The first quarter of any new year is regularly a homecoming for many WWE superstars. Wrestlers of yesteryear flock back to the company they once frequented in the lead up to WrestleMania, making sporadic appearances on Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown to build to a one-off at the Showcase of the Immortals. That said, the biggest return this year has come in a behind the scenes capacity. Vince McMahon ended his brief retirement on the first Friday on 2023, returning to the WWE Board of Directors just days before he would be re-elected as chairman following Stephanie McMahon’s resignation.
While there has been significant uncertainty surrounding Vince’s long-term future in WWE, his return statement emphasized that he was coming back strictly to help with a sale of the company. Even though he has reportedly made creative suggestions to WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Vince’s days of having final storyline say are in the rear view.
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With that in mind, the Wrestling Observer reported that Vince’s WWE return will have “no impact whatsoever” on if The Rock will wrestle Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39. Rock vs. Reigns has been rumored for years, even during the Vince regime, but has yet to be confirmed.
What Vince does with his WWE return could change things. The Wrestling Observer continued that “a sale to Saudi Arabia is a different story” regarding variables that could sway The Rock’s decision. That final decision is said to be coming “within two weeks” as it has long been touted that WWE will be locking in its WWE WrestleMania 39 main event by the WWE Royal Rumble premium live event. It was noted that Rock will compete at WrestleMania in April if he “has the time to train for it.”
The Rock has not wrestled a true match since 2013’s WWE WrestleMania 29, where he was defeated by John Cena. The Brahma Bull has remained at an arm’s length from WWE in the decade since, showing face on random episodes of Raw and SmackDown for promo segments with the likes of The New Day, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, and others.ย
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on The Rock’s WWE future.