off against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns under Bloodline rules, which meant there were no rules.
The match lived up to the hype, with Jimmy and Jey Uso flying off the ramp through a table, Solo Sikoa taking out Rhodes before John Cena made his valiant return, and The Rock walking down the ramp like Thanos, Mama Rhodes belt en tow and all. There was even a Seth Rollins cameo in Shield gear, which ended up being an important detail as the match came to an end.
When it came time to take things home, fans were caught off guard when The Undertaker’s bell rang out, the lights went out, and he chokeslammed Rock. That’s because over the last month, subtle hints gave WWE fans hope that Stone Cold Steve Austin’s glass would break, he’d hit the ring, and land a stunner on Rock for good time’s sake.
It started with Austin appearing on a loading truck:
Going to take this with a grain of salt, but what are the chances that John Cena and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin — two of Rock’s biggest rivals are on the production truck where Rock is beating up Cody Rhodes.
I really hope one of them, aid Rhodes at #WrestleMania.#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/fzklPZHQpb
— PW Chronicle (@_PWChronicle) March 26, 2024
And continued on the day of WrestleMania, when Triple H happened to tweet out a hype video at exactly 3:16.
Their story has captivated an entire industry for over a year. Tonight, they main event the biggest #WrestleMania EVER. No matter the outcome, after tonight… nothing will be the same.@WWERomanReigns vs. @CodyRhodes, TONIGHT at @WrestleMania XL Sunday 7e/4p @peacock @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/oDj9BQGNu0
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 7, 2024
After the event, reports from the Wrestling Observer noted Austin was originally intended to appear at the end of the match, but The Undertaker eventually took that spot.
Stone Cole Steve Austin was the person originally earmarked for the spot at the end of Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania, but in the end they couldn’t reach a financial agreement and Undertaker was put in his place.
– WON pic.twitter.com/GusbwsCVBS
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) April 12, 2024
Despite Austin’s exclusion, that didn’t stop Rhodes from finishing his story, winning the WWE Championship, ending Reigns’ historic run, and seeing his theme song climb to the top of the charts.