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Dwayne \u2018The Rock\u2019 Johnson made a surprise return to WWE on Friday Night SmackDown this week and fans are wondering if he\u2019s properly back.<\/p>\n
The Great One stepped out in front of an incredibly passionate crowd in Denver, Colorado \u2013 who were also treated to an appearance by John Cena \u2013 to trash talk former United States Champion Austin Theory before laying him out with a People\u2019s Elbow.<\/p>\n
The legendary wrestler turned Hollywood star interrupted an exchange between Theory and Pat McAfee, and took no prisoners as he delivered a roasting like only The Rock can.<\/p>\n
In the end, things certainly got physical as the Great One hit a Spinebuster and People\u2019s Elbow combination, before encouraging McAfee to hit Theory with one of his own.<\/p>\n
It was a fantastic moment for fans on the first ever episode of WWE television since the UFC merger under the TKO banner.<\/p>\n
Now, the question remains whether or not The Rock is actually back \u2013 and it seems more likely than ever that fans will see the People\u2019s Champion around over the next eight months.<\/p>\n
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Before turning up on SmackDown, Dwayne was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show and revealed some interesting tidbits about a heavily rumoured dream match against his cousin Roman Reigns.<\/p>\n
In fact, he admitted an epic showdown with the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion was \u2018locked\u2019 for WrestleMania 39 earlier this year, but plans fell through.<\/p>\n
\u2018The Rock headlining WrestleMania with Roman Reigns, SoFi Stadium, that was locked,\u2019 he said. \u2018We were doing it.\u2019<\/p>\n
It all started when he joined Vince McMahon and Nick Khan for a meeting at the beginning of 2022, which saw them discuss \u2018the potential of what this match could be\u2019, with the annual extravaganza taking place in Hollywood.<\/p>\n
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He continued: \u2018We shook hands and we hugged right there, all three of us at the table, and said, \u201cLet\u2019s do this\u201d. So then we had a year to really think about this. So the north star thought was, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s not do something good. Let\u2019s not do something great. Let\u2019s do something unprecedented.\u201d \u2018<\/p>\n
Everyone involved decided the match had to be \u2018the beginning of something bigger\u2019 rather than the end goal, and unfortunately they couldn\u2019t settle on what that meant.<\/p>\n
However, there\u2019s still a very big chance it could happen when the annual event heads to Philadelphia in April 2024, with The Rock confirming he\u2019s \u2018open\u2019 to the idea.<\/p>\n
\u2018We got really, really close, but we couldn\u2019t actually nail what that thing was. So we decided to put our pencils down,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n
\u2018We agreed, \u201cHey, listen, there\u2019s a merger coming up, eventually that will happen. There\u2019s WrestleMania in Philadelphia.\u201d I\u2019m saying that\u2019s a potential too. I\u2019m open!\u2019<\/p>\n