More reactions, news, regarding Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns/Rock (Patreon)

Two days after the Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and Rock saga, its still a hot topic online, and within the company

Sources we spoke to said that Cody Rhodes was professional backstage around the situation, but probably seemed somber in retrospect now that many know what was happening. WWE had definitely taken note of posts that highlighted polls, dislikes on social, and mainstream coverage. There is no way we can rule out this potentially being a work from the start or becoming one, but will continue to get reactions and news from within the company. If it is a work, or is on the direction to becoming on, it’s being kept close to the vest.

The reactions we’ve gained from additional WWE talent and staff is a little adjusted today from what we heard initially, as many in the company think that WWE either had motives, or may course correct. Please note, these are the opinions of those within the company, not reports of adjusted creative plans.

One WWE source said “well, this is preferable to the coverage of Vince McMahon, but that’s not going anywhere either. At least with this there can be peaks and valleys, and some sane people can justify it. With the coverage we were getting last week, it was all negative.”

This was a sentiment echoed by many, with one saying "maybe the company prefers to appear inept than malicious by proxy of Vince."

For the record, we will continue to cover all of the above. We are actively working to aid a couple of mainstream outlets in navigating the wrestling landscape and help gather information on the lawsuit and additional allegations as well.

There were some in WWE we spoke to that were in denial over the situation being as one-sided as it was, both in online reactions and the live reaction at the live events. Most understood the gravity of the situation, and several pointed to the fact that nothing had been officially announced.

We did hear from a couple of talent that didn’t seem as doom and gloom as others. One top talent said “I think Rock vs. Roman is a great match to have at Mania. Fans are excited and Cody will still get a huge match and all this will do is make the fans rally behind him even more coming out of it anyway so it’s still fine.”

Another newer WWE talent said “Dwayne is impossible to dislike if you meet him, and I think that a lot of what he’s built himself on would be undermined by actually going through with something like this. If you listen to so many of the things he’s said, especially to people like me, it just makes me think that it won’t happen the way it appears.”

To be clear, people within the company are under the impression Rock vs. Roman and Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes are the planned WrestleMania matches, but top matches at WrestleMania have been changed multiple times within a couple of months of WrestleMania. It’s pro wrestling and anything is possible.

There was one wrestler who told us they believe this week will be a big test: “Rock got cheered at Smackdown, and booed on the screen at the house show. They’ll show it on screen at Raw, then the presser in Vegas and Smackdown will be telling. Will he even be around for Smackdown? I don’t know.”

No talent or staff we’ve spoken to is concerned on how Cody Rhodes will come out of this, as they all seem to expect him to roll with the punches.

Another talent said “If I know Dwayne like I think I know him, perception is very important to him. So I think the chances are high that he takes this head on and addresses it in some capacity.”

When we asked a higher up if there were any issues with Reigns or Rollins taking shots at each other’s championship, the higher up said “look who we’re in business with now. That happens all the time. One champion has a reason their title is more valid than another’s. Perception is reality in that kind of situation. We definitely want to create that discussion. Do you value the guy who isn’t around as much and beat everyone, or do you value the guy who is around all the time and Roman didn’t actually beat? It’s not an accident.”

We’ll have more on this throughout the week, and will be in Las Vegas for the presser Thursday.