The Rock is fully involved in Road to WrestleMania as part of The Bloodline and going against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. In fact, he has appeared on the last three episodes of SmackDown and is making constant appearances on RAW to continue preparing for his tag team match at WrestleMania 40.
And now the WWE has announced that The Rock will be on the episode of the red brand on Monday, April 1st at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, or in other words, the last RAW show before WrestleMania 40. This surely shows his dedication toward the current storyline, so much so that it has overshadowed his appearance for the buildup of WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29.
The Rock’s commitment to stop Cody Rhodes
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The Rock’s return to the WWE has surely been different from his past appearances in the WWE. This time, the Brahma Bull has fully embraced his inner heel and has also become a lot more active when it comes to his appearances. A post on social media has been making rounds that reveals that the Rock is fully committed to the WWE this time. So much so, that he has made more appearances for this storyline than he ever did for the previous WrestleManias he fought in.
Well, he surely has been active a lot. In fact, he has already made 4 appearances in March alone. Here is the list of his appearances this month so far:
(Arizona) March 1, 2024: The Rock makes an appearance on SmackDown.
(Dallas) March 8, 2024: The Brahma Bull returns to SmackDown.
(Mephis) March 15, 2024: Another appearance followed on SmackDown in Memphis.
(Illinois) March 25, 2024: The Rock appears on RAW to make Cody Rhodes bleed.
And now, he is planned to appear on the April 1 edition of RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This is surely more than the number of appearances he made during his buildup to WrestleMania 28 and 29.
The Buildup to Mania 28
The Rock’s comeback to WWE in 2011 was a grand event. It led to an epic clash with John Cena at WrestleMania 28. The whole year built excitement for their match. But even then, The Rock hadn’t appeared as often as he does now. Instead, he relied on a few powerful appearances. Here’s a list of his appearances before Wrestlemania 28:
April 4th, 2011: After WrestleMania 27 ended, The Rock stunned fans by returning. Joined by John Cena, they announced their “Once in a Lifetime” dream match for WrestleMania 28. This electrifying moment kicked off a year’s buildup and anticipation.
February 14, 2012: The Rock returned to SmackDown and engaged in a verbal spat with John Cena, thus building tension between the two superstars.
March 12, 2012: The Brahma Bull meets the leader of the Cenanation on RAW again. The two shared a promo and pumped up the fans for the fight.
March 26, 2012: Right before WrestleMania 28, The Rock appeared on RAW one last time, delivering a promo on him defeating Cena at the Showcase of the Immortals.
The buildup to WrestleMania 29 was very similar to this, as the Rock made fewer appearances, either to buildup a fight with Cena or to defend his title at the Elimination Chamber. Here’s a list:
February 2013: The Rock retained his WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber after defeating CM Punk, securing his spot for another fight against John Cena at WrestleMania 29.
Post this, the Rock made minor appearances that weren’t as impactful as his current ones against Rhodes and Rollins. However, a major appearance followed before the much-anticipated rematch between the two legends.
March 29, 2013: Fans eagerly awaited The Rock’s appearance on SmackDown. And his arrival added to the excitement for the rematch with John Cena at WrestleMania 29.
April 7, 2013: At WrestleMania 29, the main event featured The Rock facing John Cena again. Their encounter was thrilling, with Cena emerging victorious, defeating The Rock to become the new WWE Champion.
Now the Rock will make his final RAW appearance before WrestleMania XL. So what does that appearance look like and what’s expected from the show? Let’s find out!
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All about the final RAW
Not much has been revealed about the upcoming edition of Monday Night RAW. Though only one match and a segment have been announced for the Red Brand leading up to WrestleMania XL. On one hand, The Rock and the ‘Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns will be present before teaming up at The Showcase of Immortals. In addition, The Judgment Day will face DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) and The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) en route to the title ladder match in Philadelphia.
There is high anticipation for the upcoming WrestleMania all thanks to the stunning storytelling by WWE. The Rock being ultra invested too is helping in the immense progress of the story. And with rumors of another Rhodes joining the fight, the sky is the limit for Mania.
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So what do you think will happen at WrestleMania XL? With the Rock being so invested in the storyline, do you think he could help his cousin grab the win? Let us know in the comments!
