Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns participated in the mother of all staredowns.
It all went down Friday night on WWE’s SmackDown after The Rock was introduced to the ring by WWE superstar Cody Rhodes. Rhodes, looking dapper in a suit and sporting his trademark blonde locks, is seen in the ring beefing with Reigns. Rhodes then mentions he’s been “taking counsel” from an individual Reigns is very familiar with.
Then, out of nowhere, The Rock’s trademark catchphrase (“If ya smelllllll … what The Rock is cooking”) blares through the speakers, triggering the anxious crowd to lose all control and erupt in celebration. Reigns, however, shrugged it all off as The Rock slowly makes his way to the ring.
Once in the ring, The Rock and Reigns are mere feet apart as the intense staredown begins. The boisterous crowd eats it up, as The Rock and Reigns inch closer and closer until come face-to-face. Neither says a word, and neither needed to say a word. The proverbial gauntlet was visible for all to see.
The Rock and Reigns, whose staredown has garnered nearly 3 million views on YouTube, will face off at WrestleMania XL in April at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Ahead of the showdown, the duo and a slew of other WWE stars (Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Montez Ford) will take part in a non-ticketed fan event on Feb. 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Rock previously stepped back into the ring on New Year’s Day for Raw Day 1, when he came out to slam Jinder Mahal. However, the moment that had WWE fans truly freaking out came after Mahal fled the ring, and Johnson not-so-subtly called out Roman Reigns — a long-awaited match-up that could prove historic (and ridiculously lucrative).
“I’m gonna go get something to eat. When The Rock goes out to get something to eat tonight, in San Diego, should The Rock sit in a booth? Or should The Rock sit at the bar?” he asked the cheering audience. “Or, should The Rock sit at the Head of the Table?”
This, of course, is a reference to WWE’s Head of the Table, Reigns, i.e. the Tribal Chief, i.e. the Undisputed Universal Champion. And the very idea of the matchup had fans in hysterics.
And now it’s happening.
