The rumors of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making his return seem as old as his last in-ring appearance. The last he appeared on WWE TV was on the 20th Anniversary episode of SmackDown on October 4, 2019. Fans have been expecting The Great One’s comeback for almost a year now. And if you take a look at the current scenario, that still seems unlikely to happen. However, since Cody Rhodes declared his entry to the 2023 Royal Rumble, fans have started to believe The Rock will also return.
WWE has been featuring vignettes of The American Nightmare for weeks on both RAW and SmackDown. Finally, on the recent edition of RAW, Cody Rhodes officially announced himself to the 2023 men’s Royal Rumble. However, his confirmation has made many WWE fans think The Great One will also be appearing on the upcoming pay-per-view.
Fans believe The Rock will return as a surprise entrant at Royal Rumble 2023
One cannot mention a single Royal Rumble event that didn’t have at least one big superstar making a surprise return. Although The Rock is rumored to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, his return seemed unlikely so far. Therefore, Cody Rhodes, who has been out since his May injury, was believed to be the surprise entrant this year.
However, on the recent episode of RAW, The American Nightmare announced he will be returning later this week. Cody stated:
“Since I came back at WrestleMania [38], I have made it crystal clear what I want… At the Royal Rumble, I’m back!”
They announced this now because The Rock is the surprise being saved for the Rumble.
— Nick Da Silva (@NJD316) January 17, 2023
Now that Cody’s surprise factor is gone, fans believe The Rock will return to the WWE at Royal Rumble 2023. Though there is no legitimacy to this speculation, it does make some sense. Out of all the names expected, The Rock making a return at Royal Rumble will be the biggest surprise, and if he enters as a participant, his win is all but guaranteed. However, as of now, it’s just a fan belief, and whether that will happen, is yet to be seen.
The Great One hasn’t wrestled a proper match in WWE in almost a decade
Despite expressing his unconditional love for the squared circle, The Rock has been out of action for almost 10 years now. The last time he wrestled a match in WWE was in 2013 when he fought John Cena at WrestleMania. Although he defeated Eric Rowan at WrestleMania 32, that match ended before it started. After that, he made a few appearances, but none of them included any in-ring action.
Nevertheless, considering the fan theories and WWE’s past, The Rock could make his return at Royal Rumble 2023. However, nothing can be said with surety until the moment it happens.
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