This past Friday night on SmackDown, The Rock returned to WWE television for the first time since 2019, alongside Pat McAfee for a segment with Austin Theory. While unadvertised, preliminary ratings saw the episode draw 2.445 million viewers, which is 24% higher than last week. However, that is a drop in the ocean compared to how well video has done on digital channels, with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reporting it has been viewed more than 100 million times, which is astonishing for anything pro-wrestling-related.
While it isn’t known when The Rock will next appear on WWE television, given the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike has opened the door for both his and John Cena’s return in recent weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him appear more frequently. And when you consider he told McAfee during an interview hours before his SmackDown return that he was open to wrestling Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, it seems just a matter of time before the family members appear opposite each other.
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