Ex-WWE Champion Reveals Embarrassing Backstage Incident With The Rock
A former WWE Champion has admitted they were left embarrassed after one backstage encounter with The Rock.
On the Day 1 edition of Raw in 2024, a former WWE Champion’s appearance had been heavily teased by the company. The rumour mill went into overdrive, but it looked as though WWE had pulled a massive swerve as none other than the Modern Day Maharaja Jinder Mahal appeared.
However, Mahal’s appearance was just a ruse before the real surprise took place as The Rock returned to the company to a thunderous ovation.
Speaking on the TMZ Inside The Ring podcast, Jinder Mahal detailed the levels of secrecy he went to when told about WWE’s plans for him to get in the ring with The Great One:
When I landed, I called the writer, and he told me, he’s like, ‘Hey, so you probably seen on Twitter a former WWE Champion, yes, it’s gonna be you and… it’s gonna be The Rock,’” Dhesi recounted. “But hey, kayfabe, super kayfabe, don’t tell anybody anything. And I didn’t tell anybody anything. Actually, I didn’t even tell my fiance.
However, when it came time to rehearse with The Rock, Mahal was left embarrassed as he didn’t have his part in the proceedings memorised:
Rock had actually his part…already memorized his script.,” Dhesi admitted. “I was a little bit embarrassed, because let’s rehearse, and I hadn’t really memorized the script. So I’m referring to the page… I have a real big problem doing that, so I just need bullet points. But I told them, like, ‘Guys, I promise in the ring, I’ll have it.’
The Rock Missing From WWE
The Rock was crucial to John Cena’s shock heel turn at Elimination Chamber back in February 2025, but since then, he has been conspicuous by his absence in the company.
Cena has reverted back to his more familiar role as a babyface as the end of his career is just weeks away. Whether The Rock will be part of Cena’s sendoff at Saturday Night’s Main Event remains to be seen.