Speculation was running wild Thursday evening as news broke that The Rock is set to appear on the February 21 episode of WWE SmackDown. Everyone wanted to know why he’s coming, especially with WrestleMania 41 on the horizon. Is he there to announce WrestleMania 42’s location or kick off a major angle with another superstar. According to The Final Boss himself, he’s coming to [expletive] up someone’s life.
The Rock took to social media to give some thoughts on what fans should expect Friday evening.
“The Final Boss is coming to handle business, deliver a big, beautiful gift to the city of New Orleans and [expletive] up a certain someone’s life with the Final Boss gospel.”
The Rock offers more insight into his WWE SmackDown appearance pic.twitter.com/Uhx4ZYYu2w
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) February 21, 2025
That’s a strong statement for the multiple-time champion and movie star. It has been reported by several outlets that New Orleans is the destination for WrestleMania 42. It will be the third time the city has hosted the mega-event, with the 2026 edition taking place in the Caesars Superdome.
This is the type of announcement someone like The Rock would make on television. His appearance will get fans to tune in and elevate that moment. But the second part of his statement raises eyebrows across the wrestling community. Is The Rock really back to set up an angle heading into WrestleMania 41, or is this him just doing what he does best and that’s promoting The Rock?
Reports are that The Rock will not be at WrestleMania 41
One of the biggest stories to watch is whether The Rock takes part in WrestleMania 41. On December 4, Fightful Select reported that “WWE is preparing for a WrestleMania without The Rock.” The report would go on to note that “there are creative plans being put in motion on the assumption that The Rock will not be working WrestleMania.”
His appearance and interactions at the WWE Monday Night Raw Netflix premiere furthered that idea. Many saw that as a way for him to close out the angles that were open since he would not be available to progress any of them at the time. But, if anything is 100 percent true with the WWE, professional wrestling, and sports entertainment it is that things change. So, what if something has changed this time?
The Rock versus Roman Reigns is the only way to go
If The Rock is suddenly available for WrestleMania 41 and the build-up to the show, there is only one match worth making. The Rock and Roman Reigns must compete and there’s a limited amount of time before WWE misses out on it completely.
When Solo Sikoa started his rampage speculation was that The Rock would be the one behind his actions. When The Rock almost took Cody Rhodes’s spot at WrestleMania 40 it was to get a match against Reigns. Thankfully, WWE listened to the blowback that came from fans worldwide. Now, there’s nothing to stop this match from coming together and it makes all sense from a story standpoint.
This would have massive implications for WrestleMania 41. It seems like WWE is heading toward a match between Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and possibly Seth Rollins. Pulling Reigns out of that match to take on The Rock would basically make it unnecessary entirely. Does that mean Punk then slides over to win the Elimination Chamber and challenge Cody Rhodes? What would Seth Rollins do because WWE can’t keep one of its biggest stars off the card? There’s so much to unpack and so much of a potential impact, just like fans saw back in 2024.
WWE SmackDown just became can’t-miss television. Is The Rock truly going to shake up the wrestling industry once again, or is he just there to leave fans exasperated at taking the bait once again? Only a few more hours until everyone learns the answer.