What is the origin story of Hollywood Rock in WWE? 

The Rock Concert, which was a popular WWE segment from the early 2000s, made a comeback almost after a decade on this week on WWE SmackDown. WWE even brought back his signature Hollywood Rock theme which was in line with his heel run in the early years.

It dates back to 2002 when The Rock was also focused on an acting career. He faced Brock Lesnar and lost the WWE Championship to him at SummerSlam that year. Fans were unhappy with the star's inability to retain gold and seemingly moving away from wrestling. He attempted to address them but did not get a chance to get a word in. A year later, The Rock returned with a new look - buzzcut, sunglasses, black leather vest, and pants, and a new entrance theme, dubbing himself 'Hollywood Rock.'

In consideration of his engagement and popularity with the fans, this was the first time he turned heel in WWE after the Attitude Era. This return also birthed The Rock Concert fans see today. It was during this time the multi-time champion reignited his rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin, resulting in the famous WrestleMania 19 match. This run as a heel also included the memorable feud against Hulk Hogan and the two stars brought the roof down with their sheer presence in the Stamford-based promotion.

Following the 51-year-old's recent concert on the blue brand, many personalities and stars backstage were reportedly outraged and questioned his segments extending beyond the given time. Additionally, the usage of explicit terms that they are cautioned about did not seemingly applied to him.

By 2004, The People's Champion had officially been released by WWE as his contract was up, enabling him to pursue his Hollywood career full-time. He made sporadic wrestling appearances in the company now and then every few years.

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The Rock's 2024 WWE return has divided the wrestling fraternity

The Rock had been dropping subtle clues of a potential WWE return since last year. He made a surprise appearance in September and then again on January 1, teasing a potential match with Roman Reigns.

The Royal Rumble was held later that month and Cody Rhodes earned his spot against The Tribal Chief by winning the titular match. However, on the SmackDown that followed, The American Nightmare stepped aside, announcing that The Rock deserved to take Roman Reigns down a notch. This angered fans who were irate that his hard work was being overshadowed and taken over by someone who was not even a regular competitor.

Fans were left divided and protested loudly on social media. This led to The Rock turning heel again after nearly two decades and joining forces with The Tribal Chief.

He inserted himself in the one of the biggest tag team matches of all time on Night One at WrestleMania 40, which many deemed unaceptable for other stars who had put in the work and deserved that spot.