WWE is reportedly operating on the assumption that The Rock will not be available for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia next year. That is according to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reporting Thursday. The Rock, 54, last competed in a match at WrestleMania 40 in 2024, teaming with Roman Reigns to beat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of Night 1.
He also got involved in the Night 2 main event between Reigns and Rhodes, which saw Rhodes beat Reigns for the WWE Championship. Leading up to WrestleMania 41, The Rock was inserted into the company’s top storyline, as he attempted to get Rhodes to essentially join forces with him. When Rhodes refused at Elimination 2025, John Cena shockingly attacked Rhodes and turned heel at The Rock’s behest. It was widely assumed that The Rock would continue to be heavily involved in the feud in the following weeks, but that was not the case, as Rhodes and Cena were left to their own devices during the build toward their WrestleMania 41 match.
In September 2025, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, via WrestleTalk, reported that Saudi Arabian officials would be working really, really hard to get legends on WrestleMania 43 for marquee matches. Meltzer noted that Saudi Arabia would be willing to hand out a big payday for any legend willing to participate, and he specifically named The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels as possibilities.
The Rock technically isn’t retired from wrestling, but he has only had one legitimate match since 2013, so WWE can’t necessarily count on his availability. As a megastar actor in Hollywood, The Rock is often busy with commitments in that realm, and if he does not take part in WrestleMania 43, it may very well be because of that once again.
Earlier this month, WWE President Nick Khan made it sound like the company has already mapped out its creative direction for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia. That’s assuming the ongoing wars in the Middle East don’t get in the way of WWE running SaudiMania next April. A new report today from WrestleVotes Radio now indicates that WWE creative is operating under the assumption that The Rock is not available to be part of any major storylines during the build to WrestleMania 43. However, one source noted that plans can change in an instant when it comes to the whims of Dwayne Johnson. This report is consistent with last month’s story about how The Rock’s rumored schedule for shooting the final Fast & Furious movie makes it unlikely that he steps in the ring for a match at SaudiMania. It’s just one more reason for wrestling fans to think the most likely main event at WrestleMania 43 is Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi rather than Roman Reigns vs. The Final Boss.
All-time great WWE superstar The Rock has a great relationship with ownership TKO to hold relevance in the executive roles. However, this also comes back to his on-screen greatness as one of the most popular WWE performers ever. Fans have been waiting to see Rock’s next WWE role after he had some storylines involving Cody Rhodes, John Cena, and Roman Reigns in recent years. It would make perfect sense for Rock to have a big match at WrestleMania 43 if his schedule allows. However, Sean Ross Sapp revealed that WWE is currently planning for Rock to not be involved next year: WWE creative is operating on the assumption that The Rock will not be available for WrestleMania again this year.
Rock’s acting career is the main reason that it’s become hard for him to wrestle for WWE. The last match of Rock came at WrestleMania 40 on the first night’s main event when he teamed with Reigns against Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Since then, Rock has returned to convince John Cena to turn heel against Rhodes in a confusing storyline that never had a full payoff. The next match of Rock in WWE is unknown since it appears acting will keep him away from having a match in 2027. Most fans would love to see The Rock having matches against all the major top WWE stars, but two make the most sense. Rock and Rhodes never had the big singles match after multiple chapters in their storyline linked them together. Reigns is the next big match and arguably the most important due to family ties. Both wrestlers are the two biggest stars from the Samoan Dynasty family who have dominated WWE with dozens of talented names making their mark. A match between the two would be a huge draw with the family drama and their overall star power.
Time will tell if Rock can fit these dream matches into his schedule to further validate his wrestling legacy. WWE often makes huge money from the rare Rock returns to see them hoping for him to get involved ahead of every WrestleMania season. The acting career of The Rock has taken his fame to new heights, but results are always mixed. Recent box office results saw the live action version of Moana failing badly to hurt The Rock’s reputation as a movie draw. Jumanji Open World is Rock’s next big release for the end of 2026 that will see him promoting it into 2027. The current filming schedule also sees The Rock currently working on a children’s movie titled Lizard Music that has strong financing as part of Amazon Studios. Rock is likely prioritizing this and other projects that won’t be announced until closer towards the end of the year before they start filming.
