Neither WWE nor Travis Scott has publicly commented on the current status of their relationship, but there are rumors and mixed messages everywhere. The multi-platinum rapper was featured very prominently in some key moments earlier this year, but he hasn’t actually made a new appearance in months. Many insiders have been claiming for the last week that he’s no longer welcome, but Cody Rhodes seemed to imply something else entirely during a recent media appearance.
There’s a lot here. So, let’s just back up and tell the story from the beginning. Travis Scott made a surprise appearance alongside The Rock at Elimination Chamber back in March. They were joined by longtime good guy John Cena who unexpectedly turned heel and seemed to form some kind of Hollywood alliance with the two. They all attacked WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and during the resulting fallout in the ring, Scott slapped Rhodes in the head while he was defenseless and on the ground. It looked particularly bad on television, and there were whispers that he busted the then WWE Champion’s eardrum.
Rhodes confirmed that did happen during an interview on Hot Ones this week…
I wish I could tell you it wasn't true. Because I wanted anyone else to have the credit for that. So, you’ve got Rock in the ring. You’ve got Cena in the ring. But my man Travis, who, nothing but love for, he has a big old hand.
Fans absolutely loved the segment, particularly the dynamic between The Rock and John Cena, but many were outraged by how disrespectful Scott’s slap seemed to be. Those involved with WWE, at least the ones speaking on the record, downplayed the incident. The Rock defended Scott and said he’d told the rapper to “make it count,” and WWE execs talked about how he was going to be training in the performance center. Rumors even swirled that he’d be getting in the ring for a match at some point.
Scott made another appearance at WrestleMania 41 in April, though this time it was without The Rock and it was very poorly received. He took forever to walk to the ring, and fans largely felt like it stepped on a huge moment in John Cena’s career. The backlash was very loud and nearly unanimous, but WWE didn’t shy away from the moment. It continuously showed replays of Scott’s appearance, and the stories continued about how he was going to be training and getting back in the ring.
More than three months later, however, the picture seems to have changed. Leading up to celebrity wrestler Jelly Roll’s match at SummerSlam, head booker Triple H made several public comments about how hard the musician was training and said a lot of celebrities think they want to do this but are unwilling to put in the work. His words were interpreted by many to be a shot at Scott, whose rumored appearance as a playable character in WWE 2K25 was abruptly cancelled.
This past week, stories emerged in the mainstream press that Scott and WWE had some kind of falling out over his alleged lack of commitment to training. Current star Drew McIntyre called him a “piece of shit” during an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, and former WWE stars got a lot more open with their criticisms, with Stevie Richards calling his slap of Rhodes “sloppy, reckless and self-serving.”
I assumed this was officially the end of things between Scott and WWE, but against all odds, the rapper was featured pretty prominently in the intro video to SummerSlam. During that same appearance on Hot Ones, Rhodes also put Scott over and said he hopes he comes back to WWE in the future. Check out this quote…
I want you to come back man. Our house is your house. You know, maybe swing less but our house is your house.
Now, I tend to think Scott’s relationship with WWE is over. I think they used him in the intro to SummerSlam because he’s a famous name and the Fed loves showing its crossover appeal. I think Rhodes said some nice things because he’s a WWE spokesman and is rarely critical of people, especially celebrities making appearances, but tonight is going to be a big night to test that theory. The Rock and Scott were both very involved in the John Cena and Cody Rhodes storyline, and those two men are having their long-awaited rematch tonight. If he were going to show up, tonight is the night that would make sense for him to do so. I don’t think he will, but you never know.
You can check out the match tonight at SummerSlam, which is streaming for free on Peacock in The United States and via Netflix in most of the rest of the world. You can also check out my predictions where I break down what I think is going to happen.
