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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 23: Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attends the Warner Brothers panel promoting his upcoming film “Black Adam” at 2022 Comic-Con International Day 3 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 23: Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attends the Warner Brothers panel promoting his upcoming film “Black Adam” at 2022 Comic-Con International Day 3 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)
Dwayne Johnson’s viral slap to Cody Rhodes in Las Vegas last week has broken many barriers on social media and crossed boundaries. The slap not only crossed the forbidden doors of the wrestling industry but also crossed the borders of the USA to reach the shores of England. After it went viral on social media, fans have turned it into trending meme material. Jumping in the ship is a well-known soccer club which is a rival to Tony Khan.
Manchester City jumps the ship in the trending The Rock meme
Defending champions of the English Premier League, Manchester City took to Instagram on February 11th to post a clip featuring their ace striker, Erling Haaland. The caption for the post read, “Do not look away! 🫨” The clip showed Erling Haaland passing through defences to score another goal for his club against Everton. It also featured a snippet of The Rock from WWE WrestleMania Kick-off Press Conference where he says, “Take a look.”
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As per the original clip from Thursday’s press conference, The Rock pointed towards the display to show his legendary Anoa’i family tree. It showed how Roman Reigns and The Rock were connected by a blood oath before he slapped Cody Rhodes’ face in front of the fans.

However, Man City’s social media channel turned it into meme material for their promotion which was appreciated by fans. Interestingly, Man City plays in the same soccer league as Fulham Football Club, which is owned by Tony Khan. While Man City is a table-topper club, Fulham usually ends up in the bottom half of the table among 20 clubs in the league. Tony Khan also owns a rival wrestling promotion in the USA competing against WWE.
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Dwayne Johnson’s slap to Cody Rhodes echoes around the globe
There are a lot of common fans between EPL and WWE and hence most Man City’s fans found the meme to be relatable. Regardless, Dwayne Johnson is a household name and a global icon who is also known by many due to his Hollywood career. Thus, it is a lot easier for fans to recognise him and the meme which involved a viral slap to Cody Rhodes.
Dwayne Johnson has finally turned heel since his Hollywood Rock gimmick in 2003 after the slap. In Rock’s defence, it can be said that he valued his bloodline over his millions and millions of Rock fans. But we will probably hear more from him in the upcoming episode of SmackDown after Paul Heyman announced his arrival.
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Did you find The Rock meme to be relatable?
Watch this story: Dwayne Johnson’s Message To Themba Gorimbo That Made Him Cry
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