Former WWE personality breaks silence on The Rock's full heel turn
A former WWE personality finally talks about The Rock's heel turn ahead of WrestleMania 40.
The name in question is Jonathan Coachman, who is well-known for his time as a commentator, interim RAW GM, and backstage interviewer from 1999 to 2008 and then from 2016 to 2018.
Last week on SmackDown, The Great One brought back the classic heel version of his character and dropped it upon the WWE Universe with an incredible promo that was last seen almost twenty years ago.
The 51-year-old legend also officially became the newest member of The Bloodline, siding with Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and Jimmy Uso in the storyline.
Speaking with Bully Ray & Dave LaGreca on the Busted Open podcast, Jonathan Coachman broke his silence over The Rock going full Hollywood on The Road to WrestleMania, stating he was a little bit surprised with the major twist.
The former Interim RAW GM credited Brian Gerwitz (a former WWE Head Writer) for being the brilliance behind Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's promos back during the Attitude Era:
"A lot of people don't realize that the brilliance behind all of those classic Rock promos was Brian Gerwitz. But I'll be honest with you, I was a little bit surprised that he has gone all the way into a full heel," Coachman said. [From 01:51 to 02:04]
The 50-year-old believes that WWE did not plan to turn The Brahma Bull and that it was a pivot idea after he received backlash from fans for stealing Cody Rhodes' main event spot:
"And so for him to lean in I believe it was a complete pivot. I don't think Bully Ray they (WWE) planned to do this, I think the Universe made them do this." [From 02:32 to 02:44]
Check out the full video below:
Jonathan Coachman says the current WWE fans will know how promos work following The Rock's heel turn
During the same interview, Coachman mentioned that the company probably offered Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson a lot following his seat in the TKO Group Board and that he has a say in everything that WWE does.
"So for Rock to lean when he's still a Disney guy that most of his future is in Disney movies, for him to say this how much of a sell they gave to him. Let's be honest they gave him $30 million, they put him on the Board of Directors (of TKO). He's going to have a say in everything that they do," he said.
The Coach also shared that new fans who have not seen the Attitude Era version of The Rock are about to witness magic ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40. Jonathan Coachman added:
"And now a lot of young fans who weren't around in 2000 and 2003 to see classic heel Rock, they are going to see how it's done, how promos are done, how promos are written, and hopefully other young talents can see that if you can talk and you can put people on the palm of your hand, whether you're a heel or whether you're a babyface, that's the magic." [From 02:49 to 03:29]
The wrestling world is curious to understand what the future holds and how the drama unfolds involving The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
What did you think of Jonathan Coachman breaking his silence on The Rock's WWE heel turn? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit the Busted Open podcast and add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.