Ever since Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned to the WWE Universe in an increasingly full-time role back in January, the response from members of the locker rooms, specifically babyfaces like Seth Rollins, has largely been negative.
Sure, Rocky is a draw, and gets serious interactions on social media whenever he so much as cuts a promo, but his decision to swoop in ahead of WrestleMania 40 and “steal” the spotlight from the meat and potatoes performers who work every house show during the promotion's “down times” led to some heated remarks, some Kayfabe, some potentially not.
And yet, every member of the WWE Universe doesn't fall on the “Rocky Sucks” side of the divide, with Jinder Mahal using some time in an appearance on The Gorilla Position to put over “The Great One” for being incredibly giving during their shared time on-camera on RAW Day 1 last month.
“I didn't pitch it. I went home for Christmas. When I landed back in Tampa, I got a call from one of the writers, ‘I think you've probably seen on social media, we announced a WWE Champion will return.' Yeah, it's me, but… I knew a big kicker was coming. ‘There's going to be a big switch, you're actually with The Rock. Don't tell anybody.' I found out a few days earlier. What an awesome moment,” Jinder Mahal exclaimed via Fightful. “I was super excited. The Rock is one of the most amazing performers of all time. Super giving. Super easy. That was the most relaxed I've been in a promo. He's an absolute pro. In the meantime, I've been working with an acting coach. That was a different side of me I got to show, and I got a lot of positive comments and a very positive response overall to my performance. Followed it up with a promo against Seth Rollins. Had a title match. All in all, was a great start to the year. I wasn't planning on it, but luckily, I stay ready year-round. That's WWE, anything can happen at anytime. Just like when I became WWE Champion out of nowhere.”
Asked what it was like to work alongside “The Great One” at RAW Day 1, Mahal put him over some more, celebrating Johnson for not only putting in the world on camera but for being approachable backstage too.
“Unbelievable. Obviously, he's now a board member, so he brings a different side of entertainment to WWE. I believe it's only going to make us bigger,” Mahal noted. “Coincides with RAW moving to Netflix next year. It's an amazing time. An amazing time for the company. We're exploring uncharted territory in terms of growth. All of us performers in the locker room are super excited. Dwayne is a very giving performer. Based off my experience, he's always been super helpful. Anytime he's there on RAW or SmackDown, he hangs out after. He's super approachable, he gets along with everybody. Overall, it's a positive thing.”
Largely used as a prop to make the return of “The People's Champion” all the more exciting, Mahal really did capitalize on his segment with The Rock in a major way, parlaying it into a match with Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that unfortunately ended in the incumbent suffering an MCL injury. Still, considering the “Modern Day Maharaja” was largely being used as a manager for Indus Sheer up to that point, being thrust back into action and having a moment for a few weeks likely puts him in debt to The Rock moving forward, as it's hard to imagine that happening without a Johnson-sized return at RAW Day 1.
Austin Theory takes credit for the return of The Rock.
Speaking of The Rock's recent string of social media success as a member of the WWE Universe, it's hard to forget his first return last fall, when, in a segment with Austin Theory and Pat McAfee, Dwayne Johnson set a new company record for social media impressions.
While this segment ultimately didn't lead to anything at the time, in the opinion of Theory, it was the catalyst for his eventual return, as generating some 150 million views proved to Johnson that he was still “The People's Champion” after all.
“I guess you really have to ask the Rock what that felt like. He went out there with Austin Theory, and I was out there with Pat McAfee doing my own thing, but The Rock came out because The Rock wants to be popular again. He got 150 million views with Austin Theory, at the time. It’s probably like 200, 300 million now. For me, it was just another day at work but for The Rock, look what it’s done for him. I mean, it promoted him to being with the board of directors at TKO. He’s really inspired by me. He’s done a lot of things, and look at him now. There’s a whole bunch of controversy that he stole Cody’s story. Am I responsible for that? I mean, I did inspire The Rock. Austin Theory inspired The Rock. You hear that? We all know it, we all know it,” Austin Theory told The West Sports via Fightful.
“I was just nervous that Dwayne would feel like he was just so overshadowed by me. I was thinking he would feel that. But, I went out there and made him feel like somebody, I made him feel special, and I think that’s what got his feet under him again, and now he wants to come back and play WWE superstar. That’s the thing, he wants to play WWE Superstar, Austin Theory lives being a WWE superstar. There was no room for nerves. Rock got to come be a part of Austin Theory Live, on my show, SmackDown — and I put him in his place. I told the whole world, it doesn’t matter what the Rock says. It doesn’t.”
Would Johnson be positioning himself for a match at WrestleMania 40 if it wasn't for Theory? Yeah, considering his in-ring return likely has more to do with joining the Board of Directors than the performance of any individual social media video, it's safe to say this was at least an option for quite some time. Still, considering the lack of success Theory has experienced in recent memory, why not let “A-Town Down” have this one just for his sake; considering the beating he took at the Elimination Chamber, it feels like the last WWE fans can do.
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