Despite prior predictions that he would be heavily involved in the main event, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shocked many fans by skipping WrestleMania 41. Given how much his involvement had been talked about before the big night, his absence generated discussion throughout the wrestling community.
Other noteworthy aspects of WrestleMania 41 included John Cena making history by taking home his 17th world championship title. He became the WWE star with the most world title victories after defeating Cody Rhodes in a much-anticipated battle. This incident immediately became one of the night’s biggest highlights, shattering the long-standing record held by Ric Flair.
On Pat McAfee’s show, The Rock said he wanted the spotlight to be on John Cena and that’s why he didn’t appear at #WWE #WresteMania 41. pic.twitter.com/ODQ1fnJxjU
— NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW news (@nodqdotcom) April 22, 2025
Rapper Travis Scott also made a cameo during the main event, which added to the drama and affected the match’s conclusion. Given that The Rock had been instrumental at the Elimination Chamber earlier this year, fans were anticipating his appearance as well. He persuaded Cena to change his ways there, which was a significant change after almost twenty years.
This arrangement led many people to assume that The Rock would attend WrestleMania 41 in order to back Cena or sway the result of the match.
Later, though, The Rock clarified his absence when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. He clarified that he made the choice to not attend the event. He claims that instead of turning the spotlight on himself, he moved aside to allow John Cena and Cody Rhodes to receive all of the limelight.
The Rock said on the Pat McAfee Show that he didn’t appear at #WrestleMania 41 because he wanted the spotlight to be on John Cena and Cody Rhodes. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/z6fVk4FJkJ
— wrestling.killer (@wrestlingkill3r) April 22, 2025
He was quoted by Yardbarker saying that he intentionally moved out of the spotlight to allow others to shine. “Step back and let the Final Boss step back into the shadows. Let all that spotlight go on John. Let it go to Cody. Let’s not make it about Cody’s soul or John’s soul. Let’s let them do what they do,” The Rock told Pat McAfee.
By doing this, he made it apparent that his absence was intended to respect Cena’s historic accomplishment and to prevent his own celebrity from overpowering the scene. The decision of one of wrestling’s greatest heroes to remain behind the scenes during such a significant occasion is now more clear to fans.
