The Rock says negative fan reception “hurt his heart” after WWE return

During a recent interview, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson pulled back the curtains by detailing his feelings about the disappointing fan reception to his WWE return.

After years away from the company, The Rock made his stunning return to WWE programming in late 2023 before taking a more prominent role early in 2024.

The WWE initially planned on Rock squaring off with his real-life cousin, Roman Reigns. A move that would jettison Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes from the Wrestlemania XL main event.

However, fans did not accept this sudden change. Instead, they supported Rhodes by turning their backs on the former “People’s Champ.”

In an interview with Will Cain, Rock admitted that the reception “hurt his heart.” He also detailed what led to his return to the WWE as an onscreen talent.

(Relevant conversation begins at 20:52 and ends at 23:10)

“The original plan was for me to come back as the big babyface and face Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship and put on the biggest Wrestlemania main event of all time,” Rock said.

But he quickly realized that the WWE Universe was against this idea and subsequently positioned himself for an all-time heel turn ahead of Wrestlemania XL.

Rock explained his feelings toward the adverse fan reaction, saying it “bugged” him at first. “I realized there’s a segment of fans here who are just disappointed. It hurt my heart.”

The instant pushback from fans led Rock to call WWE President Nick Khan to pitch a shocking heel turn. “What if I became the greatest bad guy of all time?” Rock asked Khan.

Khan agreed, which breathed life into the latest of Rock’s storied personas — “The Final Boss.” He still has a spot in the Wrestlemania XL main event alongside Reigns.

But it will come as teammates rather than foes. Rock and Reigns vs. Rhodes and Rollins headlines night one of Wrestlemania XL in front of a rowdy Philadelphia crowd.