The Rock to reuse his 27-year-old WWE storyline with Cody Rhodes in 2025? Exploring the chances 

The Rock returned to WWE TV on the February 21st, 2025 episode of SmackDown, and shared an interesting segment with Cody Rhodes. The Final Boss wants The American Nightmare to be his champion and wants the Undisputed WWE Champion’s soul.

While he didn’t provide any explanation about what he meant, The Rock may be trying to revive a 27-year-old storyline, The Corporation. Back in 1998, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon formed The Corporation to eliminate the rebellious superstars. During that storyline, The Rock was The Corporation’s champion, and they helped him secure the WWE (then-WWF) Championship at Survivor Series. Moreover, they would interfere with the championship matches to ensure The Brahma Bull continued to be champion.

Coming to 2025, it seems that The Final Boss is mirroring the “corporate” storyline but this time, he is the authority and Cody Rhodes is the champion. Since he is a part of TKO’s Board of Directors, it plays well into the corporate angle. Furthermore, Rhodes turning heel and working with The Modern Era Corporation will truly duplicate the storyline from 1998.

Finally, just like The People’s Champion did in 1998, The American Nightmare can use his influence in the locker room to dominate the other superstars.

Interestingly, The Corporate storyline was to rise against and eliminate the rebellious superstars. In the current Rock-Rhodes angle, it seems that the objective is not to eliminate the rebellious superstar but to bring him under control.

Cody Rhodes may need to accept The Rock’s offer to protect his championship run

The Undisputed WWE Champion will answer The Final Boss at Elimination Chamber. If he accepts, it potentially means that Cody Rhodes will do as instructed by The Rock at all times.

While he has the option to decline the offer, it will come with grave consequences. The Brahma Bull wants to have the ultimate power in WWE, and the last step of that is to have complete control over the company’s top champion. If Cody Rhodes refuses to be his champion, The Final Boss can use his corporate power to strip him off the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Other superstars in the locker room are prepared to be the corporate champion if it means their careers will propel to the top. However, The American Nightmare may have to fight his way through if he wants to continue being the Undisputed WWE Champion.