When did WWE fans last see the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? As Rocky Maivia first took to a WWE ring at 1996's Survivor Series pay-per-view replete with garish blue tassels and massive grin, few could've imagined the greatness he would achieve both within the company and beyond. A much-needed gimmick change saw "The Rock" become a multi-time World Champion and kick-start a new Attitude-fueled era for professional wrestling, but as the People's Champ burgeoned in popularity, opportunities away from Testosterone Towers came a-calling.

Like his wrestling career, The Rock entered Hollywood in humble fashion, landing a less-than-spectacular gig as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. Then came Walking Tall, the Fast & Furious franchise, San AndreasRampageJumanji and Black Adam, among a catalog of others. Naturally, Dwayne Johnson's hard work in Hollywood meant little time for WWE, and while The Rock has returned to electrify the wrestling world now and again, it's been some time since a People's Elbow or Rock Bottom was dropped in a WWE ring.

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The Rock's last WWE match technically came at Wrestlemania 32 in April 2016. The A-list actor came out to cut a rallying feel-good promo for the Texas crowd, and he was inevitably interrupted by top heel stable the Wyatt Family. A spur-of-the-moment match was set between The Rock and the Wyatt Family's Erick Rowan, but the bout consisted of a mere Rock Bottom and pin for the six-second victory. To find the last proper match in The Rock's wrestling canon, you'd have to go back to 2013's Wrestlemania 29, where Johnson dropped the WWE Heavyweight Championship to John Cena in New Jersey.

The Rock and Becky Lynch in WWE

Despite a dearth of in-ring competition, The Rock has appeared several times in a non-wrestling capacity since squashing Erick Rowan in 2016. The most recent occasion came during the 20th anniversary episode of SmackDown in October 2019, which featured a plethora of veteran stars, Kevin Owens kicking Shane McMahon out of WWE in a Ladder Match, and a controversially straightforward Brock Lesnar victory against Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. The event marked SmackDown's move to Friday nights on Fox, and no expense was spared bringing in the biggest stars. This included Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson himself, who emerged during Becky Lynch's opening segment. The returning Rock gave King Corbin a trademark verbal beat-down, hit his trademark moves, vanished into the night, and hasn't been spotted in WWE since.

Fortunately, WWE fans might get to smell what The Rock is cooking before too long. In the face of low ratings and dwindling fan opinion, Vince McMahon is relying on established names to boost WWE's fortunes. Only recently, John Cena and Goldberg returned to the company, setting up clashes against current top champions Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley, respectively. Widespread reports claim that The Rock is also on Vince's wish list, with the ultimate aim to get the Great One involved in Reigns' Head of the Table storyline. This could culminate in a match between the pair at a future Wrestlemania, or a tag match including other members of The Bloodline, but whatever Rocky Maivia does next in WWE, it's safe to assume he'll be back on the big screen before long.

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