The Rock’s WWE return on the road to WrestleMania saw a few changes along the way, but Dwayne Johnson’s charisma was turned up to 11 the whole time. Charles Barkley was watching at home, and he noticed how the Great One didn’t lose a step.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Charles Barkley praised The Rock’s recent performance in WWE. The two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has been paying close attention to WWE programming, and he had to give The People’s Champion his flowers.
“Pat, you know I’ve been watching you guys for a couple of months, and does The Rock have the best personality and charisma on television? Obviously, Roman and Cody and all those guys are fantastic, but The Rock … he’s got that thing, you know when you see a player and go ‘he’s different from everybody else.’ Man, when you see The Rock perform and you go, ‘damn, he’s good.’ His personality, when he’s talking, you’re like ‘oh I gotta watch this.’
"I've been watching the WWE and The Rock is unbelievable..
When he's on television you GOTTA watch"
Charles Barkley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iLZgSCaOMG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2024
Sir Charles said that he loves Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and everyone else, but The Rock stands alone. He commended Dwayne Johnson for going away for so long and coming back with “the charisma bug,” something that gained a massive amount of attention for The Final Boss as Cody Rhodes fought to finish his story.
Barkley went on to say of The Rock, “I was impressed. I’ve known him, we’re not great friends, but I’ve known him for a long time, and when I saw him, I was like, ‘He has that thing,’ and when he’s working, I want to watch. He plays the heel perfectly. His charisma, it’s an honor.”
The Rock’s Road to WrestleMania 40
The Rock first called his shot for WrestleMania 40 when he showed up during the Day 1 episode of RAW this year. His reference of sitting at the head of the table was not lost on anyone. After Cody Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble match, he brought The Rock out the next night as he seemingly stepped away from an Undisputed WWE World Title match at the show of shows.
Original plans for WrestleMania 40 did not include the card fans saw in Lincoln Financial Field. The Rock wanted a one-on-one match against Roman Reigns, and that would have happened if the “Cody Crybabies” didn’t speak out. The Rock eventually conceded that Cody should have the main event.
The Rock vs Roman Reigns was the original plan for WrestleMania, with Cody Rhodes not wrestling at the event due to a kayfabed injury. Seth Rollins vs CM Punk was also supposed to happen, but that match was changed to Drew McIntyre after Punk’s triceps injury took him out of action.
The main event matches for both nights of WrestleMania 40 were then changed to facilitate the new direction. The Rock teamed with Roman Reigns to take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the first night, with Cody vs Roman getting to battle it out in a Bloodline rules stipulation on WrestleMania 40 Sunday.
