The Rock made his return to WWE television on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix, and while he didn’t have a whole of interesting things to SAY on the mic, other than show some respect to the two men he traded barbs with last year (Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns), he DID something quite intriguing, even if it was expected.
If The Rock is going to show up on WWE television these days, then it had better mean something. And The Rock didn’t just give WWE some extra rub to a more mainstream crowd perusing the show on their nightly Netflix plunge; he subtly sowed the seeds of a future turn on his cousin, Roman.
Reigns vs. Rock has been rumored for years, pretty much ever since Reigns turned heel and started his journey as the Tribal Chief. Last year, The Rock returned to regular WWE programming with the intent of a WrestleMania 40 title match against his cousin, but fans rightfully and unsurprisingly forced the course of events to turn back to Cody dethroning Roman after his heartbreaking loss in the previous WrestleMania.
Now that Cody, Roman, and even The Rock have buried the hatchet on and off the screen, the focus can fully shift to Rock vs. Roman at this WrestleMania for the battle to see who truly is at the top of the Bloodline.
It was only fitting for The Rock to return on Netflix and kick off the calendar year, the new partnership, and the current WrestleMania season by being present for the battle between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa to determine the Tribal Chief – because the real backdrop is the battle between Roman and Rock.
Both men have incredible legacies in WWE, and while the Rock has always been viewed as the bigger legend, Reigns closed that gap with the greatest title run in modern WWE.
During the Netflix Raw debut, The Rock stood ominously in the corner of the ring as Roman’s hand was raised following the victory over Solo, making it clear that The Rock, who referred to being 20 steps ahead to the NXT crowd one night later on New Year’s Evil, fully intends on taking down Reigns when the time is right.
It could happen on an episode of Raw on Netflix, but it makes a lot more sense to have The Rock cost Roman a shot at world title by eliminating him at the Royal Rumble.
The best thing is to have these kinds of moments happen at the biggest stage possible, and the Rumble is the second biggest show of the year after only WrestleMania itself.
And the earlier the turn happens, the more WWE can get screen time for this feud on Raw. They can have the immediate fallout one night later on Netflix, recurring segments throughout WrestleMania before the big match, and even drama within the Elimination Chamber on March 1 in Torono – a city that has plenty of history with The Rock.
Kevin was an editor at Daily DDT, covering professional wrestling, and is now doing the same here at Let Them Wrestle.