WWE’s biggest event is back and an iconic name in the industry has retraced his steps into the sphere. Day 1 of WWE RAW 2024 brought in Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s declaration to return to the WWE on Monday. Moreover, he teased a battle with reigning WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns after much speculation of a possible fight between the WWE stars in WrestleMania 39.
Despite the hype and profitable potential of the Rock-Reigns fight, it is nearly impossible to match the greatest PPV record set by The Rock himself in WrestleMania 28. The Rock went against John Cena in 2012 and emerged victorious. Therefore, the fight was promoted as a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ generational match, which touched a PPV record hard to equal.
Dwayne Johnson may not outdo his PPV record
The special edition of Day 1 of WWE Raw unfolded into an ultimate surprise for fans. Moments after Jinder Mahal’s entrance, Dwayne Johnson cut into his speech and confirmed his return to the wrestling world. Months after his appearance in SmackDown last September, The Rock said hinting at Roman Reigns,
“I’m going to 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? Or, should ‘The Rock’ sit at the head of the table?”
OH. MY. GOD.@TheRock just delivered an absolute mic drop on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/TKMfwDiHa5
— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2024
The highly televised show has now shifted to the streaming service Peacock. Thus, the PPV numbers are as low as it can get. Speaking of the highest PPV buys record set, The Rock’s fight against the popular John Cena in WrestleMania 28 over a decade ago, which marked the end of a WWE era, shot to $1.3 million, the biggest in WWE history. The gross sales went up to $67 million globally, per Bleacher Report. Naturally, it was a legendary affair, to be remembered for ages to come.
It seems unlikely that even a fight between the longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and The Great One would fetch WWE an amount that high with the OTT platform. However, even if the PPV model was in existence, the Reigns vs. Rock fight would not match the historic game’s record.
The Rock vs. John Cena had a different fate
The world knows The Rock as the winner of the epic match between The Rock and John Cena. An eventual rematch allowed Cena to reclaim his glory by defeating The People’s Champion. However, The Rock was not originally meant to win the biggest game in WWE history.
Interstingly, the WWE writers had planned for The Rock to simply name John Cena as the torchbearer of his legacy, per IMDb. Yet, days ahead of the event the writers felt The Rock should win WrestleMania 28 as it would be unexpected for fans. There was much to and fro among the writers on who much prevail as the champion until they witnessed the battle live. Rest is history.
