WWE legend The Rock made his surprise return on this week’s SmackDown. It seems that it was a one-off appearance so far. WWE didn’t plan the return beforehand.
It was previously reported that WWE had to edit several segments and matches for the rest of SmackDown, because The Rock’s time on the show ran long. This is something they should have expected, because The Rock has a track record of taking his time with long segments, because he can do that.
Ringside News reported:
A tenured member of the WWE creative team told us that The Rock’s segment ran very long. We were also told that the blame for that segment going long, and having to edit things for the rest of the show is “on Triple H, Bruce Prichard, Ed Koskey and Ryan Callahan for not figuring that out in advance.”
The Rock’s opening segment on SmackDown this week lasted nearly twenty minutes, and that counts Pat McAfee’s time in the ring prior to Austin Theory and The Rock joining him.
Recently, speaking on SmackDown Exclusive, Pat McAfee shared his experience of sharing the ring with WWE legends such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. He stated that he is living his dream, and he knows that every kid who grew up in his generation had that dream as well. McAfee expressed his gratitude and stated that he is trying to enjoy the experience. Here is what he said:
“It’s so stupid. I got Stunned by Stone Cold at WrestleMania in Texas. Then I got to drink some Steve-weisers with him afterwards. I just got to do a People’s Elbow with The Rock. I’m living, not only my dream, but I know pretty much every kid that grew up in my generation’s dream, so I hope I’m doing you guys proud. I’m trying to enjoy it, and I am beyond thankful for it all,” he said.
