The Rock returned to in-ring action at WWE’s WrestleMania 40, teaming with Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
This was his first proper match since 2013 – not counting the six-second squash of Erick Rowan in 2016.
His return in the main event appeared to set the table for a number of future bouts, though none have come to fruition just yet.
At 53 years old, time is clearly running out – but with The Rock not ready to hang up his boots, the question now becomes: who will be his first true return opponent?
6. Roman Reigns
For over a decade now, since the very beginning of Roman Reigns’ ascent to the top of WWE, a match against his cousin The Rock has been heavily discussed.
It’s a bout The Rock himself has repeatedly expressed interest in.
It very nearly happened at WrestleMania 40, before booking plans changed and the decision was made for Cody Rhodes to take his place.
With the hourglass running low on The Rock’s in-ring career, could the trigger soon be pulled on this long-awaited dream match?
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5. Jacob Fatu
At 53, The Rock doesn’t have many matches left in the tank – and long-speculated dream bouts like the aforementioned Roman Reigns match should without doubt be one of them.
But as a part-timer himself and arguably the biggest star of this current generation, Reigns hardly needs the rub – another Bloodline family member, however, could benefit greatly.
Jacob Fatu has been embraced by WWE’s fanbase since arriving last year and has all the tools to be a future top star – a match and victory over his cousin The Rock could catapult him into the stratosphere.
Could The Rock’s first bout back come not against one cousin, Reigns – but another?
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4. John Cena
At the recent Dallas Fan DENVER event, John Cena addressed a question about a potential final match against The Rock.
He noted that he doesn’t get to pick his opponents but admitted that a trilogy bout with The Rock would “be cool.”
Cena may not get to choose his final opponent – but The Rock, who sits on the board of directors for WWE’s parent company TKO, certainly can.
The real question is whether he thinks it would “be cool” – and if he has time in his schedule before Cena retires in December.
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3. CM Punk
In the wake of The Rock orchestrating John Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber, CM Punk delivered an incendiary promo, accusing The Rock of having a “mid-life crisis” and not caring about the wrestling business.
Punk has a storied history with The Rock, having lost his 434-day world title reign to him at Royal Rumble 2013, and later pointedly criticising him as a “part-timer” who takes main event spots at WrestleMania.
While the rivalry has largely been one-sided, Punk is clearly one of WWE’s biggest stars – and the feud remains a ready-made return programme for The Rock.
It’s clearly a match Punk wants – but the real question is whether The Rock sees Punk as being on his level to grant him one of his final bouts.
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2. Jey Uso
One of the most unexpected occurrences in recent WWE history has been the rise of Jey Uso.
After the widely panned SummerSlam 2023 main event against Roman Reigns, few believed “Main Event Jey” would live up to his given moniker.
But he’s defied expectations, with his “Yeet” entrance catching fire with WWE’s fanbase – and even after losing the WWE Title, he’s heading into SummerSlam in a super high-profile tag match alongside Reigns against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.
Given his current popularity, could The Rock handpick his cousin as his return opponent?
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1. Cody Rhodes
Few would argue that the match that makes the most sense for The Rock’s in-ring return is Cody Rhodes.
The Rock not only pinned Rhodes in the tag team main event of WrestleMania 40, but also orchestrated John Cena’s heel turn against him – a move that ultimately led to Rhodes losing the Undisputed Title at WrestleMania 41.
Unless Rhodes turns heel and aligns with The Rock – which makes little sense from a storyline perspective – a singles bout between the two feels inevitable.
The big question is: when does The Rock announce his in-ring return for this to happen?
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