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Meeting The Rock Was Unique Experience For WWE Star

By John Canton • Published 9th November 2024
The Rock

A meeting on a bus with The Rock left a rising young WWE star encouraged about a segment they did together on SmackDown.

There have been many surprise appearances by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on WWE television over the last two decades. One of those appearances took place on the September 15, 2023 edition of SmackDown in Denver when The Rock showed up along with Pat McAfee.

At that time, it wasn’t known that Johnson would return for a match at WrestleMania 40 as part of The Bloodline story. Instead, The Rock was there to interact with Pat McAfee and Austin Theory.

The role of Theory in the segment was to insult McAfee, which led to Rock showing up and putting Theory in his place. After Theory tried some trash talk, Rock hit him with a spinebuster and People’s Elbow while McAfee hit his own version of the People’s Elbow as well.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Austin Theory spoke about his experience that day when he thought he had nothing to do on the show and then he found out he had a segment with McAfee and Rock.

“So the day starts. I have nothing that day at SmackDown, I’m kind of lingering around wondering, am I doing anything? I haven’t heard anything. Was it a setup? I don’t know, but it didn’t feel like one, but if it was, then wow, you got me. But I remember maybe we have an hour before the show kicks off. So we were in Colorado, so the time is probably like a couple of hours [ahead].

So we had an hour before the show, I get a call, and I end up going to Triple H’s office, and he basically gives me the rundown of hey, ‘Pat McAfee’s coming back. We’re thinking, you go out there, you cut a promo, and then kind of get on him, and then we’ll have The Rock come out.’

I’m just like, for real? Alright! So then they’re sitting there, and then the head writer, he’s like, hey, there’s not a lot of time left now. There’s like 40 minutes, 30 minutes left. He’s like just go figure out what you want to say to Pat and then we’ll figure out the rest, we’ll tell you what you’re doing with Rock when he gets here.

So I’m like, well he’s not even here, this is crazy. So I go away and I started thinking in my head. I started thinking too about the last time I was in the ring with Pat McAfee, and how the promos were. I remember he said some things that I couldn’t, I could only say what I was able to say.

But I feel like there was some more freedom there for him. So in my mind, I’m like, ‘Well, this is where I’ve got to take it, I’ve got to get it back.; So going out there, we had the same outfit on, so I ripped into him about that, you don’t look like me in a tank top. I called him something and then Rock comes out.”

Austin Theory Went Over Segment With The Rock While On A Bus

At WWE shows, many top superstars have a bus that they use to travel in and also stay in while getting ready for shows. As Theory continued his story, he spoke about how he went over his segment with The Rock while sitting in a bus belonging to WWE star Charlotte Flair.

“Before Rock comes out, kind of going back to when I met Rock, I remember, I came up with what I wanted to say on Pat I was like, ‘Okay, I got it.’ And then I just get a text, come outside. I come outside, and it’s one of the writers, and he said, ‘Come with me.’

And then next thing I know, I’m with Triple H and Nick Khan and we’re all walking outside. The busses are there, and this black car pulls up, six people get out, it’s just insane to me. Rock gets out, and I’m like this is crazy. He’s like the size of a blimp. He looks insane.

I’m like, ‘What is going on? ‘They walk over, I think they’re just trying to get us on a bus so this could be private and nobody sees Rock. I think Nick Khan knocks on Charlotte Flair’s bus, and they’re like, ‘Hey, can you get off?’ She’s like, alright. So she just gets off, and then we get on the bus.

And then I just remember, I was in the back of the bus with The Rock, and he was kind of telling me when we get out there, it’s going to be magic. Just feel it. It’s going to be good. And I kid you not being out there with him. He did like these Jedi mind tricks with his eyes, when I just knew when to go, when to say something, and just feeling it with him.

He would just, I don’t know, just with his eyes. I was like, oh man. But it was such an experience. And I just felt so on top of my game.”

The Rock will always be part of WWE due to his past success there, which is something he recently spoke about.

H/T ChrisVanVliet