WATCH: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson makes grand return to WWE after four years
Is The Rock back to the WWE for good or was it a one-time appearance?
September 16, 2023
Friday night marked WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's much-awaited grand return to the ring on an episode of SmackDown in Denver, Colorado.
The Rock emerged from backstage at the wrestling event where he first gained notoriety just hours after making an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show live from the University of Colorado campus.
McAfee, a WWE commentator, was inside the ring with the US Champion for 2022, Austin Theory, when The Rock abruptly entered the scene.
The Rock received thunderous applause from the fans at Ball Arena after returning to the ring for the first time since October 2019 when he appeared on the SmackDown 20th anniversary show.
He later amused the crowd with a brief display of his wrestling prowess.
The Rock and Theory engaged in a brief fight, which gave Johnson the opportunity to use two of his most well-known finishers: the notorious "People's Elbow" and the spine-buster, Daily Mail reported.
Later, Johnson instructed McAfee to perform his version of the "elbow" which is labelled as "the most electrifying move in all of sports entertainment."
After his fight with Theory, The Rock met former WWE rival John Cena on the show, who was set to appear later. They exchanged smiles, with Cena expressing greeting him with the remark, "Welcome home."
Since announcing his retirement from professional wrestling in 2019, Johnson has not engaged in any form of wrestling, until Friday night.
It's the first time that Johnson wrestled in any capacity since that October 2019 appearance, which came around the time that he announced his retirement from pro wrestling.
The Rock, who was already in Colorado to appear on College GameDay live from the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, has not commented on whether he is back to the WWE for good or if this was a one-off appearance.
The Rock will be a "guest picker" on the programme and will attempt to predict the outcome of Saturday's schedule of American college football.
