If you smell what the Rock is cooking these days it's probably because you're watching his various film roles or have seen him host his NBC series The Titan Games. Dwayne Johnson is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, but that doesn't mean he's too busy to go back to his wrestling roots to help the WWE every now and again. He'll be doing just that in the coming week as The Rock will make his return to Smackdown Live during its debut on Fox.
The news came from the most electrifying man in sports entertainment himself, as The Rock announced the news to his followers on social media. He also dropped a super hype video of his past WWE moments that will even get casual and former fans of the brand to consider turning out for the program's network premiere.
As previously mentioned, it's not an absolute shock that The Rock is appearing on Smackdown Live as he has been known to appear on WWE programming from time to time. What makes it so significant is that Dwayne Johnson was the face of the show for a good chunk of its early years, and frequently referred to it as "his show" when he was an active wrestler on the roster.
In his defense, the show did get its name from his catchphrase "lay the smackdown," so he does have some claim to its legacy. It was assumed that he would appear on Smackdown Live at some point in the early weeks, it was just a matter of when it would happen. The Rock is a busy man, and his time is valuable after all!
And, while it is true Dwayne Johnson does owe some thanks to the WWE for the astonishing acting career he's had to date, it's also fair to say their relationship is at a point where this is more The Rock doing WWE a favor by boosting them than the other way around. Anyone who says otherwise need only check the 3 million plus followers Johnson has over the WWE's official account.
Regardless of who is doing who the bigger favor, there's no denying The Rock's appearance makes the arrival of Smackdown Live on network television an even bigger deal. The series is airing during peak primetime hours, and the move to network television will almost certainly expose a much larger audience to the brand, which means an even bigger audience for the wrestling juggernaut to get hooked on the sport. With competition approaching, that's a huge advantage for owner Vince McMahon and some insurance that his brand is now safe for a while.
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Smackdown Live airs on Fox Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see The Rock the first week of the show, and continue to stick with CinemaBlend in the coming weeks for frequent updates on the hottest fall shows and for a look at what's happening in the world of movies as well.
