The Rock Returned To WWE To “Keep His Brand Strong” Says Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash has given his thoughts on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s recent WWE return.

The Great One made a surprise appearance on the September 15th edition of SmackDown in Denver. There, he gave an assist to Pat McAfee in confronting Austin Theory and ended up taking the young star out with a People’s Elbow to a thunderous ovation.

On the latest edition of his ‘Kliq This’ podcast, Kevin Nash gave his take on the unexpected return while praising Theory for being able to hold his own against The People’s Champion.

“He looked great. It look like he put on 15 pounds from the Colorado game [laughs]. They went through the list, and Theory is young, right? Like 26 [years old], something like that? The list of guys he’s worked with already, woo. I really thought that he held his own in there.”

Kevin Nash doesn’t think The Rock came back for a payday

Nash believes the main reason for Johnson’s appearance was to keep his brand strong during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

“Well number one, to keep his brand strong. Who knows how long [the SAG-AFTRA strike] will go on. Dwayne is double-pinched in this, because not only is Dwayne a member of the Screen Actors Guild as an actor, but he’s also a producer, so [he has] a pension health plan.

“I don’t think he’s doing it for the payday, but he’s definitely doing it from a PR standpoint.”

Despite the possible ulterior motives, Nash doesn’t think Johnson’s appearance was a bad thing for anyone involved.

“I don’t think it’s ever a bad thing to come back to where you started and show the world you’re the biggest star in [Hollywood].”

The Rock himself has since shared backstage footage of his appearance and claimed the crowd response was one of the loudest he has received in his career.

H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.