The Rock is nearing a point of no return regarding an in-ring comeback.
After The Great One made an appearance on the September 15th episode of SmackDown, the conversation immediately turned to “one more match.” Especially as just hours earlier the man himself left the door open to a match at WrestleMania 40, admitting he’d actually agreed to wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer commented on the prospect of an in-ring return for the veteran, surmising that at 51 years of age, the window for that comeback appears to be closing.
As far as what does this mean for WrestleMania, it’s anyone’s guess past that the ball is always in Johnson’s court. Last year one of his key projects was the launch of the XFL. This coming year, if the proposed XFL/USFL merger goes through, the onus on him as the face of the XFL during that prelude to Mania wouldn’t be as strong.
As far as projects go, with the strike in Hollywood, he has time now but what happens if and when the strike is settled would be another factor. The fact he publicly talked about Philadelphia as a possibility, which he did not do previously for Los Angeles, where nothing was ever said publicly, would lead one to believe he is at least seriously considering it.
He is 51, so he would likely be feeling that the window for a comeback and to be able to perform at a WrestleMania main event level is to be closing.
When Did The Rock Last Wrestle?
The Rock hasn’t wrestled anything resembling a ‘proper’ match since WrestleMania 29 in 2013. On that occasion, the star was defeated by John Cena, a year on from emerging victorious after their “Once in a lifetime” encounter.
WWE also counts a match against Erck Rowan at WrestleMania 32 as a legitimate contest, despite it being an impromptu match lasting just six seconds.