WWE fans figure out incredible 'real meaning' of The Rock and Cody Rhodes' awkward Raw exchange, it's not what you'd expect

WWE fans think they've worked out the real meaning behind The Rock and Cody Rhodes' 'awkward' WWE title exchange on Raw.

Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40, pinning Roman Reigns in the main event of Night Two.

The previous night, 'The American Nightmare' teamed up with Seth Rollins in a losing effort to Reigns and The Rock, which resulted in his title match being contested under Bloodline Rules.

Rock and Rollins were among several current and former WWE stars to involve themselves in the match, with John Cena, Jey Uso and The Undertaker also in the action.

On the subsequent edition of Raw, Rock had a face-off with Rhodes in which he vowed to have a one-on-one match with him upon his next return to in-ring action.

'The Final Boss' also handed his rival a small item before leaving the ring, which fans have since speculated as to its identity.

He had previously entered the ring with a custom 'People's Champion' belt, which was handed to him by the widow of Muhammad Ali after the legendary boxer was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last week.

Rock then asked Rhodes if they could briefly swap titles, so that he could hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship - with fans chanting 'this is awkward' while it happened.

But one WWE fan delved into the archives to find an old promo between the pair - and many now believe that the title reference on Raw was a callback.

The promo in question took place during Rock's last WWE Championship reign in 2013, when a moustached Rhodes stepped into the ring and said: "I want to take a look at the title that, for the next 13 years, won't be synonymous with The Rock. It will be synonymous with Cody Rhodes."

Although a young Rhodes wasn't quite proven correct then - he never won the belt before leaving WWE in 2016 - the roles are now reversed 11 years on, with 'The American Nightmare' on top of the world.

And fans noticed the similarities between that promo and Monday's exchange.

And one fan wrote: "Wow! Rock used almost those exact words."

A second said: "Now last night isn't as awkward. Storytelling."

A third added: "Holy s**t this is what they were referring to."

And a fourth wrote: "Can't believe I forgot about this segment, man that's insane."