Last year, when Dwayne Johnson returned to WWE, fans were intrigued. Would he finally come back to face his cousin Roman Reigns after months of teasing? Well, that's what it looked like, and fans were happy until it became clear that The Rock's plans would interfere with fan favourite Cody Rhodes' quest to claim the WWE title and "finish his story". The Rock shunted Rhodes out of the main event picture to face Rhodes, flexing his muscle as a director of TKO, the parent company of WWE and UFC.
But the fans hated this, and let him know. Johnson, to his credit, listened to the fans and adapted, adopting a heel (or villain) persona reminiscent of his "Hollywood Rock" character from 2003, which he adopted when he first started getting acting roles, believing he was "better" than pro wrestling. This new iteration, dubbed the "Final Boss," saw him align with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, and set him up as the last mountain for Rhodes to climb.
The Rock's return set the stage for a heated rivalry with Cody Rhodes. At WrestleMania XL, The Rock and Reigns defeated Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match on Night 1, imposing "Bloodline Rules" for Rhodes' championship match against Reigns on Night 2. Despite interference from The Rock, Rhodes triumphed over Reigns to clinch the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The next night on Raw, The Rock confronted Rhodes, congratulated him and challenged him to a match, which gave fans something to look forward to. But fast forward a year, and fans aren't happy.
On January 6, 2025, WWE Raw premiered on Netflix, featuring an appearance by The Rock. Fans anticipated a continuation of his rivalry with Rhodes; however, The Rock's segment took a different turn. Instead of furthering the storyline, he engaged in a corporate-style promo, a rah-rah segment hyping up how big the night was, how grateful he was, and complimented Rhodes, ignoring what came before, which many felt deviated from his "Final Boss" character.
How Did The Rock Respond to WWE Fans' Criticism?
Last night, The Rock appeared on NXT, the WWE's developmental brand which airs on The CW. Aside from appearing on-screen for the first time with Ava, the character played by his real-life daughter Simone Johnson, he also appeared in front of the crowd and addressed the criticism, which had obviously stung him.
"Last year, all I heard was 'Why are you being so mean to Cody? Cody's gotta finish his story!' One year later, Raw on Netflix, an amazing night, The Rock wanted to give props to Cody, give him his flowers. He's been kicking ass, carrying the company on his shoulders, and what did you say? 'Don't be nice to Cody, you can't be nice to Cody!'
At the end of the day, let us all remind them that The Rock is the Final Boss and he is thinking 20 steps ahead, so the best thing for them to do is to know their roles, shut their mouths and enjoy the ride that The Rock is taking them on."
Image via WWE
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