Stephanie McMahon speaks fondly about The Rock, recalls the hardest she ever hit him
WWE's Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon has had a long relationship with The Rock. In a recent interview, she spoke broadly about her time working with the star, recalling the hardest she's ever hit the former WWE Champion.
Stephanie McMahon's slaps have gone down as one of the most intimidating moves in WWE history. She has slapped The Rock many times throughout the years.
Speaking with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, the executive said that her slap at WrestleMania 31 was the hardest she'd ever hit The Great One. McMahon also noted that she herself was a bit taken aback by how hard it was.
“I have lots of fun memories on screen with The Rock. I think I slapped him the hardest I’ve ever slapped him at WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium. It was a good one, it was a good one. It felt like I laid it in [laughs]. I was almost like ‘oooh, that was a little too hard!’... But then he brought in Ronda Rousey and ultimately she broke my arm and everything so ultimately, he got back at me,” Said McMahon.
#Wrestlemania 31: A crazy 24 hours. Backstage w/ @TheRock who hosted SNL, after-party, then fly cross country to San Jose while working on plane, barely sleep, then Mania. Props to @StephMcMahon for replicating the same look she’d give me when I’d randomly walk into her office. https://t.co/1V8CtbA2G5
Later on in the interview, Stephanie McMahon acknowledged that The Rock was the superior talker. While she always had a good time sparring with him, the Brahma Bull always had the last laugh.
“Always fun going back and forth doing promos with The Rock. He always won, of course, but that’s alright,” Said McMahon.
Congratulations @TheRock! A well-deserved recognition of the People’s Champ and someone who uses that powerful influence to inspire and motivate others all over the world! Thank you for being such a positive voice! #TIME100 twitter.com/TheRock/status…
The Rock was scheduled to appear at Survivor Series initially
After nearly dedicating Survivor Series 2021 to The Rock, the Hollywood megastar did not appear in Brooklyn, NY. While WWE advertised The Rock's new film Red Notice, the former WWE Champion was nowhere to be seen.
According to Andrew Zarian of F4Wonline, WWE planned for The Rock to appear at Survivor Series. However, in late September, the plans went sideways, and the star's filming schedule was blamed for his no-show.
“In July, I was told that the Brooklyn, New York, pay-per-view would be centered around [Dwayne] Johnson. Between heavily promoting his new Red Notice movie on Netflix, the 25th anniversary of his WWE debut that took place in New York City, NBC’s renewal of Young Rock, and the second season of the Ruthless Aggression documentary series, the timing was perfect... In late-September, the same source told me that Johnson would not be on Survivor Series due to his filming schedule and needing to quarantine for travel,” wrote Zarian.
While The Rock said a return is unlikely, a future match is still on the cards. The common belief among WWE fans is that he will return to face his cousin Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
Would you like to see The Rock face Roman Reigns? What is your favorite Stephanie and Rock moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!