WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia might just witness an epic face-off that fans have been eagerly awaiting: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson versus his cousin, Roman Reigns.

During a recent stint on "The Pat McAfee Show," The Rock spilled the beans about a possible showdown with Reigns - a match that the WWE has hinted at doing for years.

Originally slated for WrestleMania 39, the battle between the two juggernauts was "locked in," as The Rock revealed. "We were doing it," he emphasized. The initial meetings, involving WWE CEO Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, and The Rock himself, were promising. After some heartfelt reminiscing and toasting to the wrestling business with Teremana tequila, a handshake sealed the deal. However, just having a match wasn't the endgame. The trio wanted to provide fans with a narrative that wasn't just exceptional, but groundbreaking. Sadly, tthey couldn't pinpoint the perfect "thing" that would redefine the wrestling storyline. So, the idea was shelved, but not discarded.

"The Rock headlining WrestleMania with Roman Reigns at SoFi Stadium was locked in..

We got really really close but there's WrestleMania in Philadelphia coming up" 👀@TheRock #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fyKjL1j0jE

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 15, 2023

Even though the plans for WrestleMania 39 fell through, all might not be lost. The Rock hinted at a possible revival of the face-off for the next WrestleMania in Philadelphia. His words, "I'm open. Let's figure out what that is," have certainly rekindled hope.

WrestleMania 39 had Roman Reigns clashing with Cody Rhodes in the main event, with Reigns emerging victorious. But a rematch is supposedly in the pipeline where Rhodes might claim victory over the Tribal Chief. Yet, with The Rock and his most recent remarks and appearance on the September 15 episode of Friday Night RAW, the plot could twist in a new direction.

A change in the "original" plans wouldn't be all that surprising, especially if The Rock is on board. The WWE has already achieved its earlier plans to update its history books. GUNTHER is the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion and Roman Reigns' championship reign has lasted for over 1,112 days already, which is the longest since 1988. 

So, at this point, the only reason to keep Roman Reigns' championship run going is for the sake of it.

Now that Jey Uso is a certified main event babyface over at Monday Night RAW and LA Knight is expected to headline the WWE for years to come, the WWE can make "complete" Cody Rhodes' story a bit earlier than originally planned. In this hypothetical scenario, Rhodes would win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at an upcoming PLE, like, for example, at Crown Jewel or Survivor Series in November. The WWE can even push its luck and make it a "trilogy", with Reigns winning at Crown Jewel albeit due to a disqualification, with The Rock "shaming" him right after and the championship belt finally going to Rhodes at Survivor Series after a clean win. 

This "downfall" would set up an angry and bitter Roman Reigns lashing out at everybody and The Rock coming down from Hollywood to put The Tribal Chief in his place. LA Knight, the presumed next contender for a championship, could then win the Royal Rumble where he can challenge for either the World Heavyweight Championship and Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. 

The thing about Rhodes winning it all is that his initial title reign doesn't have to be long; Rhodes is a certified top-billing superstar who likely has multiple championship bouts on the cards in the future. 

With Rhodes defending his title belt at WrestleMania 40 against either one of LA Knight, Jey Uso, or Drew McIntyre and The Rock taking on Roman Reigns - we're pretty sure we can throw in John Cena and Solo Sikoa into the mix - WrestleMania 40 can set a new record for the WWE.

If anything, Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, and Triple H, have likely already considered a similar if not better scenario in the coming months as they plan for the inaugural WrestleMania following the UFC-WWE merger.

While WrestleMania 40 is a significant event for the WWE, it also holds nostalgic value for The People's Champion. The city of brotherly love served as the backdrop of his first WrestleMania main event against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania 15. Not to mention, Reigns' current on-screen persona, The Head of the Table, which symbolizes being central to the Anoa'i family, directly challenges The Rock's legacy as The Chosen One, adding more fuel to their potential storyline.

Only time will tell if this ambitious plan will come true, but if there's anything that the WWE has proven lately - it's that everything is possible. 

If it can, WWE will unquestionably capitalize on the opportunity to orchestrate the dream match of the century.