Triple H reveals Dwayne Johnson had reached out to WWE legend for WrestleMania XL
Dwayne Johnson returned to the ring in 2024. However, the WWE Universe rejected him as he was stepping over Cody Rhodes, whose storyline was reaching its climax on the Road To WrestleMania XL. The Rock then introduced The Final Boss character, turning heel in the process and converting boos to cheers.
Many fans had voiced their speculation ahead of The Show of Shows in April regarding a potential appearance by Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock's archrival in World Wrestling Entertainment. However, Austin was not part of the event. Instead, WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker assisted Cody Rhodes when The Final Boss tried to take matters into his own hands during the main event of the show's second night. Fans lauded this moment.
In an interview with the Roommates Show, WWE CCO Paul Levesque, also widely known as Triple H, revealed that The Undertaker was not scheduled to appear initially because the legend was not interested. However, after so much persuasion from colleagues, including Dwayne Johnson, Taker accepted:
"It took us forever to get him [The Undertaker] to do that thing. A lot of that stuff comes together in the tail end. When I first called him for it, he’s like, 'I don’t know. I don’t think I want to do it.' I’m like, '80,000 people are going to go absolutely insane.' It took us a little bit. Rock had to call him. Everybody had to call him to get him to finally acquiesce to doing it."
Triple H noted that The Last Outlaw did not want to revert to his "Deadman" persona, which is why he appeared wearing street clothes:
"When he retired, he sort of wanted like, 'I’m just done.' He didn’t come out with the hat and jacket. The hat and jacket are retired. 'I’ll come out as me, but I’m not coming out as Undertaker.' He just wanted it to be over." [From 41:50 to 42:40]
Dwayne Johnson is expected to be back for WWE RAW's Netflix debut
Dwayne Johnson is a board member of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE and the UFC. Cody Rhodes claimed that whether Johnson competes at WrestleMania 41 or not, the legend will be involved in the event in some way.
Meanwhile, WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry believes Dwayne Johnson will return after Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa, scheduled for the January 6, 2025, episode of RAW. Henry stated that the biggest match everyone cares about at this point is The OTC vs. The Final Boss. Johnson was last seen at Bad Blood in October.
If you use any of the quotes, please credit the Roommates Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.