8 months ago
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The Rock’s recent return to WWE caused quite a stir, momentarily overshadowing the excitement surrounding Cody Rhodes’ appearance at WrestleMania 40. Although brief, The Rock’s comeback captivated audiences, garnering undivided attention during this memorable return. Initial reports hinted at the possibility of The Rock having another match post-WrestleMania 40, but there’s now an update on that front.
Acknowledging the perfect timing for his heel return to WWE, The Rock himself has hinted at his imminent comeback. Recently, Cody Rhodes accepted The Rock’s challenge for him and Seth Rollins to face The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, further solidifying The Rock’s in-ring return.
According to Dave Meltzer’s report in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Rock is currently immersed in filming “The Smashing Machine,” a movie where he portrays former MMA star Mark Kerr, based on a documentary of the same name.
Due to his filming commitments, The Rock won’t be available for any Premium Live Event matches until at least SummerSlam. Moreover, it might prove challenging for him to train for a match while on set. While WWE believes this won’t be his final match, there’s no fixed date for another bout as it hinges on his movie schedule. However, given the flexibility of his WWE contract, he could potentially adjust dates for a WWE Premium Live Event show.
Meltzer noted that filming for “The Smashing Machine” is set to begin on May 1st, indicating that The Rock won’t be available for the May Saudi Arabia show and might find it difficult to participate in SummerSlam, depending on his filming schedule. The earliest opportunity for another match would likely be the second Saudi Arabia show, although he could also opt to wait until WrestleMania next year.
”Rock is filming “The Smashing Machine,” a movie where he plays former MMA star Mark Kerr, based on a documentary of the same name. Based on the filming schedule he could not do any PPV matches until SummerSlam, and even that would be difficult because he’d have to train for the match while on set.“
‘While the belief in the company is that this is not his last match, there is no date for another match and it depends on his movie schedule, although with the nature of his WWE contract, he also could move dates around for a WWE PPV show.”
Ringside News reached out to a seasoned member of the WWE Creative team regarding Dave Meltzer’s report about The Rock’s absence from post-WrestleMania 40 plans. They confirmed that there are currently no plans beyond WrestleMania 40, as WWE has yet to receive information regarding his availability for future dates.
”We don’t know The Rock’s availability for Mania. Before there’s a pitch, we need to know what events he’s able to make so we can pitch ideas for dates.”
The handling of The Rock’s storyline leading up to WrestleMania 40 remains uncertain. Fans will have to wait patiently to see how WWE navigates The Rock’s character once his current stint concludes at the Show of Shows.
When do you think WWE will be able to feature The Rock again post-WrestleMania 40? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
