The man who inspired the show’s very name wasn’t able to appear at SmackDown 1000 on Tuesday night, but he did send a message over to WWE to be shown during the show.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson undoubtedly would have loved to be in Washington D.C. for the show itself but his Hollywood schedule made that impossible. Long time wrestling fans will remember his “laying the smack down” line from the late 1990s which lead to WWE creating a second show, airing originally on Thursday nights, titled “SmackDown” in 1999.
The Rock’s message was a tweet he sent out earlier in the day which was shown on the big screen and featured on television during the first hour of SmackDown 1000.
Huge #SD1000 congrats to my @WWE family!
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 16, 2018
Fun fact, in 1998, I said to @VinceMcMahon “I’m gonna use the word ‘Smackdown’ tonight in my promo”. He said what’s that mean? I said it means I’m gonna whup some ass. He belly laughed and said say it!
The rest was history! #IfYaSmell 🎤 //t.co/IVXI0WkkGl
Huge #SD1000 congrats to my @WWE family!
Fun fact, in 1998, I said to @VinceMcMahon “I’m gonna use the word ‘Smackdown’ tonight in my promo”. He said what’s that mean? I said it means I’m gonna whup some ass. He belly laughed and said say it!
The rest was history! #IfYaSmell
Johnson is currently in the United Kingdom for filming of his upcoming film Hobbs and Shaw, a spinoff from the Fast and Furious franchise. There continues to be rumors that he may be considering a return to the WWE ring in early 2019, perhaps for a match at WrestleMania 35, however nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
