On September 15, Dwayne Johnson returned to WWE as The Rock to confront Austin Theory, who was himself confronting the returning Pat MacAfee. The most electrifying man in all of sports entertainment left the wrestling world abuzz upon his appearance.
One such individual is former rival and icon Hulk Hogan, who spoke to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and said the following:
“The Rock, he’s one of a kind. He’s on another level. That was noticeable right away. But one part stood out to me–and I thought it was very clear. Rock still has wrestling in his blood. That would be a moment for everyone. Not everyone was around, not even a lot of today’s stars, for the first WrestleMania with Mr. T and Liberace. Or to see me and Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III. But if Rock comes back, people will never forget it. For all the people to see him come back, and see greatness right in front of us, it would be amazing. If The Rock comes back at WrestleMania, it will be a moment people will never forget.
Hulk Hogan
The Rock’s in great shape, better than I was, and he is so smart inside the ring. It would be great to see him come back. It would be bigger than him, too. It’s something that would be significant for everyone in wrestling. Even though he hasn’t wrestled in a while, if he goes out there, Rock is going to tear that place down. Good luck to anyone trying to follow that match.“
The Rock has had a celebrated career both in acting and in the squared circle. The latter saw him propelled to mega-stardom in the late 1990s and early 2000s until ultimately stepping away from the ring in 2003. Johnson would return in 2011, making sporadic appearances after a WrestleMania match with John Cena in 2013’s WrestleMania 29. His last match to date was a squash match against Erick Rowan, which he won, in six seconds.
