The Rock put up massive condition before WWE and TKO ahead of his shocking heel turn, claims veteran (Exclusive)

A former WCW champion has shared some interesting details about how The Rock potentially put up a major condition before he embraced his Final Boss character in WWE. Vince Russo claimed that the Hollywood megastar wanted his fans to know that the heel character wasn't, in any way, an extension of his real self.

There's no denying that The Rock's heel turn rejuvenated the main event scene in WWE. His portrayal of The Final Boss garnered universal acclaim and showed the younger generation of viewers a darker side of his persona. Moreover, his alliance with John Cena at Elimination Chamber 2025 has further raised the stakes and made the Road to WrestleMania 41 all the more intriguing.

In the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo shared a major backstage scoop on The Rock. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion claimed that to protect his movie career in Hollywood, where he usually essays positive roles, The Final Boss allegedly told TKO that he wanted his large fanbase to know that his WWE persona was not real.

"We saw [The] Rock go out there and say, 'Final Boss is a character!' He made that perfectly clear. And I was told after the fact that [The] Rock and [Brian] Gewirtz were the ones who presented The Final Boss story. But [The] Rock made it clear to Ari [Emanuel] and TKO. He made it clear that, 'Guys, I have a five-picture deal with Disney. So I'm going to make it clear to the fanbase that I'm just an actor. I'm just playing a character!''' he said.

The 64-year-old continued:

''[The] Rock is trying to protect all sides of this business. So he went out there, and at the beginning of the scrum and said exactly that." [2:11-2:55]

Check out the video below:

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Bill Apter thinks John Cena may betray The Rock at WrestleMania 41

In a recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, Bill Apter stated that he had heard rumors about WWE planning a huge twist for WrestleMania 41. The veteran journalist added that there's a chance The Final Boss could show up at The Show of Shows, only for John Cena to betray him and turn face.

"I have heard in the wind that The Rock is going to make an appearance, and Cena is going to turn against [The] Rock. That's what I am hearing now, and he is gonna go back to being a babyface. This whole thing is a ploy," he said.

With less than three weeks to go for WrestleMania 41, it remains to be seen when The People's Champ shows up on WWE's programming.