SmackDown Star Claims They Inspired The Rock’s Return To WWE

The Rock has only returned to WWE for one reason.

While the world is still talking about The Rock’s return in order to face/team with Roman Reigns, he first dipped his toes back into the WWE water in September 2023.

After appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, the Great One hot-footed it to SmackDown where he shared the ring with McAfee and Austin Theory. By the end of the segment, the Hollywood megastar had hit all of his signature catchphrases and left Theory laying.

During a new interview with The West Sport, Theory discussed the segment and took credit for Rock deciding to wrestle again.

“I guess you really have to ask the Rock what that felt like. He went out there with Austin Theory, and i was out there with Pat McAfee doing my own thing, but The Rock came out because The Rock wants to be popular again.

He got 150 million views with Austin Theory, at the time. It’s probably like 200, 300 million now. For me, it was just another day at work but for The Rock, look what it’s done for him.

I mean, it promoted him to being with the board of directors at TKO. He’s really inspired by me. He’s done a lot of things and look at him now. There’s a whole bunch of controversy that he stole Cody’s story. Am I responsible for that? I mean, I did inspire The Rock. Austin Theory inspired The Rock. You hear that? We all know it, we all know it.”

Theory then threw a little shade at the star, saying he’s only playing at being a WWE Superstar.

“I was just nervous that Dwayne would feel like he was just so overshadowed by me. I was thinking he would feel that. But, I went out there and made him feel like somebody, I made him feel special and I think that’s what got his feet under him again and now he wants to come back and play WWE superstar.

That’s the thing, he wants to play WWE Superstar, Austin Theory lives being a WWE superstar. There was no room for nerves. Rock got to come be a part of Austin Theory Live, on my show, SmackDown — and I put him in his place. I told the whole world, it doesn’t matter what the Rock says. It doesn’t.”

The Rock Takes Bizarre Shot At Seth Rollins And Cody Rhodes

In a new video on social media, The Rock confirmed he wouldn’t be in Australia for Elimination Chamber, but that didn’t stop him from taking a strange shot at Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

The veteran made numerous references to Rhodes and his “little girlfriend” Rollins while talking trash about the pair.

H/t to Fightful