Aside from the time The Rock randomly showed up with his big belt at Bad Blood back in October, the “Final Boss” of WWE hasn’t been around since the night after WrestleMania 40, where he participated in one of the most ridiculous main events of all time. As the internet is abuzz with speculation about whether or not the man also known as Dwayne Johnson will be involved with WrestleMania 41 in a few months, I’m convinced we’ll be seeing the “Brahma Bull” sooner rather than later.
But when?
With so many upcoming WWE events like the Royal Rumble and Monday Night Raw’s Netflix premiere taking place in the early part of 2025, there are plenty of opportunities for the Moana 2 star to put on a $500 shirt, some of his signature shades, and yes, that absurd People’s Championship belt of his, and make folks go crazy. Here are the most likely scenarios…
Monday Night Raw On Netflix
Ever since it was announced that WWE would be moving Monday Night Raw to Netflix earlier this year, the company’s flagship show’s streaming debut has been one of the most highly anticipated nights in wrestling in some time. WWE has already announced that several of the company’s top champions like Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair will all be there, along with celebrity guest Travis Scott, but I have a hard time believing that’ll be it.
I would be shocked if The Rock doesn’t show up, even if it’s just to stand on the stage, do the “People’s Eyebrow,” show off that gaudy belt of his, and then disappear until the following month’s Royal Rumble. He has a history of showing up on the big landmark episodes of WWE TV like Raw 1000 in 2012 and the SmackDown debut on Fox back in 2019.
The 2025 Royal Rumble
Outside of WrestleMania, no event on the WWE calendar has as much buzz or notoriety as the Royal Rumble. It kicks off the road to WrestleMania, has a history of debuts and shocking returns from surprise entrants, and is one of the few shows you can watch with non-wrestling fans and still have a good time. If The Rock doesn’t show up before WWE takes over Indianapolis on February 1st, there’s a strong possibility that we’ll be hearing “If You Smell…” over the speakers at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Saturday Night’s Main Event
If The Rock is to continue his feud with Cody Rhodes upon his return, then showing up and maybe costing the “American Nightmare” his WWE Championship in his match against Kevin Owens at Saturday Night’s Main Event is one way to get things cooking.
I don’t really see The Rock wanting to hold onto the Undisputed Championship (remember, he has the People’s Championship from the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony), but instead, wanting to finally take down Rhodes and all those “Cody Crybabies” he loves to provoke. Appearing at the first airing of the primetime NBC wrestling show in nearly 20 years is one hell of a way to do that.
He Won't Return Until Sometime Late Next Year
If all those rumors are correct and Fightful Select’s report about WWE not having plans for The Rock at WrestleMania is to be believed, then it could be quite some time before we see the “Final Boss” back in the ring. But, I honestly don’t see Dwayne Johnson staying away from the company that helped make him into one of the biggest box office draws of the 21st century for an extended period of time.
Whenever The Rock chooses to come back to WWE and stays longer than a random one-off stare-down, we’ll be able to see his return to in-ring action with a Peacock subscription.
