In a touching moment of nostalgia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared a heartfelt response to a WWE fan who unearthed rare match footage from the early stages of his wrestling career.
The iconic figure, known as “The Great One,” made an electrifying return to the WWE on the September 15th episode of SmackDown. The crowd in Denver erupted with excitement as former NFL punter turned WWE commentator, Pat McAfee, kicked off the show to a thunderous reception. However, the atmosphere took a dramatic turn when former United States Champion Austin Theory interrupted, only to be met with a chorus of boos from the audience.
That’s when The People’s Champion himself, The Rock, made his entrance, captivating the entire arena. With his trademark charisma and charm, he orchestrated the crowd into playfully mocking Theory. The moment reached its peak when The Rock executed his signature move, The People’s Elbow, on Theory, and McAfee followed suit to end the segment.
Recently, a wrestling enthusiast took to social media to share a screenshot from a match featuring The Rock and Chris Candido from the early days of The Rock’s career. The 10-time world champion responded to the post, revealing that this particular match was from only his second-ever bout, with his first occurring just a day prior. He also paid tribute to his opponent, Chris Candido, who tragically passed away in 2005.
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“Incredible you’re able to see this inside footage. Wow. This was my second match ever. 24hrs earlier I had my first match ever in Corpus Christi 👊🏾 God Bless Chris Candido 🕊️,” The Rock expressed with heartfelt gratitude.
The Rock’s Dream Match: WrestleMania 40 Potential Showdown with Roman Reigns
Before his much-anticipated return on SmackDown, The Rock graced The Pat McAfee Show with a revelation that sent shockwaves through the WWE universe. He disclosed that a dream match against Roman Reigns had nearly materialized at WrestleMania 39.
At WrestleMania 39, Roman Reigns successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes in Los Angeles. The bout featured an interference from Solo Sikoa, ensuring The Tribal Chief’s reign remained unchallenged.
During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, The Rock, aged 51, shed light on the near-miss of his epic showdown with Reigns. Plans for the battle didn’t quite come together at that time, but The Rock tantalizingly hinted that it could still happen at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
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“We can have the match, but what can we do for the fans in the business? …WrestleMania isn’t the end but the beginning of something bigger. We got close, but we couldn’t nail what that thing was. So we put our pencils down. There’s a Merger coming up; eventually, that will happen. There’s a WrestleMania in Philadelphia,” he remarked with a sense of anticipation.
The revelation has set the wrestling world abuzz, with fans eagerly awaiting the possibility of a dream match between two legendary figures in WWE history. The anticipation for WrestleMania 40 is already building as fans speculate about the potential showdown between The Rock and Roman Reigns.
Incredible you’re able to see this inside footage. Wow
This was my second match ever.
24hrs earlier I had my first match ever in Corpus Christi 👊🏾
God Bless Chris Candido 🕊️ https://t.co/J7dMwhUHsR
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— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 6, 2023
Stephen’s Opinion:
The wrestling community remains captivated by The Rock’s heartfelt response to rare footage from his early career and the tantalizing prospect of a WrestleMania 40 showdown against Roman Reigns. As we await further developments, the wrestling world is poised for exciting times ahead.
