Wrestling veteran says WWE made a major mistake with The Rock at Bad Blood 2024 (Exclusive)

The Rock's Bad Blood appearance took some by surprise, but many were anticipating his return. Either way, there was no announcement made, and wrestling veteran Vince Russo explained why it was a major mistake on WWE's part.

On the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing with Russo, Vince Russo spoke in detail from a writer's perspective about The Great One's return at Bad Blood 2024. Although the appearance elicited the reaction that everyone expected, Russo felt that it contradicted the traditional wrestling philosophy of selling tickets and boosting viewership on streaming services in the modern age.

Looking at the segment through his writer's lens, Vince Russo said The Final Boss should have responded on video immediately after Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns agreed to team up with each other.

"The idea with The Rock coming out at the end and being on the other side. In theory, that's a good idea because The Bloodline B Team needs The Rock, there's no question about that. This is the problem, what I don't understand about them. When they [Rhodes and Reigns] did the whole thing at Georgia Tech, the 50-yard line and all, they know The Rock is going to be on the show in Atlanta and that's what I don't understand about the company [WWE]. The minute they did the 50-yard line and they agreed to team up, why didn't we at least hear from The Rock on video?" (1:50 - 3:04)

Russo added that the WWE legend's announcement would've captured fans' attention and it would have been better than a surprise pop.

"We should have gotten The Rock's thoughts immediately and all The Rock would have to do is say 'I'll see you in Atlanta.' They knew he was coming, The Rock knows his schedule well ahead of time. They knew he was in Atlanta, they knew he was going to be there. There should've been some sort of response from him as soon as those two got together. Bro, why would you have him show up as a freaking surprise? If you know he's going to be there, billboard him, bro!" (3:05 - 3:39)

You can watch the full video below.

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Vince Russo said Endeavor would resort to an interesting tactic to secure The Rock for WrestleMania 41

The Final Boss is a member of TKO's Board of Directors and seemingly has close relationships with many of the organization's bigwigs, including Triple H, Nick Khan, and Ari Emanuel.

On the October 14 episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Vince Russo said Endeavor, WWE's parent company, would resort to paying off a big studio to secure The Final Boss for next year's Show of Shows.

"I don't think people understand the power of Endeavor. Endeavor is in the entertainment business, bro. So, if The Rock were scheduled to work on that day, you don't think a hefty paycheck to the studio would [do it]? That's why it's ridiculous, bro. I don't think people really understand how dominant and strong that company is and what kind of stroke they have," Vince Russo said. [5:40 - 6:13]

In all likelihood, it wouldn't be surprising if The People's Champion cleared his schedule ahead of time. Now that he's a TKO executive, there are different financial incentives, which could be more beneficial than a traditional paycheck. The Brahma Bull dismissing reports of him not being at WrestleMania 41 as "bulls**t" may only serve to confirm that.

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If you use any quotes from the first half of this article, please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the latest episode of Writing with Russo.