Like It or Not, The Rock’s Return to Send Roman Reigns a Message Looks Like a Flop When Compared to WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg’s Return

Dwayne Johnson, also known by his ring name The Rock, is a professional wrestler and is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. He is recognized for being an integral part of the development and success of WWE, especially during the Attitude Era. Johnson is not only one of the highest-paid actors worldwide but also one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He is a member of the board of directors at TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC and WWE.

WWE’s fourth Bad Blood took place on October 5, 2024, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first Bad Blood to be held for wrestlers from both RAW and SmackDown divisions. The event saw the return of Raquel Rodriguez, Jimmy Uso, The Rock, and WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg.

The Rock’s appearance at Bad Blood hints he’s got issues with Roman Reigns

Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a., The Rock’s music hit after Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns stood in the ring victorious in their tag team match and drew all the attention of the attendees. He stood in the entryway and looked upon all the wrestlers who stood in the ring. The Rock gestured one, two, three with his hand and then did the throat-cut signal.

It has been reported that Rock still has some issues with Rhodes, but now it seems like he might have a problem with Reigns, too. It is not clear if he was upset with the fact that Rhodes and Reigns joined hands together to defeat the new Bloodline. After Reigns took a break from WWE, Solo Sikoa took over The Bloodline and added three new members, appointing himself as The Tribal Chief.

Many speculated that Solo Sikoa is working on the orders of The Rock, and when he made his entry, he said, ‘It’s part of the plan’ which now fans have connected with their speculation. An X user talking about The Rock’s return at Bad Blood mentioned that one of the most anticipated returns in WWE was wasted, adding that his appearance felt ‘forced, rushed, and unnecessary’.

Now, with The Rock hinting that he’s got some beef with Reigns, it could bring back one of the most anticipated and interesting storylines in WWE. This is surprising, especially after The Rock took Reign’s side at WrestleMania 40 against Rhodes. Rhodes won the match, but it seemed like Rock and Reigns were stronger than ever.

In August, WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry shared his thoughts on the buildup between Reigns and Rock by stating (via Busted Open);

Do you know who is praying and hoping for the success and the vying of the Ula Fala more than anybody, including Roman Reigns? The Rock. He likes to go and build it up. Built it up because it’s going to come a day, Roman. Where the tire is going to meet the road. And I’m going to have the Ula Fala around my neck. Because I’m the tribal chief. He already said it. Yeah. That he was the business.

The Rock has not clarified about this return to Bad Blood but only stated via social media,

The Final Boss will tell you when The Final Boss is ready for you to know.

ITR Wrestling also added that The Rock’s return to the ring and trying to insert him back into the Bloodline feud could feature in John Cena’s retirement run. However, nothing can be said about the situation as of now except the fact that Triple H thanked The Rock for his appearance.

Was The Rock’s return a ‘waste’ compared to WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg’s return?

The fourth Bad Blood event saw the return of not only The Rock but also WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg, who attended the event with his son and was instantly included in the story. After Triple H announced the WWE Crown Jewel Championship, the reigning WWE World Champion Gunther’s music hit as he made his way to the ring.

Gunther pointed out Goldberg, who was in the crowd, and mentioned how he had shared with Bret Hart that Goldberg was his favorite wrestler as a kid. Gunther went on to mention that it was a lie and continued to say, “How can he idolize a one-trick pony like Goldberg?” The WWE Hall of Famer maintained his cool until Gunther pointed out Goldberg’s son Gage and said, (via WWE’s YouTube)

I hope for you that Bill is a better father than he is a professional wrestler.

Goldberg, who charged towards the ring, was stopped by the security while Sami Zayn, who is the number one contender for the world title, appeared in the ring and attacked Gunther. Goldberg made his way into the ring, and while his theme music played in the background, the crowd cheered for him.

Triple H took to his social media to thank Goldberg for attending the Bad Blood and added, ‘We’ll talk more very soon.’ During the post-show conference, Triple H was asked about Goldberg’s potential return, to which he said (via WrestleZone),

I can tell you, as you said, Atlanta loves Bill Goldberg, and that’s why he was here tonight. He was with his wife and his son, always going to get a huge reaction here. You know things get said. I can tell you that Bill came back; he was not too happy with Gunther, and we’ll see. The further you go, time catches up with all of us, and so the further you go, those talks get further and further away from reality.

Triple H also added that when he saw Bill Goldberg later in the day, there was a different spark in his eyes, so he’d just say never says. Fans have concluded that Goldberg’s return was way better than The Rock’s disappointing entrance at the Bad Blood. The difference in the views of the videos uploaded also states the same. Some fans commented that people underestimate how popular Goldberg is.