The Rock is coming to WWE Elimination Chamber to see if Cody Rhodes will agree to be ‘his champion’
Skip to main content
The Rock is coming to Elimination Chamber
SHOW
DATE AND LOCATION
The Final Boss is coming to WWE Elimination Chamber with a very special purpose.
On the Feb. 21 edition of SmackDown, The Rock called Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to the ring to acknowledge how much they had become friends since their conflict at last year’s Show of Shows. He then dropped a bombshell when he informed The American Nightmare that he wanted him to become “his champion” and give him his soul. Moreover, he made it clear that he expects The American Nightmare’s answer when he journeys to WWE Elimination Chamber.
What will Rhodes say? Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Rogers Centre in Toronto at 7 ET/4 PT on Peacock in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else.
Featured Videos
ELIMINATION CHAMBER
Featured Superstars
BREAKING NEWS
MATCH PREVIEW
SATURDAY, MAR 1 | 7/6 PMC
Published on February 21, 2025
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Announces Surprise WWE Return: ‘Coming to F— Up Someone’s Life’
Dwayne Johnson has announced a surprise return to WWE.
“Bold and disruptive. Unpredictable and dangerous. The Final Boss returns,” Johnson, 52, teased via X on Thursday, February 20.
The Fast & Furious star subsequently confirmed on social media that he would be attending WWE SmackDown on the USA Network on Friday, February 21, airing live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque hinted that Johnson, a.k.a “The Rock,” could have a huge impact on the road to WrestleMania 41, which is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20.
WWE Legend Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Returns to Wrestlemania, Impressing Fans Like Jason Kelce
“Strap in,” Levesque warned. “When The Final Boss shows up at this time of year, the audience knows absolutely anything is possible. Everything could change in an instant.”
Johnson continued to hype his unexpected SmackDown appearance on Instagram where he hinted at a showdown with an unnamed WWE superstar.
“The Final Boss is coming to handle business, deliver a big beautiful gift to the city of New Orleans and f— up a certain someone’s life with the Final Boss gospel,” he wrote.
Rumors persist that Johnson could announce on SmackDown that New Orleans will be the site of WWE WrestleMania 42 in 2026.
Dwayne Johnson Roasts His Film ‘Baywatch’ While Trash Talking During WWE Return
Johnson was one of many celebrity guests at WWE’s Monday Night Raw premiere on Netflix on January 6, where he seemingly made peace with WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. WWE had hinted at a potential WrestleMania main event match between the pair for this year, though that now seems unlikely due to Johnson’s busy filming schedule.
Also on January’s Netflix premiere, Johnson briefly returned to the ring to celebrate his cousin Roman Reigns’ victory over archnemesis Solo Sikoa in a “Tribal Combat Match.” Johnson and Reigns teamed together for a victory over Rhodes and Seth Rollins at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40 in April 2024.
Johnson joined the board of directors for WWE’s parent company TKO in January 2024 as part of a deal that also allowed him to gain ownership of his wrestling nickname “The Rock.”
For the last 15 years, Johnson has been focused on his acting career. Earlier in February, Deadline reported that Johnson signed on to star with Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt in legendary director Martin Scorsese’s next movie. The untitled crime drama, which is being written by journalist Nick Bilton, takes place in 1960s Hawaii as a ruthless mafia boss battles rivals trying to encroach on his territory.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Teases Releasing a Country Album: ‘Maybe This Year, We’ll See’
Johnson’s MMA drama The Smashing Machine is also coming to theaters later this year, in addition to him reprising his Moana role as the demigod Maui in Disney’s live-action remake of the animated classic, due for release in 2026. Newcomer Catherine Laga‘aia is taking on the title role in the Moana reboot, while John Tui plays Moana’s father, Chief Tui, and Frankie Adams has been cast as Moana’s mother, Sina.
The Rock’s reemergence on WWE TV coincides with his long-time nemesis John Cena’s retirement tour, which is set to run through the end of 2025. Cena is next expected to wrestle at Elimination Chamber: Toronto at the Rogers Centre on March 1, where he will compete against CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Damian Priest and Rollins to earn a championship main event at WrestleMania 41.
WWE SmackDown airs on Fridays at 8p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Snag noise-canceling AirPods for a rare $149 and a cozy Eddie Bauer throw blanket for $14 (nearly 70% off), to name a few.
Entertainment News
Solve the daily Crossword
Recommended articles
Report: WWE reworking SmackDown plans due to The Rock’s return
FILED UNDER:
A women’s match seems to have been cut since Dwayne Johnson was announced, and we have a rumor about what Rock will do on the Feb. 21 show in New Orleans.
Even if his announcement has nothing to do with wrestling at WrestleMania 41, it seems like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE television tonight (Feb. 21) on SmackDown may keep the pro wrestling rumor mill busy until April’s event is Las Vegas.
We’re already getting several reports about The Rock’s appearance, which Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer says “was a last-minute add” to tonight’s show. Meltzer is one of many speculating that the fact SmackDown is in New Orleans could mean Johnson will make the rumored announcement that next year’s ‘Mania will return to the Big Easy.
X/Twitter scoopster WrestleVotes indicated that’s what they’re hearing as well:
Votes would later post that two matches previously announced for this week’s show are now off the card for tonight:
Tonight’s SmackDown plans have been reworked following the announcement of The Rock’s appearance. Rumblings that both Naomi vs. Liv Morgan and the six-man tag featuring Cody, Priest & Strowman vs. Solo, Jacob & Tama Tonga are off. Drew McIntyre vs Jimmy Uso is still scheduled to take place.
The trios match featuring Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Braun Strowman, Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga that Votes mentions is still listed on WWE.com as of publication time, along with the McIntyre/Uso clash and the Tag title tilt between #DIY and Pretty Deadly. The women’s match is nowhere to be found, and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis’ announcement of Morgan vs. Naomi and the six-man, and an Instagram post promoting the women’s bout, have been deleted.
If WWE does end up removing those two matches, (a) it might indicate Rock will be doing more than just revealing the WrestleMania 42 news — like setting up a possible WrestleMania 41 match for himself, and (b) it’s already kicked the debate about Triple H’s booking of the main roster women’s scene into a higher gear. Even before yesterday’s report about unhappiness in the locker room, some fans were asking why the ladies don’t get more of the approximately five-and-a-half hours of main roster TV time each week; bumping Liv and Naomi for an open-ended Rock segment will only draw more, and result in existing ones being asked louder.
We’ll see what ends up making, and being said, on the show in a few hours.
