After months and months of speculation about The Rock making a potential return to WWE, the famous actor didn’t show up at Saturday’s Royal Rumble.
There have long been rumors that WWE has been looking for The Rock to win the Royal Rumble to set up a championship match between the legendary wrestler and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. When the Hollywood star no-showed the event, plenty of WWE fans were left disappointed.
Me when the Rock doesn’t come back at the Royal Rumble pic.twitter.com/hF82pM3nsB
— Brian Donworth (@brddonworth) January 29, 2023
I Stand up in the middle of the night to watch the #RoyalRumble and I wait and wait and wait for @TheRock and then the show ends and I sit there like this… pic.twitter.com/EUxKqbdVOV
— LPU88 (@_lpu88_) January 29, 2023
I blame @TheRock for not participating in the men's royal rumble match. And I blame him for not winning the royal rumble. Fans need you rock. For once in you life. Get your #candyass back in the ring and be #PeoplesChampion if you smell what the @TheRock is cooking!!!!!
— taylor faus (@TaylorFaus91) January 29, 2023
This isn’t the first time that WWE fans have been let down because The Rock never showed up. One year ago, there were similar expectations that Dwayne Johnson might lace up his wrestling boots one more time and get ready for a championship match.
Many casual wrestling fans only watched the Royal Rumble because they expected The Rock or other WWE legends to take part in the match. Some of those fans didn’t hold back on social media when it turned out that Booker T was the only “surprise” return in the Royal Rumble.
Other WWE fans, however, felt that it was best for The Rock to stay at home. Cody Rhodes, a fan favorite since his return to WWE last year, won the Royal Rumble to earn a spot in a main-event match at WrestleMania 39.
When The Rock wasn’t an entrant in the Royal Rumble match that opened the show, some fans believed that he might confront Reigns before the event went off the air. The pay-per-view concluded with Reigns and The Usos beating up Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn with The Rock nowhere in sight.
Sami turning on Roman was so riveting that I legit forgot that the Rock was supposed to show up #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/QrGP8rPlJT
— Smashley (@SillyLilSuplex) January 29, 2023
We don’t need The Rock. Roman and Sami are good enough to do this all themselves. Sure Rock v Roman would be awesome, but I think WWE is moving away from legends, apart for a few spots here and there. I think this is good. https://t.co/dZwSgQTG1h
— Chase Max (@Maxthemasterr) January 29, 2023
I’m all over the place with this bloodline storyline….just give me either Sami/Roman or Jey/Roman on one of the nights. Leave the Rock in Hollywood #RoyalRumble #RumbleCast
— B. Smith (@BradleySmithSC) January 29, 2023
Zayn has become WWE’s most popular babyface through his storyline with Reigns. Some fans reacted positively to The Rock’s absence because it allowed Zayn to be front and center of the show’s main event.
Triple H told reporters after the Royal Rumble that The Rock probably won’t have a match at WrestleMania 39. There had been rumors in the days leading up to the Royal Rumble, indicating the WWE didn’t believe The Rock would return for its biggest show of the year.
Technically, The Rock’s last match came at WrestleMania 32 in 2016, though it wasn’t advertised and only lasted six seconds. Prior to that, The Rock’s last match came against John Cena at WrestleMania 29 a decade ago.
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