WWE WrestleMania 40 was the biggest ‘Mania in the company’s history.

The Bloodline was a focal point of Night 1 and Night 2, but drastic changes were made to the final product.

The promotion is now confirming how some top superstars acted backstage during the controversy.

WrestleMania XL Saturday was headlined by The Rock and Roman Reigns defeating Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. The Night 2 main event saw Rhodes end Reigns’ historic Undisputed Universal Championship reign. The Final Boss had returned to WWE earlier in the year to set up Rock vs. Roman as the WrestleMania 40 main event, despite Cody earning a title shot by winning the Royal Rumble.

The February 2 SmackDown saw The Tribal Chief and The American Nightmare face off in the ring to build to their WrestleMania 40 main event. However, The Great One came out for an awkward moment with Rhodes, then a face-off with Reigns. While Rock vs. Roman had been rumored for years, there were immediate viral reactions to the apparent change in plans, with many knocking The Rock for inserting himself into the mix ahead of Rhodes. WWE covered this process and backstage responses in the new Behind The Curtain documentary on WrestleMania XL.

The doc shows footage of Roman, Rock, Triple H, Paul Heyman, and others expressing excitement and confidence backstage after the in-ring SmackDown segment on February 2. After an applause, Rock promised to discuss things with the others later in the week. Then, he left the arena to keep up with his busy schedule. The Head of the Table spoke to the WWE camera as he walked through the backstage area.

“It’s cool because our fans have been clamoring for this for a long time. So, it’s good to be able to give them something that they’re looking forward to. It’s good to deliver on something,” Roman Reigns said. [From 20:02 to 20:15]

The doc then cuts to a somber Cody on his private bus in the arena parking lot, with a bottle of vodka in front of him. The narrator noted that he was still processing everything that happened, with his WrestleMania 40 match up in the air.

“I have to believe, right? One thing… you can lose the faith of the fans. We’ve seen it tons of times. I have to believe that I won’t lose their faith, and there might be fans who are upset that I’ve been talking about this title for two years and haven’t decided to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania,” Cody Rhodes said. [From 20:32 to 20:55]

The narrator noted that fan reactions were overwhelming, and “#WeWantCody” trended for 72 hours straight. This led to the big change back to Cody vs. Roman as the Road to WrestleMania 40 continued.

The WWE Universe reacted in a major way to the company going with The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL instead of Cody Rhodes vs. Reigns.

In the new Behind the Curtain documentary for WrestleMania 40, Triple H said Rock vs. Roman would have been the biggest match of all time if it had taken place at any other time and place.

The Game added that the feedback was a testament to how big Cody was, how over he was, and how much fans had personally invested in him. The Final Boss revealed his thoughts on the WrestleMania 40 main event.

“The concerns were obviously understandable. Cody has been our guy. We’ve invested in him for a couple of years now. ‘Rock, we love you!’ We get Rock and Roman in the big main event, don’t know if it should be now. Maybe what about next year’s WrestleMania? […] So, as that groundswell started to happen, a few things can happen when you’re in this scenario. #1 is, as it often happens in the world of professional wrestling, you just truck through it, or you truly take in what the fans are saying, ” The Rock said. [From 22:20 to 23:17]

The next stop on The Road to WrestleMania 40 was RAW, where they began the storyline that would bring Seth Rollins into the picture, setting up the main events for Night 1 and Night 2. The Rock then revealed how he contacted Nick Khan and Endeavor executives to personally make sure plans changed due to fan feedback.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WWE and give an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.

WWE WrestleMania 40 was the biggest ‘Mania in the company’s history. The Bloodline was a focal point of Night 1 and Night 2, but drastic changes were made to the final product. The promotion is now confirming how some top superstars acted backstage during the controversy.

WrestleMania XL Saturday was headlined by The Rock and Roman Reigns defeating Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. The Night 2 main event saw Rhodes end Reigns’ historic Undisputed Universal Championship reign. The Final Boss had returned to WWE earlier in the year to set up Rock vs. Roman as the WrestleMania 40 main event, despite Cody earning a title shot by winning the Royal Rumble.

The February 2 SmackDown saw The Tribal Chief and The American Nightmare face off in the ring to build to their WrestleMania 40 main event. However, The Great One came out for an awkward moment with Rhodes, then a face-off with Reigns. While Rock vs. Roman had been rumored for years, there were immediate viral reactions to the apparent change in plans, with many knocking The Rock for inserting himself into the mix ahead of Rhodes. WWE covered this process and backstage responses in the new Behind The Curtain documentary on WrestleMania XL.

The doc shows footage of Roman, Rock, Triple H, Paul Heyman, and others expressing excitement and confidence backstage after the in-ring SmackDown segment on February 2. After an applause, Rock promised to discuss things with the others later in the week. Then, he left the arena to keep up with his busy schedule. The Head of the Table spoke to the WWE camera as he walked through the backstage area.

“It’s cool because our fans have been clamoring for this for a long time. So, it’s good to be able to give them something that they’re looking forward to. It’s good to deliver on something,” Roman Reigns said. [From 20:02 to 20:15]

The doc then cuts to a somber Cody on his private bus in the arena parking lot, with a bottle of vodka in front of him. The narrator noted that he was still processing everything that happened, with his WrestleMania 40 match up in the air.

“I have to believe, right? One thing… you can lose the faith of the fans. We’ve seen it tons of times. I have to believe that I won’t lose their faith, and there might be fans who are upset that I’ve been talking about this title for two years and haven’t decided to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania,” Cody Rhodes said. [From 20:32 to 20:55]

The narrator noted that fan reactions were overwhelming, and “#WeWantCody” trended for 72 hours straight. This led to the big change back to Cody vs. Roman as the Road to WrestleMania 40 continued.

The WWE Universe reacted in a major way to the company going with The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL instead of Cody Rhodes vs. Reigns.

In the new Behind the Curtain documentary for WrestleMania 40, Triple H said Rock vs. Roman would have been the biggest match of all time if it had taken place at any other time and place.

The Game added that the feedback was a testament to how big Cody was, how over he was, and how much fans had personally invested in him. The Final Boss revealed his thoughts on the WrestleMania 40 main event.

“The concerns were obviously understandable. Cody has been our guy. We’ve invested in him for a couple of years now. ‘Rock, we love you!’ We get Rock and Roman in the big main event, don’t know if it should be now. Maybe what about next year’s WrestleMania? […] So, as that groundswell started to happen, a few things can happen when you’re in this scenario. #1 is, as it often happens in the world of professional wrestling, you just truck through it, or you truly take in what the fans are saying, ” The Rock said. [From 22:20 to 23:17]

The next stop on The Road to WrestleMania 40 was RAW, where they began the storyline that would bring Seth Rollins into the picture, setting up the main events for Night 1 and Night 2. The Rock then revealed how he contacted Nick Khan and Endeavor executives to personally make sure plans changed due to fan feedback.