Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson moved on from WWE to pursue a career in Hollywood. However, when his credibility as a leading man was questioned (after a failed attempt to take over the DC brand with Black Adam), he returned to the company and joined the TKO Holdings board.
While his run as the heel "Final Boss" was entertaining, it came after Johnson attempted to take Cody Rhodes' place in the WrestleMania main event. Fans rejected the idea, and the American Nightmare was able to finish his story as WWE had intended before the Brahma Bull inserted himself into the Show of Shows.
The Rock has continued making sporadic appearances, though they typically lead nowhere. He's now set his sights on starring in awards movie fare, including The Smashing Machine, meaning his WWE commitments have fallen by the wayside.
The WWE veteran turned actor no-showed WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas despite being part of John Cena's heel turn (for some reason). His return to stare down Rhodes and Roman Reigns at Bad Blood was also never revisited.
You may recall that the Final Boss was the one who announced that New Orleans would host WrestleMania 42. WWE has since decided to shake up its plans, with Las Vegas seemingly a likely destination for the event for a second year in a row. However, through no fault of his own, The Rock was involved in yet another segment that didn't pan out.
According to PWInsider.com, many within WWE have made The Rock the butt of jokes about his repeated returns that either don't lead to anything significant or simply don't pan out. The report states that following the WrestleMania venue change, "people in the company were joking that once again, something connected to Rock went awry."
Well, that's going to hurt his ego.
When he no-showed WrestleMania, the backlash was immediate and very vocal. Fans have accused The Rock of inserting himself into storylines simply to steal the spotlight, Hulk Hogan-style, only to not show up when it matters. He later responded to that in a previously unannounced interview with Pat McAfee.
"I had an idea: the most important thing about the Final Boss is that he wants your soul," The Rock explained. "Cody, I would make your dreams come true. It was a test to see how people would react if Cody sold out. I didn’t want to make Cody heel yet, but I did want to give him reasons to do so. I talked to Triple H about it, and he suggested Cena turn heel."
"I knew then, the best thing for the Final Boss is we’ve established this thing with Cody’s soul, I don’t want to be involved in that, let the Final Boss step back into the shadows, let all the spotlight go to John and Cody, not make it about Cody’s soul or John’s soul, let them do what they do."
"I called John and Cody after the Elimination Chamber, and I said I think the Final Boss’ work is done. We just pulled off the greatest angle in wrestling history. I’m always here if you need me, but it’s best for the Final Boss to not be involved in that finish," he added.
The Rock claimed that he only got involved with Cena's heel turn because Elimination Chamber ticket sales weren't as strong as WWE wanted. However, sales data later suggested he wasn't being entirely truthful.
When and where do you think the Final Boss will return to WWE next?