The Rock will make a special appearance on Friday Night Smackdown tonight.
The 'Final Boss' hasn't been seen on TV since the premiere episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix at the beginning of January, but will be in attendance in New Orleans in a few hours time.
A press release reads: "WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will appear on SmackDown – live from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans – tomorrow night at 8pm ET on USA Network.
"Strap in,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “When The Final Boss shows up at this time of year, the audience knows absolutely anything is possible. Everything could change in an instant."
With this being the penultimate episode of Smackdown before WWE Elimination Chamber which is the last stop before WrestleMania, an appearance from The Rock has certainly generated a buzz.
Here's what could go down on Smackdown
Sets up a Cody Rhodes match
This Instagram post from The Rock is quite interesting.
“The Final Boss is coming to handle business, deliver a big beautiful gift to the city of New Orleans and f*** up a certain someone’s life with the Final Boss gospel,” he wrote ahead of his Smackdown appearance.
Who is The Rock talking about specifically? Cody Rhodes perhaps? Well, the pair seemed destined for a match when taking into consideration the build up to WrestleMania last year as things got personal between the pair.
However, it did appear that the buried the hatchet during the premiere episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
Roman Reigns showdown
Or will we finally get the ‘dream match’ between The Rock and Roman Reigns?
This match was set to headline WrestleMania 41 before plans changed and they ended up teaming together to defeat Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins in the main event of night one.
Though judging by their interaction on Raw last month, it doesn’t appear this is the direction either.
WrestleMania 42 location
This is the most likely option as rumours are circulating on social media that WWE plan announce where WrestleMania 42 is being held in 2026.
Reports have claimed that the Superdome in New Orleans will host the Premium Live Event next year and considering The Rock will be in town tonight for Smackdown, maybe the plan is to make the WrestleMania announcement.
Bold and disruptive.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 21, 2025
Unpredictable and dangerous.
The Final Boss returns, LIVE on #SmackDown tomorrow at 8ET/7CT on @USANetwork. @WWE @TKOGrp pic.twitter.com/q3UaSYLQNh
No announcement
Equally, The Rock could do nothing. Let’s not forget on the Raw after last year’s WrestleMania he handed Rhodes a note and then disappeared from TV for six months.
Then upon his return at WWE Bad Blood he stared down Rhodes, Reigns and Jimmy Uso, sent a cryptic message before disappearing again prior to showing up as Raw made it’s debut on Netflix.
Now, the idea of The Rock simply having a low-key appearance does seem unlikely given he posted “Bold and disruptive, Unpredictable and dangerous,” on X to hype up Smackdown even more.
Something special has been teased, but what exactly? Friday Night Smackdown is certainly a must-see show for the WWE Universe tonight!
