Cody Rhodes allegedly knew The Rock was returning to WWE weeks ago; he had subtly spoiled it

The Rock sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe when he announced he would appear on this week's episode of SmackDown. The Hollywood icon has given a preview of what to expect, but when was he locked in for a return?

It seems like Final Boss has been planned to appear on the February 21 episode of SmackDown for a number of weeks now. Unless it was a massive coincidence, Cody Rhodes left a subtle hint about this at the start of this month. The Undisputed WWE Champion did it in the sneakiest way possible.

Rhodes shared a video of his schedule for February ahead of the Royal Rumble, with a different clip shown for each date. The clip for tonight's SmackDown was of him and The Rock sharing a drink backstage. Based on that, it looks like Cody knew The Final Boss was coming back weeks in advance.

However, with that being said, it remains to be seen if this indeed means they will come face to face. WWE should consider it since their last interaction - that backstage drink - left a sour taste in fans' mouths.

---

The Rock has revealed why he is returning to WWE on SmackDown

The Rock revealed what his plans are for SmackDown. The Final Boss commented on the Instagram post about his WWE return, subtly confirming a couple of uncertain points.

He will be there to deliver a gift to New Orleans, which is where the show is tonight. This is likely to be the announcement that The Big Easy will host WrestleMania 42, as has been rumored recently. That may have been in the works for weeks, as subtly hinted at by Cody Rhodes.

Meanwhile, The Rock also said he will "f**k up a certain someone's life with the Final Boss gospel." It will be interesting to see if that someone will be The American Nightmare, and what WrestleMania 42 may look like if that is the case. Lots of plans could change.

​