Dwayne Johnson, also widely known by his WWE persona "The Rock," inadvertently broke the hearts of a lot of wrestling fans last year when the rumors about his return at WrestleMania 39 didn't pan out. Now, I'm ready to have my heart broken all over again by speculating he'll make a surprise appearance in the organization sometime soon after his recent online feud with a current WWE superstar. The Rock traded jabs with up-and-coming Aussie wrestler Grayson Waller and now has an open invitation to SmackDown, the show he once called home, if he wishes to talk about any issues they have further.
Grayson Waller started this whole situation when he hopped on social media not long after having his debut match on SmackDown at Madison Square Garden against Edge. Waller decided he had the best wrestling debut the iconic arena has ever seen, and took the situation a step further by deliberately calling out The Rock's ring gear the legend wore when he had his own debut at MSG back decades prior:
I change my mind, my MSG debut was better pic.twitter.com/GAoajLMoTiJuly 12, 2023
I'm not sure if that's the actual outfit Dwayne Johnson wore when he debuted at Survivor Series 1996 in Madison Square Garden, but if it isn't, it's a spot-on replica. The outfit would live in infamy for the then-known "Rocky Maivia," who would quickly shed that personality and transform into his trash-talking persona, "The Rock." Despite that, the costume still manages to find its way back from the past to haunt him every so often, and is a firm reminder that his initial run in wrestling wasn't quite as successful as it eventually became.
Dwayne Johnson is one of Hollywood's most prolific actors and frankly, doesn't have to explain himself to a WWE talent fairly new to the main roster of SmackDown. For some reason, however, the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment decided to respond to Grayson Waller and put him in his place a bit whilst educating him about the origins of that hideous ring gear:
Man you’re right! That outfit was so cringe 😂👏🏾👏🏾 Here’s what’s more cringe - the fact you look and sound like you dropped out of some jabroni’s balloon knot. Nice haircut, you Outback Jack Off. Ps, my cringe debut outfit was all @TripleH's idea 🤣
The Rock has been away from the WWE for years, but his creative insults are as on par with anything Peacock Premium subscribers could watch from his glory days. Grayson Waller is quickly becoming known on SmackDown for his smart mouth, and it looks like The Rock was prepared to put him in check.
As for Dwayne Johnson, he may just have to make a trip to SmackDown to confront Grayson Waller in person. Waller was unfazed by what The Rock had to say in return, and extended him an invite to "The Grayson Waller Effect" so they could interact further:
Ouch! Those classic 1999 schoolyard insults really still hit. You still have an open invitation to be a guest on The Grayson Waller Effect though! Sounds like you’re in desperate need of the Grayson Waller rub #GWEffect
The invitation is out there, and the wrestling fan in me is wondering if this was an impromptu internet interaction between these two men or a planned exchange. If it is the latter, it's possible that the WWE is planning to have Grayson Waller and The Rock have an encounter at an upcoming event, such as SummerSlam or even WrestleMania 40. This tweet could be the beginning of an entertaining feud for the next couple of months and really elevate Waller's status in the company after working with a literal wrestling legend.
Conversely, this could have nothing to do with a future WWE feud and is just Dwayne Johnson and Grayson Waller having some fun online. After all, I'm not sure the WWE would want to bring in The Rock to feud with Waller while guys like Kevin Nash are calling L.A. Knight a ripoff of the actor's persona. Then again, I'm not sure if the WWE would ever reject an appearance from The Rock, regardless of what's happening with any of its talent.
What I do know is that there were many rumors ahead of WrestleMania 39 that The Rock would return to have a match with his his cousin and Undisputed Champion, Roman Reigns. Ultimately, his schedule wouldn't allow him the time he wanted to prepare for a proper match, but the door was left open for a future appearance. We'll see if that future includes Grayson Waller or someone completely different.
SmackDown airs on Fox on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. It sure would be exciting if The Rock popped up in the coming weeks unannounced to confront Grayson Waller, especially if it also means he'll be a surprise return at SummerSlam.
