- The Rock appeared to drop his Final Boss character during Netflix debut
- The People’s Champ praised longtime rival Cody Rhodes during promo
- Rock vs Reigns has been rumoured for WrestleMania for years
The Rock making his way out to address the crowd at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles for WWE’s debut on Netflix was expected to deliver the Final Boss energy that had supercharged his 2024 return. Instead, we got the People’s Champ’s patented electricity, but none of the belt whipping violence that punctuated some of his best ever work, last year.
With Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa doing battle over the title of ‘Tribal Chief’, High Chief Seiuli himself watched on backstage before making his way into the ring after Reigns had defeated his younger cousin and reclaimed the Ula Fala, cementing the former WWE Champion as the Head of the Table once again.
The Rock, who’s last appearance on WWE television came at the close of Bad Blood, back in October, did not confront Reigns, who he partnered with at last year’s WrestleMania to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Despite the two being rumoured to be having a dream match at WrestleMania for years now, The Rock instead presented his cousin with the traditional Samoan Ula Fala necklace, to re-establish Reigns as the Tribal Chief of the Bloodline.
It was an appearance that surprised many WWE fans, who had perhaps been expecting the Great One to lay the foundations for a marquee match against his cousin or current WWE Undisputed Champion Rhodes. Instead, The Rock paid tribute to Rhodes, who was stood at ringside and even joked with him during his show-opening promo as well as backstage later on in the night.
While the change of direction in The Rock’s character took some people by surprise, it is also believed that, at the moment, the People’s Champion is not in creative plans for this year’s WrestleMania in Las Vegas. It was expected that a match with Rhodes or Reigns would be the direction back in October when The Rock confronted the pair at the end of Bad Blood. Some reports have stated that filming for the new live action Moana film has required reshoots, which has altered The Rock’s schedule, although this hasn’t been officially confirmed.
However, while WrestleMania may not necessarily be on the cards at the moment (this, of course, could always change between now and April) The Rock then followed up his appearance on Raw with a stop at NXT, last night. Talking to the fans in attendance at The Shrine in Los Angeles, the former WWE Champion referred once more to his Final Boss alter ego and referenced fans being disappointed in him appearing to patch up old wounds with Cody Rhodes. Cryptically, The Rock then told the crowd, “at the end of the day, let us all remind them, that The Rock is the Final Boss, thinking 20 steps ahead, so the best thing for them to do is know their roles, shut their mouths and enjoy the ride.”
Given how a lot of attention is due to be given to John Cena’s retirement tour this year, including the 16-time World Champion’s final ever WrestleMania match, The Rock could be planting the seeds for a mega money match or two against Reigns and Rhodes in 2026.
