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Paul Heyman Takes Brutal Shots At The Rock Amid WWE Absence

By Sunil Joseph • Published Jul 19, 2026 09:43 EDT
Paul Heyman and The Rock
Paul Heyman and The Rock (Source: WWE.com)

Paul Heyman fired some massive shots at The Rock.

The Rock is one of the greatest WWE stars in the history of the company. He was a massive box office attraction in the company during his peak. However, The Great One capitalized on his fame and transitioned into a movie star.

Since joining Hollywood, The Rock has become a global icon and one of the biggest stars in the world. Over the years, The Final Boss has made a couple of sporadic appearances on WWE TV. His last appearance in the sports entertainment juggernaut was at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 when he got John Cena to turn heel. Since then, he has not been seen on TV. However, The Great One is still a member of the board of directors at TKO, which is WWE’s parent company.

Paul Heyman introduces the next Paul Heyman Guy

At a recent Fanatics Fest event, The Rock’s music suddenly hit and the fans went crazy. However, the music stopped playing after a few seconds, and Heyman came out. He said that The Great One never had what it took to be a Paul Heyman Guy. The WWE Hall of Famer then said that he found his next Paul Heyman Guy, who is a much bigger box office star than The Rock. He also said that this person is a better action-adventure star than The Final Boss. This person turned out to be Kevin Hart to came out to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s music wearing a few WWE titles around his waist.

“Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. I cannot believe I was standing there in the back and they hit from The Rock’s music. Let’s all be honest with each other, Dwayne Johnson never had what it took to be a Paul Heyman guy. I have found someone in the back that is the next Paul Heyman guy. I have found someone in the back who can be the Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, the United States Heavyweight Champion; he wants to be the Women’s Champion, he can be that too. He can be the WWE Champion, the Undisputed Champion, the World Champion, or even the World Super Heavyweight Champion. He’s a bigger box office attraction than Dwayne Johnson. He’s a bigger star than Dwayne Johnson, and he’s a much better action-adventure movie star than Dwayne Johnson. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Paul Heyman guy, Kevin Hart!”

Check out the full clip here.

It remains to be seen when The Rock will make his next WWE appearance.

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Also read: The Rock May Never Return To WWE For One Reason

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