When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson first started making surprise appearances at SmackDown, some wondered if he was finally committed to his dream match with Roman Reigns. There were no complaints about that initially, but fans were furious when Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble, and Johnson stepped in to challenge Reigns instead. It seemed like the wrestler-turned-actor was hijacking a great story regardless of what the fans wanted. However, the more recent reports about his heel turn have me glad to admit that I might've been wrong about his intentions.
WrestleVotes reports that The Rock is expected to "fully embrace" his heel role in this feud with Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. In doing so, he's allegedly drawing inspiration from his classic "Hollywood Rock" persona. If he's willing to commit on this level at upcoming WWE events, then we should acknowledge a few details that suggest Dwayne Johnson truly is what's best for business.
How The Rock Reportedly Embracing His Role As A Heel Makes Me Rethink His Return
Upon his initial return, it seemed like the A-lister was merely playing an extension of his real-life self. Considering that Dwayne Johnson has a list of upcoming movies, including Moana 2 (in which he would reprise Maui), it didn't seem like he'd want to look like a villain in the ring. It very much felt like that at the start but, after WWE leaned into the "We Want Cody" movement, heel Rock started to show his face. He quickly coined the term "Cody's crybabies" on The Pat McAfee Show and ended the WrestleMania XL press conference with a slap to Rhodes' face.
When reports said The Rock locked in a WrestleMania main event match ahead of the Royal Rumble and didn't appear in it, I was frustrated. For me, as a fan, it seemed like he had noticed the meteoric spike in interest within the WWE and was now interested in re-inserting himself to boost his own stardom even further. (Given the failure of Black Adam, it was arguably an easy narrative to buy into.)
Whether he decided to step aside for Cody Rhodes or this was the plan all along is irrelevant. The important takeaway is that "The Great One" was receptive to playing a part in a program he wasn't necessarily the star of, which shows he's receptive to the will of the fans and more in touch with the wrestling world than I might've perceived. Rather than derailing the train with his interests, he's using those massive biceps to shovel a ton of coal and helping create a narrative that might result in one of the best stories of this era.
The Rock's Continued Commitment To Appearing Shows He's Willing To Put In Work
The Rock is confirmed to be appearing alongside Roman Reigns for the February 16th installment of SmackDown, and I'm legitimately surprised by that. The notion of Reigns making regular appearances on the show is a shock, but I had expected him to do the heavy lifting of keeping this feud relevant. And, with that, Rock would maybe show up once before the highly anticipated WrestleMania 40. It's still possible that might happen, and we won't see him anymore after this coming Friday. However, I don't get that vibe thus far.
By opting to show up alongside Roman Reigns, Dwayne Johnson has made the most dangerous man in the WWE an even bigger threat. At the same time, Reigns might need to look over his shoulder and remember that Johnson is also equally as interested in settling a dispute between which of these two is truly the "Head of the Table" when it comes to the iconic Bloodline family tree. Assuming he's committed to telling that story leading into the next WrestleMania, we might be into the greatest year in wrestling we've seen this decade. In short, I hope The Rock continues to surprise me as this run in the WWE continues and that my initial assumptions about him returning to further his own interests were wrong.
SmackDown airs on Fox on Fridays beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns give their first collective thoughts since joining forces against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins and hopefully, give us even more great moments.
