It’s time we all accept that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has wrestled his last match in WWE.
We’re now in the aftermath of WrestleMania 39. Weeks after the event, we’re back to settling on the same old question: Who is going to be the one to finally dethrone Roman Reigns and take his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship? Roman has beaten everyone, and now that we have a new World Heavyweight Championship, he will continue to do so.
Many fans keep coming back to one name that’s not Cody Rhodes to be one to topple the Tribal Chief: The Rock. There have been rumors of his return to WWE for one last match for years now. It didn’t happen this year when many thought it would, so maybe it’ll be next year. It’s always next year. The hope and speculation, however, needs to stop. Fans, and even The Rock himself, need to let go of any hope of one more match.
The Rock’s Last Match Wasn’t A Very Fitting Sendoff
Part of the reason why so many fans hold on to the dream of one more match for The Rock is that it’s hard to accept what his last match could be. For years, in the early 2000s, we had to accept that he could be gone from WWE forever as he left to conquer Hollywood. Then he returned for the dream match of the era at WrestleMania 28 as he took on the face of the company in John Cena. It was billed as “Once in a Lifetime,” and while it didn’t set the world on fire as an all-timer, it was a solid bout that left fans happy. Of course, it wasn’t once in a lifetime, as they did it again the next year, this time with The Rock as the WWE Champion. While The Rock won the first match, Cena took the second.
That could have been a proper send off, with The Rock getting one last championship reign before passing the torch from one generation to the next. It stayed that way for three years, but then at WrestleMania 32, in an impromptu match, The Rock beat Erick Rowan in six seconds. Yes, it was more of a comedy segment with Bray Wyatt and his family than a traditional match, but still, it counted, and as of this moment, will be seen as the official last match for The Rock. Is that how one of the greatest careers of all-time ends? Surely he would want to go out on something better than that. What’s bigger than facing his own family in Roman Reigns?
Holding On To Hope For The Rock Only Holds Back Current Wrestlers
The seeds were planted, even if unintentionally, for a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns going back to the Royal Rumble in 2015. It was there that WWE boldly tried to crown a new face of the company in Philadelphia of all places by having the unpopular babyface in Reigns predictably win a bore of a match. Fans showered Reigns with boos. WWE, seemingly knowing this would happen, had The Rock come out, hoping that his star power could spread to Reigns. It didn’t work, and now we have that classic clip of a confused looking Rock holding up Reigns’ arm as the boos continued.
When Roman Reigns turned heel years later, it created the perfect scenario for one more match from The Rock. He would be the conquering hero to take down his cocky cousin. He could even use that 2015 Royal Rumble moment to show how Reigns couldn’t succeed without him. WrestleMania 39 looked to be the opportune time, with it being held in Hollywood. It was the most talked about matchup for months, to the hindrance of everyone else. We weren’t talking about the current wrestlers who could take on Reigns. Roman himself had to talk about it over and over when it was brought up in interviews. When Cody Rhodes finally became Roman’s challenger, he came off as the backup plan. If The Rock stays on the radar, then whoever faces Roman at SummerSlam or WrestleMania 40 is going to feel like a backup plan too.
The Rock Risks Embarrassing Himself With Another Comeback
In The Rock’s last true match at WrestleMania 29, he was injured, tearing an abdominal muscle in his loss to Cena. It caused him to miss Raw the next night and for some of his film work to be postponed while he recovered from surgery. It wasn’t an optimal look for someone who is presented like an invincible hero.
It has been ten years since that moment. The Rock is now almost 51. He might be as jacked as ever, but there’s a huge difference between having muscles and being ready to take bumps for thirty minutes. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin may have made a one-time comeback at WrestleMania 38, but he was also protected, as he wore a shirt and his match was a street fight. That can work for Austin. It can’t for The Rock. He could face Reigns for one last dream match, but in doing so, he risks damaging his legacy with another injury, or by looking like he’s lost a step. The last thing we need is for The Rock to look like the last days of The Undertaker or Goldberg.
For the sake of WWE, its wrestlers, Roman Reigns, and The Rock himself, it’s time to let The Great One go. One more match would feel too late now. The Rock should never wrestle again
