The Rock Spotted Near WWE Bad Blood Arena Ahead of Rumored Return

Pat McAfee sparked speculation on The Rock's WWE return earlier this week.

By Liam Crowley

The Final Boss will return. 48 hours after his victory at WWE WrestleMania 40, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appeared on WWE Monday Night Raw to issue a warning to new WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The Rock declared that while he had to "go away for a little while now," he would be back, and when he returns, he is coming back for the American Nightmare. The segment concluded with The Rock handing Rhodes an object, warning Rhodes, "Don't you ever break my heart again." The Rock spent the summer filming The Smashing Machine, wrapping production on the UFC biopic this past August.

The Rock Spotted in Georgia Ahead of WWE Bad Blood

THE-ROCK-WWE-RETURN
(Photo: WWE)

It might be a matter of hours before The Rock is back on WWE television.

Taking to Instagram, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed that he is in Georgia to watch the Apalachee High School Wildcats play on Friday night. This will be Apalachee's first home game since the high school endured a tragic mass shooting in early September, the deadliest school shooting in Georgia's history.

"These players, coaches, teachers, the entire community and ALL the students at Apalachee are the symbol of resilience, love and strength," The Rock wrote on Instagram "I promised them, I would be there tonight for them – and I will. Win or lose, these Apalachee kids are already undefeated. See you tonight, LETS GO."

It's worth noting that WWE Bad Blood is scheduled for the following night in Atlanta, just 58 miles from Apalachee High School. 

This wouldn't be the first time that The Rock has made a WWE appearance thanks to already being local for a football commitment. He previously showed face on a September 2023 edition of WWE SmackDown in Denver thanks to already being in the area for The Pat McAfee Show and ESPN College Gameday to cover CU Boulder's football game against Colorado State.

Speaking of McAfee, the WWE Monday Night Raw commentator sparked the initial speculation on The Rock's return. Earlier this week, McAfee was spotted asking WWE Champion Cody Rhodes if "the big guy" was coming back this week. Rhodes asked McAfee, "Which one?" While The Rock's name was not mentioned specifically, fans have deduced that McAfee, a close friend of Rock's, was alluding to the Brahma Bull.

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Beyond that, WWE Bad Blood is reportedly being headlined by Rhodes and Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. Considering the card also includes the culminating clash between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk inside Hell in a Cell, WWE would need to have something pretty monumental happen in the tag match to warrant it closing the show. The Rock's return could set up his inevitable clash against Rhodes, plant seeds for a familial fight with Reigns, or integrate him back into Sikoa's version of The Bloodline.

WWE Bad Blood goes down this Saturday, October 5th.

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