I can’t wait to get back to a WWE ring…People always ask me ‘what’s it like being in a WWE ring?’ I always tell them there’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like inside a WWE ring because there’s a certain live crowd acumen that is second to none.
That was always and will always be the best part of my job when it comes to wrestling. Whether I’m wresting a match or just giving a promo. That connection with the audience, there’s nothing like it.
— WWE (@WWE) July 12, 2018
The Rock last wrestled for WWE in a nine-second “match” at WrestleMania 32 in 2016, but his most recent full-length bout came way back in 2013 against John Cena at WrestleMania 29. Despite his lengthy absence from in-ring action, that hasn’t stopped fans from wondering if and when The Rock will wrestle in a WWE ring again, and on the heels of WWE’s pair of blockbuster TV deals, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com (h/t Ringside News) has even speculated that WWE could look to bring back The Rock to have a mainstream star to build its TV product around when those deals begin in October 2019.
Good news for the company: The Rock reportedly wants to return to WWE for a match at WrestleMania 35, and there is apparently an “open dialogue” between the two sides, who are discussing potentially working together again.
While there could be a couple of major holdups that prevent that from happening, like The Rock’s busy schedule and insurance issues that could cost movie studios a whopping $250,000 per day if The Rock gets injured, never say never in the wild and wacky business that is pro wrestling. After all, if The Rock wants to return to WWE for one last match, that’s exactly what he’ll do.
Indeed, The Rock has already been linked to a possible return bout against Elias, but here are five potentially bigger dream matches waiting for him if and when he returns to WWE.
Triple H
Triple H has let it be known on multiple occasions that he’d love to wrestle The Rock one more time, and WWE even teased that bout with this unforgettable segment in 2014 and shortly afterward when they crossed paths at WrestleMania 31 in 2015.
Those segments led to WWE attempting to bring back The Rock for WrestleMania 34, where the company was hopeful that he’d team with Ronda Rousey to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in what assuredly would have been one of the most star-studded matches of all-time. While schedules and insurance issues reportedly prevented that from happening and Rousey ended up teaming with Kurt Angle instead, there’s no doubt that The Rock’s involvement in that bout would have set numerous WWE Network subscriber records, given that it already did so without him.
While WWE has probably missed the boat on that potentially epic Rock/Rousey vs. HHH/Stephanie bout, it’s certainly not too late to do The Rock vs. Triple H in a bout that would be quite appealing to many lapsed fans, particularly those who really enjoyed the Attitude Era. As much hate as Triple H gets for supposedly “burying” up-and-coming talent, he has done exactly the opposite over the last few years, when he’s put over stars like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and clearly added an element of excitement and intrigue when involved in major storylines.
With The Rock and Triple H having one of the greatest-yet-most-underrated rivalries in WWE history nearly two decades ago, having these two stars go toe-to-toe one last time could scratch wrestling fans’ nostalgia itch, all while highlighting two of the most accomplished stars in company history.
John Cena
Credit: WWE.comCREDIT: WWE.COM
The Rock beat John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in 2012, and Cena returned the favor when he won their rematch at WrestleMania 29 in 2013.
Thus, the two superstars are currently tied 1-1, and WWE could decide that one of the biggest rivalries in WWE history needs a rubber match. After all, you could argue that The Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania 28 was the most star-studded rivalry WWE has ever done, one that pitted a man who would soon become the world’s highest paid actor against WWE’s biggest draw since the Attitude Era. The philosophy of having these two megastars feud in 2012 certainly worked out for WWE as their first-ever encounter at WrestleMania 28 led to that event becoming WWE’s most purchased pay-per-view of all-time.
That was a whopping six years ago, and even though both The Rock and Cena were big stars since then, their star power has increased exponentially since then. The Rock has gone on to become one of the most beloved and popular celebrities in the world (the guy has nearly 13 million Twitter followers and an astounding 111 million followers on Instagram) while Cena has branched out more into the mainstream due to a budding acting career that has included roles in major films like Trainwreck, Blockers, Ferdinand and Bumblebee.
As big as The Rock vs. Cena was in both 2012 and 2013, there’s a case to be made that it would be even bigger in 2018 or 2019, with a recent poll ranking The Rock and Cena as the second and third most recognizable pro wrestlers in the world behind only Hulk Hogan.
The Undertaker
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The Undertaker will reportedly be wrestling more often than usual this year and has even been linked to a potentially rare non-WrestleMania match at SummerSlam.
WWE has made it clear that it views The Undertaker as a massive draw, utilizing him purely for big shows like WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble, so any match he has is going to be treated like a big deal, especially if it takes place at a WrestleMania. Over the last decade, The Undertaker’s WrestleMania bouts have always ranked among the show’s biggest attractions, even after the end of “The Streak,” and certainly, a match against The Rock would be the biggest possible bout “The Deadman” could do at this stage of his career.
The Rock hasn’t faced The Undertaker on pay-per-view since 2002, and the sheer length of time between their last in-ring encounter would be enough to make nostalgic fans drool about the possibility of the two legends squaring off one last time. Though questions remain about just how much drawing power major stars like The Undertaker have during the WWE Network era, WWE has remained committed to using part-time stars like “The Phenom” from time to time as a means of increasing interest in the product, bringing back lapsed fans and even improving the overall quality of its programming.
While it would make sense for The Rock to put over a rising star if he did return to the ring, that also seems unlikely, meaning that it may benefit WWE more to have two old school performers face each other and use that match as a special attraction instead. And because it has been so long since The Rock and Taker last squared off, the excitement level for this dream match would be through the roof, even if it would have been considerably better five or six years ago.
Roman Reigns
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Despite the obvious fan resistance to Roman Reigns, he still has such a large fan base, sells tickets and moves so much merchandise that WWE isn’t going to let up on his push anytime soon.
“The Big Dog” is just one more WrestleMania main event away from tying Hogan for the most consecutive WrestleMania main events at five, and rest assured that it if takes Reigns facing The Rock at WrestleMania 35 for him to tie Hogan, then that’s exactly what WWE will do. While the very passionate and vocal anti-Reigns fan base would probably still revolt against Reigns vs. The Rock in much the same way it did to Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal at Money in the Bank, even the staunchest Reigns haters can’t deny the potential impact of a massive bout between the two.
There is an obvious connection between The Rock and Reigns, who are real-life cousins that have also been involved in storylines together in the past. Thus, there is a very natural and ready made rivalry between the two, especially with Reigns currently being positioned as the new face of the company and The Rock being a former one. A dream match between these stars could also elicit one of the most polarizing reactions in WWE history, given that today’s fan base typically responds negatively to part-time stars (and even booed The Rock at Royal Rumble 2015) while hatred of Reigns has obviously reached a fever pitch.
WWE loves creating these electric atmospheres for marquee matches, and it’s a safe bet that Rock vs. Reigns would be electric enough to power all of America at once. While an older Rock probably wouldn’t put the greatest of bouts on against a guy like Reigns who needs the right opponent to have great matches, this one would be all about the spectacle of two of wrestling’s biggest names in a potentially bitter family feud no one was sure they’d ever get to see.
Brock Lesnar
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According to a February 2013 report from F4WOnline.com (h/t WrestlingInc), The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar was “being heavily discussed for either SummerSlam…or WrestleMania 30 in 2014.”
While neither of those plans ever came to fruition, you have to think that, in the event that The Rock does return to WWE and Lesnar remains with the company beyond this year’s SummerSlam, “The Beast” vs. “The People’s Champion” is the one dream bout WWE would love to do. Although Lesnar has become a huge target of criticism these days for his favorable schedule and his upcoming return to UFC, WWE reportedly views him as a massive draw and “a transcendent star” who “is a guy who when he main events he’s going to sell Network subscriptions.”
Certainly, the buzz created by Lesnar’s recent UFC return, the fact that he’s been labeled one of the biggest draws in UFC history and the drawing power that has made him arguably WWE’s biggest draw would lead most to believe that a potential WrestleMania showdown with The Rock could send WWE’s TV ratings and its network subscriber count soaring. Why? Because there’s no denying that both stars create a buzz that not many stars can, and assuming that bout would not involve the Universal title, fans would be more accepting of Lesnar competing in a marquee match without dominating the title picture.
Although WWE missed out on the opportunity to do Lesnar vs. The Rock four years ago, this match, much like Rock vs. Cena, could be even bigger now than it was then, meaning that it may be a blessing in disguise if and when we see “The Beast” take on The Rock when their star power has never been brighter.
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