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The Rock returned on the season premiere of WWE RAW on Netflix last night after a few months of absence. He unexpectedly turned babyface, sparking rumors about his potential involvement in WrestleMania 41.
The Final Boss' comeback last year saw him turning heel and joining the OG Bloodline. He had a heated feud with Cody Rhodes heading into WrestleMania 40. After pinning The American Nightmare at The Show of Shows in a tag team match, he promised the Undisputed WWE Champion on the RAW after WrestleMania XL that their story wasn't over. However, surprisingly, The Rock appeared as a babyface last night on RAW. He thanked Rhodes for carrying the company on his shoulders for a year and hugged the 39-year-old. The Great One also acknowledged his cousin, Roman Reigns, as the undisputed Tribal Chief and put the Ula Fala around his neck following the OTC's victory over Solo Sikoa.
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While The Rock's actions on RAW led many to believe he would not be part of WrestleMania 41, former WWE Superstar Matt Morgan claimed on the Gigantic Pop podcast that the company still has a chance to book The Final Boss in a match against Reigns or Rhodes.
"It wasn't something I don't think he can come away from and have that match. Obviously, it's gonna be him versus Roman or him versus Cody. So, it still can be set up. And because you gotta remember one thing, with Rock's promo, what was he doing? He was kissing a** toward Netflix, which he had to do,'' Morgan said.
He added:
''He had to do that, right? That was a main part of WWE coming to Netflix. 'Hey, you're gonna get The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, who just hosted [the Golden Globes], and he's coming to your show on Netflix the next night!' 'What?' So, he had to play the game. He had to kiss everybody's a** that is a part of Netflix.'' [16:26-17:15]
The Rock's presence at WWE WrestleMania 41 is reportedly up in the air
On Fightful's post-RAW review, Sean Ross Sapp disclosed that a source tied to WWE Creative had informed him that The Rock's involvement in WrestleMania 41 was not guaranteed. He explained that The Final Boss has to do Moana reshoots around the same period.
Ibou of WrestlePurists has also reported the same, pointing out the company's alleged alternative plans.
"[The] Rock has to do Moana reshoots that were originally not planned and accounted for. The match on slate right now is Cody/Cena. Triple H has a couple WM cards prepared in case of emergency. WWE is working with card #2; Cena/Rhodes and Reigns/Punk being your headliners," he wrote on X.
The Rock is set to appear tonight on NXT: New Year's Evil. It will be interesting to see what the Hollywood star does on the show.
Please credit Gigantic Pop and give an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the above transcription.
