When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the ring with Pat McAfee and Austin Theory in an impromptu opening segment on SmackDown, it generated totally normal and tempered reactions from fans who understood that the appearance had more to do with the duo being at the University of Colorado earlier in the day for ESPN than anything having to do with a massive in-ring return for “The Great One.”
Fans enjoyed the moment for what it was, especially as it spilled into the backstage area a few moments later with a fun interaction with none other than his WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29 opponent, John Cena, accepted that it was more or less a one-off, and then went about enjoying the rest of the show, which featured The Grayson Waller Effect, an LA Knight match and even more fun to be had.
… yeah, except that didn't happen.
No, when the segment came to an end, fans were already fantasy booking the main event of WrestleMania 40 – which, admittedly, Johnson did hint at as a possibility – and even started hypothesizing about what a Cody Rhodes pipe bomb would look like if he went full-on CM Punk after seemingly having his big moment taken away by a part-timer.
Fortunately, earlier in the day, Johnson actually gave McAfee some insight into what it would take for him to get back into the ring and if he would even be interested in having another match seven and a half years removed from squashing Erik Rowan at WrestleMania 32. For Johnson, the answer is simple: He wants to make a moment that has never been done before.
“Honestly, brother, it's not the injury that I'm concerned about because that's just part of it,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said via Fightful. “It's just part of the game. You sign up for it. You get hurt. We all get hurt. That's just the way it is. It's not even the schedule because I can control the schedule because I can control the schedule, to a large degree. Me going back to WWE and wrestling a match always comes down to the reason why, and what can we create that's never been done before for the fans. So that's the idea.”
Well, if creating moments that have “never been done before” is the criteria by which Rocky picks future matches, then fans might just be in luck, as facing down the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania XL 1,000+ days into his Universal Championship run is about as marquee a moment as you will find, as there is only so much time left where the duo could put on a match worthy of its pedigree.
Pat McAfee was stoked to stand with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
After sharing the ring with at least one future Hall of Famer – two if you own a boatload of Austin Theory stock – Pat McAfee stopped by the backstage area on SmackDown to reflect on his incredible return to WWE with Kayla Braxton.
Though McAfee's night wasn't perfect, as he did have to spend some time with Theory, in the end, he couldn't have asked for a better return.
“That bum, Austin Theory. I was in the ring with him again,” Pat McAfee said via Fightful. “He looked good, looking a black tank top. He does look fantastic. It's just the inside of him that's terrible. You can't really change that. But yeah, The Rock and I had a chance to chat earlier today on my show. He was electrifying, and then tonight, to get to be in the ring, I got to see all of it happens. His spinebuster, the People's Elbow, the eyebrow raise, the ‘It doesn't matter,' him starting a ‘You are an a**hole' chant. I was in there for the whole thing. The WWE, my entire life, has been a dream destination. Everything that I've been able to do here, I'm incredibly lucky for and thankful for, grateful for it. I try to enjoy. I definitely did that tonight. It's a dream being back for sure.”
Asked what it felt like to be in the ring with one of his idols, McAfee admitted it was “so stupid” just how many incredible opportunities the WWE Universe has afforded him.
“Yeah Kayla, it's so stupid. I got Stunned by Stone Cold at WrestleMania in Texas,” McAfee added. “Then I got to drink some Steve-weisers with him afterwards. I just got to do a People's Elbow with The Rock. I'm living not only my dream, but I know pretty much every kid that grew up in my generation's dream, so I hope I'm doing you guys proud. I'm trying to enjoy it, and I am beyond thankful for it all.”
And last but not least, McAfee was asked about his best friend Michael Cole, who seemingly had the time of his life calling wrestling matches alongside the former Colts All-Pro punter during their all-too-short run together. While McAfee clearly misses working alongside the “Voice of WWE” on the regular, he hopes they will work together again one day.
“I love it. He always has to be the buttoned-up guy, doing the play-by-play, which he is the greatest of all time, bar none,” McAfee said. “I understand there's a conversation for sone other people, but they haven't been paying attention close enough. What Michael Cole has done throughout his career at the WWE is second-to-none. But now he's got a little attitude, a little spice, a little personality. He looks unbelievable. I'm incredibly lucky that I got to work with Michael Cole, and I am still very confident that it will happen again.”
Will McAfee ever become a full-time commentator in WWE once more? Considering his schedule, probably not, but hey, it's always nice to see him return to the commentary booth – not to mention the ring – every now and again, as he brings a sort of fan energy that the traditional teams of Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett, and Kevin Patrick just can't match.