On an episode of "WWE SmackDown" in February 2024, Cody Rhodes appeared, though almost unwillingly, to step aside after his second Rumble win in a row, so Rock could face Reigns for the championship on "The Grandest Stage of Them All." As for fans turning on The Rock, leading to his heel turn and "Final Boss" character ahead of WrestleMania 40, Paul Levesque said he wasn't surprised that fans took Rhodes' side to cheer him on to "finish the story."

"It was a lot of debate of which way it would go and how it would go," he explained. "Fans are very protective of this and what it is and how it's handled, and if it is seen as self-serving in any way ... If it seems that way, they will revolt against it. Cody's story was so engrained in what we were doing and what we were going to accomplish."

Levesque said that contrary to what people read online, there were quite a few game plans laid out for WrestleMania 40's main event. He said he has learned throughout his career that a plan B and plan C are needed because the pieces of a match can shift at any moment.