The Rock has returned to the WWE for a one-off night and this has made him the talk of the town ever since. Being a mainstream celebrity, his presence does generate a lot of mainstream attention, in general. But he’s also long been touted to make a return and feature in a dream matchup against Roman Reigns which makes the anticipation much higher for him.
According to WWE’s official Twitter account, the video of The Rock’s return has already crossed 103 million views across YouTube and other social media platforms and thereby made it “the most socially viewed video of the year.”
Interestingly, WWE did not specify which video of The Rock’s return surpassed that numbers but we assume the surprise entrance on Smackdown should be the one. Prior to this, Solo Sikoa attacking Jimmy Uso on an episode of WWE SmackDown in June had over 40 million views, and thus it was dubbed the most socially watched segment from 2023, according to WWE prior to The Brahma Bull’s return.
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I’ll raise a glass to breaking records together 🥃🔥🔥
Thank you for the unforgettable memory (and insane crowd reaction)
No place like home ❤️ @WWE #PeoplesChamp #WWEFamily https://t.co/dmWMG0RatK— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 19, 2023
The Rock overshadowed earlier popular 2023 video segments in WWE
Apart from Solo’s attack, Sami Zayn turning on Roman Reigns with a chair at Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair delivering a classic at Wrestlemania 39, and Snoop Dogg hitting the People’s Elbow on The Miz on that same show were among some of the viral moments of this year. However, The Rock’s return on WWE SmackDown September 15 episode had overshadowed every other prior listing.
The Rock returned with Pat McAfee to bulldoze through Austin Theory in what appeared to be a major treat for the fans. The brass heel got a dose of what the People’s Elbow feels like from the people’s champion as well as Pat, the same person he previously faced at Wrestlemania 38. It’s supposed to be a one-off appearance for both the returnees on the blue brand.
Despite the return on Smackdown, there’s still a question mark on The People’s Champion heading into Philadelphia for the dream match against Roman Reigns. As of this writing, Cody Rhodes remains the top choice to face the Tribal Chief in the main event of WrestleMania 40 Night Two for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
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