Up until very recently, WWE fans have, as a general rule, enjoyed the smell of what The Rock is cooking.
All of that changed this week with the introduction of a long-foreshadowed family feud that appears to be headed viewers’ way during WrestleMania 40. In a gripping moment of high-octane drama, fans learned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was returning to the ring. All indications pointed to the wrestling superstar replacing Cody Rhodes at the upcoming event and going head-to-head with Roman Reigns, with Johnson and Reigns exchanging a heated stare-down in the closing moments of the Feb. 2, 2024, episode of Smackdown.
What made fans hate The Rock’s WWE comeback?
Fans found themselves in the unique position of not enjoying the smell of what The Rock was cooking. They didn’t like the smell of what recently announced TKO rep Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was cooking one bit. In fact, they disliked it so much that they swarmed the WWE YouTube channel when clips of the offending segment came online, making it the company’s most disliked video ever in just a few hours.
16 hours after the clip of Dwayne Johnson staring down Roman Reigns hit YouTube, the video had achieved a truly remarkable amount of disapproval, topping 360,000 dislikes compared to 83,000 likes. Distressed fans made their feelings known in the comments, calling Rhodes’ ouster “sad,” “a slap to the face,” and the Rock’s “lived long enough to see yourself become the villain” moment. One commenter was lucky not to drown in their own sarcasm, expressing appreciation for Rhodes’ willingness to step aside and let young talents like The Rock get the spotlight for once. The rather unanimous debate has also found a place over at X (formerly Twitter), with many pointing out how the actor has “ruined” things.
Nothing is official yet, but a press conference regarding WrestleMania 40 is scheduled for Feb. 8. If Rhodes’ removal from the event is made official during said conference, then the Smackdown clip likely won’t hold onto its title of “most disliked WWE video” for long.