Dwayne Johnson ‘The Rock’ made a comeback to WWE after a long absence from the ring at the opening segment of ‘Smackdown’ in Denver. He stepped into a WWE ring on Friday night for the first time since 2019 when he appeared on the SmackDown 20th anniversary show.
Rock was part of the Pat McAfee Show which was taking place live on the campus of the University of Colorado following which he made an appearance on WWE’s “SmackDown!” in nearby Denver.
😱😱😱@TheRock is here!!!!!!!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/f9L07kvw1Y
— WWE (@WWE) September 16, 2023
McAfee, who is a commentator with WWE, was in the ring with 2022 United States Champion Austin Theory when The Rock made his sudden entrance. The Rock ended his four-year-long absence and made his way into the ring as a part of the opening segment of the Smackdown.
After a brief skirmish between Autin and McAfee where the former punter said it’s “the people’s show”. Rock made his entrance which was followed by a round of applause as the excited audience welcomed him on stage.
One of The Rock’s nicknames was The People’s Champ, and one of his signature moves was The People’s Elbow. So, McAfee was hinting at Johnson’s attendance.
He even did his famous finishing moves: a spine-buster and the infamous ‘People’s Elbow’ to which the crowd gave one of the loudest roars in recent WWE memory.
He stood on the stage for a few minutes as he high-fived some fans on his way to the ring. He even took a selfie with fans.
When the music stopped, the audience could be heard chanting “Rocky” loudly throughout the stadium.
Later on in the show, The Rock stood face-to-face with one of his old WWE ‘rivals’ John Cena, who was set to appear later in the show. The two rivals stared at each other before cracking smiles. Then John Cena said ‘Welcome home’.
"Welcome home"
— WWE (@WWE) September 16, 2023
What a moment between @TheRock and @JohnCena 🙌#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/sZbeHJZ5Ki
It is not clear whether Johnson will return to the WWE or if this was a one-off appearance. There has not been an official notice about his comeback yet.
It was The Rock’s first time in the ring since the 20th anniversary of “SmackDown!” on Oct. 4, 2019, and just his second televised appearance since 2016. He has also done movies apart from his wrestling carrer in WWE with movies such as Jumanji: The Next Level, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Moana, Fast and Furious series and many more.
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