5 reasons why Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson joined Becky Lynch in the ring on SmackDown’s Premiere on FOX
WWE ushered in a new era of sports entertainment as they moved SmackDown to Friday Night and broadcasted it over the FOX Network for the first time. This was specifically done on the 20th Anniversary of the show, which made the move even more special.
To make the transition seem big, the company overhauled its logo, stage design, and everything else to fit into the changes that were being made.
To ensure they got a huge start to the night, they chose none other than one of their biggest Superstars Becky Lynch to open up the night. While Becky was addressing the WWE Universe, she was cut short by King Corbin, who interrupted Becky until The Rock arrived.
It was a huge moment for the fans to see their childhood wrestling hero arrive, as he joined Becky in a two-on-one showdown against Corbin.
Sportskeeda’s very own Tom Colohue had earlier reported that The Rock was looking forward to working with Becky on SmackDown’s Fox debut, and reported after the show that The Man wasn’t supposed to be a part of the segment at all but was included at The Rock’s wishes.
With that in mind, we will take a look at the 5 reasons why The Rock decided to join Becky Lynch during this week’s SmackDown.
#5 To hike up the ratings
Every single episode from WWE is all about the ratings, similar to every other show in the world. Without ratings, a show wouldn’t even be able to survive past its pilot, let alone go on for over two decades.
This week’s episode of SmackDown was very special in two different ways. It was WWE SmackDown's 20th Anniversary and also the brand’s move to the FOX Network.
To ensure that the ratings of the shows were high right from the opening segment, WWE had already announced a huge match that saw the return of Brock Lesnar to SmackDown’s ring after years.
Apart from that, The Rock was also advertised for the show, but fans weren’t sure what he’d do or say when he takes to the center of the ring.
This prompted WWE to bring out Becky Lynch to open up the night in grand fashion. Over the past couple of years, Lynch has become one of WWE’s biggest female Superstars and achieved things no other women in wrestling has ever achieved.
This was the perfect time for WWE to strike, as they also brought out The Rock to join Becky in a segment that involved the heelish King Corbin. The involvement of two huge Superstars at the beginning of the night was the right step to boost the show’s ratings from the word go.