He's Looking For Positive Press

Is The Rock returning to wrestling? Interest in a Rock return has picked up ever since he and Grayson Waller exchanged insults on Twitter, with Grayson doubling down on things by inviting The Rock to appear on SmackDown. Dave Meltzer shared his thoughts on a Rock return on a recent Wrestling Observer Radio:

If he’s doing this, he’s doing it to put the guy over, obviously. If he’s doing this, then he’s doing this for a reason. Maybe he’s gonna show up soon? They sure talked about it a lot. Maybe they talked about it cause it’s Dwayne Johnson?

Ringside News states it reached out to a source in the WWE about a Rock return:

A tenured member of the WWE creative team confirmed to us that, “as of now, there is nothing for Waller and Rock.” That being said, we were also told that, “Rock is hurting for positive publicity, so there may be something in the works.” This could bring a lot of positive attention his way.

As we noted right before Hollywood’s actors went on strike, the door might seem open for a return by The Rock and/or John Cena since their shooting schedules are on hiatus. However, two things could keep them from appearing. The first is the rumored clause in their contracts that prohibits them from wrestling while they are making a movie (and presumably, even when the shooting is on hold). The second is the potential restrictions on either Superstar showing up as Hollywood’s actors are currently restricted from making outside appearances at events such as movie premieres or autograph signings.

While The Rock (or Cena for that matter) might be cleared to make an appearance as long as no physicality is involved, what about the restriction on outside appearances? Wrestling is a non-union form of entertainment that conceivably might allow them to appear. However, such an appearance might be looked down upon and one or both Superstars might be reluctant to rock the boat and jeopardize future Hollywood gigs.

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