The Rock might subtly be protecting 9-time WWE champion behind Triple H's back for one major reason; NOT a member of The Bloodline

WWE Friday Night SmackDown aired last night on the USA Network. The show was stacked, with plenty of surprises, two stars debuting, and Bloodline drama. There was also a particularly interesting segment with Randy Orton and Nick Aldis.

The Viper wants revenge on Kevin Owens for a recent attack, but Nick Aldis refused to grant Orton a match at WWE Crown Jewel. When Orton pressed the SmackDown GM, Aldis revealed that his hands were tied due to the higher-ups. Most assumed this would be Triple H, but an interesting twist could see it be The Rock.

The Final Boss may instead be the one who is keeping Kevin Owens and Randy Orton apart. While some fans might wonder how The People's Champion could prevent The Viper from getting his hands on the nine-time WWE champion, it comes easy thanks to his role on the board.

The Rock is part of the TKO Board of Directors, which effectively means he outranks even Triple H. As a result, if The Rock demanded Nick Aldis to not do something, The National Treasure would have to listen.

Why, though, would The Rock choose to do this? He might do it to prevent Randy Orton from getting in Kevin Owens' way.

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The Rock likely wants Kevin Owens to make Cody Rhodes suffer

The Rock notably hates Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare and the "Cody Crybabies" ruined The Final Boss' dream WrestleMania main event with Roman Reigns. The Rock has promised revenge and even said he'd take Cody's prized Undisputed WWE Title away from him.

Recently, Cody has been going through a lot of turmoil. His former friend Kevin Owens betrayed him and that is the root of much of the drama on the blue brand at the moment.

More than that, though, Owens is dangerous and he could hurt Cody both physically and emotionally. Given how much The Rock hates Rhodes, he might want to encourage that behavior. As a result, he's keeping Orton away from Kevin so The Prizefighter can continue his onslaught on the Undisputed WWE Champion instead.

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Kevin Owens could hurt The American Nightmare at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024

While Cody Rhodes is busy at WWE Crown Jewel 2024, he is currently free for Survivor Series: WarGames. If The Rock wants Kevin Owens to get to Cody Rhodes, that may be the show to set it all up.

Survivor Series WarGames will be in Canada, Owens' home country. Not only would this give KO the mental edge, but he may even be more inspired to beat up and hurt Rhodes. Who knows, Owens could even dethrone The American Nightmare at the show and send him to the hospital.

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Once The Rock is done using Kevin Owens, Randy Orton could get revenge

Whether The Rock wants KO to dethrone Cody as the Undisputed WWE Championship, injure him, or simply wants Owens to continue messing with Rhodes' head, the two are unlikely to be in cahoots for long, if at all.

As a result, once Kevin serves his purpose, so to speak, The Rock would likely move on and no longer care about The Prizefighter. This could be when The Viper can finally strike.

If Kevin accomplishes the goal of hurting Cody in some form or fashion in November, The Rock can stop protecting him in time for The Viper to go one-on-one with Owens at the 2025 Royal Rumble. From there, The Prizefighter could learn to not mess with The Legend Killer.