Could Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson be gearing up for a surprise return at WWE’s WrestleMania 38? With Mania in Texas this weekend, rumors have popped up about the professional wrestling star due to one of his family members.
The Rock’s been away from the ring for a while, mainly pursuing movie and television projects and business ventures. However, his return would generate another crowd-pleasing mega-pop if the electrifying superstar gets involved in the event, especially in the ring.
Here are the latest details on why there’s speculation that fans might see the multiple-time champion show up during the big event on Sunday.
Is The Rock at WWE WrestleMania 38?
WWE WrestleMania is known as the “Showcase of the Immortals,” often bringing out ring legends to compete again. That was already the case on Saturday night as retired pro wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin returned for a No Holds Barred match against Kevin Owens.
Austin’s appearance may not be the only one in terms of former superstars coming back again. There are now rumors about The Rock possibly getting involved in WrestleMania 38 on Sunday, the second night of the two-night event.
According to PWUnlimited’s Tim Jarrell, Dwayne Johnson’s mother, Ata Johnson, attended Saturday night’s event and was spotted in the audience during the Seth Rollins match against Cody Rhodes. Jarrell tweeted several images showing her seated in the crowd behind the commentary team.
A fan also tweeted out a photo featuring commentator Pat McAfee and in the background is Rock’s mom, sitting in front of the guy holding up a “McAfee Mania” sign.
It’s unknown if she’s there simply to enjoy the event or because her son will be part of the show. The Super Bowl of wrestling shows is taking place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas this year, and will feature some epic matches on Sunday evening.
In the biggest match of the night, Brock Lesnar battles Roman Reigns in a title unification match. The match winner will claim both the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship.
A win by Roman Reigns could set up a reason for The Rock to get involved, either by congratulating his real-life second cousin Reigns or becoming a future challenger.
It wouldn’t be the first time he came to the ring to celebrate Reigns, as he was part of that infamous Royal Rumble win where fans booed Reigns unmercifully.
It’s also worth noting that Roman Reigns used Rock’s trademark move, The Rock Bottom, during a WWE Live Event held in Madison Square Garden last month. Reigns hit the move on Brock Lesnar during the show after busting him with the steel steps.
The setup for Kevin Owens’ match against Stone Cold Steve Austin involved Owens’ use of Austin’s trademark move, the Stone Cold Stunner, so it’s not far-fetched to think Reigns’ Rock Bottom was also teasing something.
The Rock announced retirement in 2019
Dwayne Johnson, 49, hasn’t been involved in an actual WWE match for quite some time. He had several high-profile clashes with John Cena at previous WrestleMania events, with Cena beating him for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.
Rock suffered a legitimate injury during that match, tearing his abdominal and adductor tendons from his pelvis. That required surgery for The Rock and prevented him from appearing the night after WrestleMania on WWE Raw.
He showed up for WrestleMania XXX alongside fellow legends Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, and then at WrestleMania 32 for an in-ring altercation with The Wyatt Family. That led to an impromptu match involving The Rock against Erick Rowan, which Rock won in six seconds.
He revealed in 2019 that he was retiring from professional wrestling, most likely to continue with his well-paying and successful acting career. However, he returned to get the live crowd in a frenzy a few years ago, assisting Becky Lynch in a SmackDown altercation involving Baron Corbin.
While he’s been away since then, WWE may have offered him one more match involving his blood relative, Roman Reigns. WrestleMania 38 could provide the setup.
The huge WWE event is packing plenty of star power, including Saturday’s appearances by Logan Paul and Stone Cold, and Sunday’s match involving Johnny Knoxville from Jackass. The Rock would bring the biggest celebrity in the business out, much to the crowd’s excitement.
With The Rock’s mom attending WrestleMania 38, it seems possible her son could also be there. At the very least, it wouldn’t be surprising if The Rock has some sort of guest appearance during WrestleMania 38’s second night, and while fans would go wild just to see him, they’d go even wilder if they got to see him back in the ring for another match.
Informative post! This is a great share thank you