Dwayne Johnson is taking a break from his upcoming movies and TV shows to spend some time in the WWE, and he's making the most of it by committing to going full heel. Ever since he was pitted against Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes for WrestleMania 40, he's been appearing on SmackDown and calling people "cactus-loving crackheads" and many other names that any superstar wouldn't get cheers for. Fans, however, are loving it. And The Rock recently confirmed he is, too, as if we needed to be told.
"The Brahma Bull" was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and after the host showed a clip of him on SmackDown, he talked about the experience. The wrestler-turned-actor confirmed he's leaning into the heel persona now that he's back in the WWE, and spoke on the joy of showing up to an arena and calling people "crackheads" and "Karens" while holding a microphone:
It's the best to go back to WWE in this 'Rock 10.0' version where I can become a heel and say the things that people want to say. And I went in, 'It's the number one city, you cactus-loving crackheads.' I also said, 'And every woman in here wants to go one-on-one with The Rock,' and all the women go crazy. 'Now settle down, you crackhead Karens,' and then they all cheered again. They were like, 'Yayyyyyy!'
The Rock officially returned to the WWE more regularly after he joined the board of directors for its company, TKO Holdings. While it seemed as though the original plan was for Dwayne Johnson to finally settle his feud with Roman Reigns, plans changed when fans felt Cody Rhodes was robbed of his rematch opportunity.
Cody originally relinquished his chance at a rematch with Reigns despite winning the Royal Rumble, and news came out the decision was made before the Rumble ever happened. The WWE then went into that weekend with the tease we'd finally see The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, but the problem was it wasn't in the way anyone wanted it to happen.
Fans made a stink and got "We Want Cody" trending on social media for consecutive days, and WWE was pressured to change course. Cody changed his mind and announced he'd challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, which then led to The Rock's full heel turn, pitting him against Rhodes for going back on his word.
So far it's working out to be a great situation for everyone involved, as it led to an unprecedented main event on Night 1 of WrestleMania 40. The Rock, now fully committed to being a heel, has challenged Cody Rhodes and Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to a tag-team match against him and Roman Reigns.
The match will determine whether or not The Bloodline will be allowed at ringside during Reigns' rematch on night 2. While The Rock is having a blast calling people crackheads and being a great heel, there are some potential signs he'll ultimately turn on Roman Reigns. This would effectively make him a hero in the eyes of Cody Rhodes and create an interesting narrative should Dwayne Johnson continue with the WWE after WrestleMania 40. We'll have to wait and see whether or not that happens and if The Great One is still as good in the ring as he is on the mic.
Tune-in to SmackDown to see The Rock ridicule audiences this Friday on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET. With The Great One in Memphis, I'm sure the crowd will be rowdy and ready to cheer on whatever insults the former WWE champion has in store for them.
