Rumors of The Rock returning to a WWE ran rampant ahead of the Royal Rumble with WrestleMania 39 around the corner. However, the wrestling legend did not return while other storylines blossomed.

That is why Cody Rhodes believes “The Granddaddy of Them All” does not need The Rock to show up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on April 1 and 2.

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Cody Rhodes speaks during a press conference after the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in San Antonio Jan. 28, 2023. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

“With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs, The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening,” the 2023 Royal Rumble winner told The Daily Mail. “One story about finishing something that started in 1978 – seven years before I was even born – and another story of really the tragedy of being welcomed into The Bloodline and then what you saw unfolds.

“I think with the amount of time between now and WrestleMania, it’s important I keep my eyes squarely fixed on WrestleMania, squarely wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Championship and as you hinted that may not be against Roman Reigns.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once floated presidential aspirations, but now says that is “off the table.” ( RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

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Rhodes winning the 30-man Royal Rumble match meant he gets a shot at Reigns for the championship. First, Reigns will battle Sami Zayn at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event on Feb. 18.

“Now I don’t know if anyone can beat Roman Reigns, I truly don’t, but for me, it’s about picking up the chip,” he added. “I love the melodrama, I love the heaviness in these stories that develop in our industry, but I am very simply a man who’s looking for a belt.

Cody Rhodes celebrates after winning the men’s WWE Royal Rumble match at the Alamodome in San Antonio Jan. 28, 2023. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

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“I’m looking for a championship title belt, the most important one in our world the biggest in all – not just in the WWE bubble but in all the bubbles – and be the first to say as a Rhodes I did it, and it wasn’t Dusty Rhodes, and it wasn’t Dustin Rhodes; it was Cody Rhodes.”