Megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns to the WWE ring to challenge champ Roman Reigns at the WrestleMania 40 megashow.
Is he actually coming back? And if so, when and how? After weeks, months and years of guesswork, WWE fans finally have the answer!
Megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has made his ring comeback clear with a surprise appearance on the latest edition of the TV show Friday Night SmackDown. The scenario, which has not yet been made official but is clear to see, is that the 51-year-old will challenge “Undisputed Universal Champion” Roman Reigns in the main event of the annual highlight WrestleMania 40 on April 6 and 7 at Philadelphia’s Super Bowl Stadium.
Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes initiated the spectacular twist at the show in Birmingham, Alabama, by unexpectedly renouncing his right to a WrestleMania title match against Reigns: He would finish his “story” against Reigns, but at a different time, he announced. Instead, he left the stage to Johnson, who engaged in a stare-down with Reigns in the ring.
WWE: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock long in the works
A generational duel between 37-year-old WWE top star Reigns and Johnson, who once rose to fame in WWE, has been talked about for years – and has now become a reality at a recently unexpected time
Johnson is connected to Reigns’ famous Samoan wrestling clan Anoa’i through a family blood brotherhood, which also produced WWE Hall of Famer Afa, Sika, Yokozuna and Rikishi, among others.
Johnson and Reigns had crossed paths several times in WWE and elsewhere, with Johnson helping Reigns make his Hollywood debut alongside him in “Hobbs and Shaw” and even dropping hints about a planned match on his autobiographical TV series “Young Rock”.
With Reigns’ reinvention as the evil, mafia-esque “Tribal Chief” and his title reign now over three and a half years old, the “Dream Match” with The Rock was always in the back of his mind, but has always fallen through due to Johnson’s other commitments.
Rumble winner Cody Rhodes is not taking part
With a clear implication of having Reigns in his sights, Johnson once again drew attention to the scenario during his latest WWE surprise appearance earlier this year.
The question of exactly when the match would go down was made more uncertain last week by Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble, after which a Reigns vs. Rhodes WrestleMania rematch seemed a certainty.
There have been conflicting reports on how Reigns vs. Rock would fit in – fueled by Johnson’s recent nebulous promise to fans that he would give them something “unprecedented” in his comeback
Change of plans due to CM Punk’s injury?
The Wrestling Observer recently reported that Rock vs. Reigns had been scheduled for later in the year – which may now have been canceled due to CM Punk’s serious injury.
Punk, who has also recently returned, was originally positioned as the WrestleMania opponent for World Champion Seth Rollins, but it now looks like Rhodes will replace him in that match, clearing the way for Johnson.
Rhodes explained his withdrawal from SmackDown by saying that he still planned to “take everything” from Reigns, but after extensive consultation with friends, family and industry legends, had come up with a different plan than doing so at WrestleMania. The Rock, then revealed, was one of those advisors.
Last big match over ten years ago against John Cena
The young Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became a star in the late nineties during the famous Attitude Era in the WWF, which paved his way to Hollywood. He last contested a brief match against Erick Rowan in 2016, while his last serious fights were the blockbuster duels with John Cena in 2012 and 2013, who has since followed him into the film industry.
Now, with eleven more years in his bones, delivering a wrestling performance at the level that is required on this stage is likely to be a challenge for the icon, despite his physical fitness.
Johnson had also joined WWE’s corporate leadership behind the scenes a week and a half ago, shortly after being rocked by the resignation of WWE founder Vince McMahon, who had been charged with serious allegations of sex trafficking and rape.
First WrestleMania match fixed: Bayley challenges Iyo Sky
In the shadow of the big Rock reveal, WWE made the first match for WrestleMania official: Bayley – winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble – challenges her real-life companion Iyo Sky of the Damage CTRL group for the WWE Women’s Title
Two new female additions to the SmackDown roster were also introduced during the show: Naomi, who returned at the Rumble (Andrade had previously joined the RAW roster), and up-and-coming talent Tiffany Stratton, the girlfriend of rising German WWE star Ludwig Kaiser.
There was also a new development around the grouping of former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits: they received female reinforcements in the feud against The Final Testament in the form of B-Fab, formerly part of Hit Row, which has lapsed since the dismissal of ex-NFL player Top Dolla.
