- The Rock was seriously injured the last time he had a main event match in WWE.
- He underwent a 12-week training camp to prepare for WrestleMania 40.
- Triple H was one of his biggest rivals, now he is one of the bosses
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The Rock may have been raking in billions at the box office for the past 20 years, but he put all that aside to return to his roots and compete at WrestleMania 40 on Saturday.
The Great One, 51, has not wrestled full-time since leaving WWE in 2003 and had not competed in an actual match in 11 years.
But in Philadelphia on Saturday night, The Rock donned his swimsuit once again for the show’s main event with Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in an epic nearly 45-minute match.
Since The Rock was seriously injured the last time he competed at WrestleMania against John Cena in 2013, there were question marks over whether the former 10-time world champion could still hang with the best in the world.
Performance aside, The Rock got the result. The Final Boss pinned Cody Rhodes to secure victory for his family and secure ‘Bloodline Rules’ for tomorrow’s main event between Reigns and Rhodes for the WWE Universal Undisputed Title.
The Rock and Roman Reigns stood firm to close the first night of WrestleMania 40
So how did The Rock do? WWE chief content officer and Rock’s former rival Triple H praised the TKO board member.
‘It wouldn’t be the physical part,’ Triple H when asked what impressed him about The Rock’s performance. “I think he’s loving this and he’s going to throw caution to the wind and go all out and it’s going to be amazing.”
‘When you’ve done this for a long time and you do it every day, you see a composure in people that I can now detect in people, it’s my job to a certain extent.
‘I can detect it and tell you who’s comfortable and who’s not, who’s not comfortable, who’s just doing things.
‘The most impressive thing for me was his composure, being in the moment and his feel. I could see him feeling everything that was going on and his composure.
Triple H went out of his way to thank The Rock for returning to WWE
‘The adrenaline hits you. It moves fast and you move with it, you think you’re not but you are. He was calm.
“Spending so much time and being so calm and collected and in control and that feeling, there’s not many people who can do that, that’s the part that escapes you.
“You still know the traction you can get, but composure is the magic.” “That’s overwhelming,” Triple H said.
In his opening speech, he also extended his gratitude to The Rock, admitting that his former nemesis didn’t need to return to WWE given all his fame and fortune, but he’s grateful he did.
‘I want to thank you. You don’t need to be here. What unites us is our passion for this. No matter what else happens, we both understand that deep in his DNA this is what he loves, and the same for me.
Triple H and The Rock had an amazing rivalry that blurred the lines during the Attitude Era
‘We had a great time on this trip creating the Final Boss. If you had told me that he would have taken the path of turning heel, he would have said you were crazy. But it was fine.
‘New time. New era. We’re just getting started. I see this as the starting point,” Triple H concluded.
The Rock also told members of the press that he felt great after the main event, suggesting that he did not suffer any injuries in the 45-minute epic.