Why AEW's Jeff Jarrett Isn't Smelling What The Rock Is Cooking On WWE WrestleMania 39

Last Friday, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show," speaking on a wide range of topics over the course of their interview. That includes Johnson claiming he was set to face Roman Reigns earlier this year at WWE WrestleMania 39. Appearing on his "My World" podcast, wrestling veteran Jeff Jarrett pushed back a little bit on Johnson's claim that he just wasn't interested in the creative ideas for the match.

"I'm not sure that I'm buying that Rock was uninspired going into SoFi this year," Jarrett said, with co-host Conrad Thompson adding his belief that the two sides couldn't agree on financial terms. "There was a lot going on behind the scenes. Vince coming back, the sale — the merger. You know, the executive situation. WWE, over the last ... 18 months — think about that, Conrad. Wow. Lots of changes."

Jarrett then stated that he could see Johnson realizing there was more money to be made if he waited for the dust to settle around the then-chaotic situation in the company. The third-generation wrestler then acknowledged that promotions will change plans around if a special talent becomes available, possibly signaling his belief that Johnson will step in to replace Cody Rhodes as the penciled-in opponent for Reigns at next year's WWE WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Following his appearance with McAfee, Johnson returned to "WWE SmackDown" on Friday evening. The Rock and McAfee found themselves in the ring with Austin Theory, and Johnson even had a brief backstage interaction with John Cena during the show. With Hollywood productions still on hold due to multiple ongoing strikes, and Johnson teasing a possible match against his cousin next year, it remains quite possible it won't be long before The Rock comes back to WWE programming.