Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Dwayne Johnson returned to the ring last night (September 15) as The Rock during the latest WWE Friday Night Smackdown at the Ball Arena in Denver, CO, causing hysteria among the thousands of fans in attendance. Pat McAfee helped rile up the crowd and prepare Johnson’s competition, Austin Theory, for what was to come, telling them, “This is the people’s show. And you know what that means,” as The Rock made his entrance to the arena. His unexpected appearance caused the crowd to go wild, resulting in a four minute standing ovation.
Johnson hasn’t appeared on Smackdown since 2019 (understandable, he was busy making films like Jungle Cruise, Red Notice, and Black Adam in that time, and now he’s on strike as an actor — but not as a wrestler!). When he stepped into the ring as The Rock and the crowd finally quieted, Theory started to antagonize him, asking, “Do you know whose ring you’re in?” The Rock cut him off, quickly, responding, “Shut your bitch-ass up. You clearly don’t know how all this works.” He then pitched his jacket into the delighted crowd and hollered, “Finally, The Rock has come back to Denver!”
Before they began their match, The Rock, who had the entire arena in the palm of his hand, got the in-person audience to chant “You are an asshole!” at Theory before laying him out with his signature move, the People’s Elbow. The Rock then encouraged McAfee to pull the same move on Theory despite the fact that he was down for the count.
It was quite the star-studded Smackdown; also on-hand at last night’s event was The Rock’s former rival John Cena. The two shared a lighthearted exchange backstage before Cena faced off against Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa.
WWE Smackdown airs weekly on Friday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Fox.
