Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Calls Out Cousin, WWE Universal Champ Roman Reigns, On ‘Monday Night Raw’
Finally, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has come back to Monday Night Raw.
The WWE legend made his grand return earlier this week and called out his cousin, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
Leading into the “Day One” edition of Monday Night Raw (Jan. 1), reports indicated the WWE was working on having a “former WWE champion” make an appearance. Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the current chief content officer and head of creative for the company, tweeted “Not going to confirm or deny the rumors of a former @WWE Champion appearing at #WWERaw Day One… but I will say to stay tuned” on Friday (Dec. 29).
Come Monday, the reports were confirmed, as former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal marched to the ring, much to the dismay of fans expecting someone bigger. Then, amid Mahal berating the crowd, The Rock’s theme music hit and he stepped onto the stage as the live audience roared, marking his first appearance on Monday Night Raw since 2016. He utilized several of his popular catchphrases and crowd engagement methods before getting into a fight with Mahal. Mahal briefly had the upper hand, but fell victim to Rock’s signature “spinebuster” and finishing move “The People’s Elbow.”
After disposing of Jinder Mahal, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson picked up the microphone and told the San Diego audience that he planned to go out to eat and drink after the show; the only question was whether he should sit in a booth, at the bar, or the “head of the table.” That final phrase caused another raucous reaction from the crowd.
It was especially exciting for fans, as his cousin Roman Reigns has dubbed himself “The Head Of The Table” throughout his nearly four-year reign as the top champion and face of the WWE. Fans have speculated on the possibility of a match between Rock and Reigns ever since the latter won the title in 2020, and now it seems like the WWE will begin to finally build toward it with The Rock utilizing the moniker.
It is worth noting that The Rock did not specifically mention Wrestlemania. A match of this magnitude would make sense for the WWE’s biggest show and it almost happened last year. Rock joined The Pat McAfee Show in September and said Rock-Reigns was supposed to take place at Wrestlemania 39, but they ultimately could not finalize the plans.
As the WWE prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Wrestlemania in Philadelphia this coming April, the road leading up to it is now a whole lot more interesting.
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