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The WWE has gone through plenty of phases over the years but I’d argue none of them come close to topping the legendary Attitude Era, which was a magical time to be a professional wrestling fan.
In the mid-90s, the organization found itself facing some serious competition in the form of the WCW as the rivals went head-to-head to lure in viewers on Monday nights and Vince McMahon decided the best way to gain an edge was to inject some edginess into the company’s veins.
Stone Cold Steve Austin did what he could to help the cause by crushing beers and flipping off as many people as possible while D-Generation X did their part by telling the world to suck a certain part of their anatomy.
However, I’d argue no one played a bigger role in defining the Attitude Era than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who burst onto the scene in 1996 and quickly made a name for himself thanks to both his skills in the ring and the ability to cut a killer promo.
It didn’t take long for The Rock to become a household name, and over the course of the next decade or so, he managed to establish himself as one of the most electric superstars in the history of wrestling.
Shortly after the new millennium rolled around, Johnson decided to branch out and test the waters of Hollywood, and as we all know by now, the whole “acting” thing worked out pretty well for him.
Johnson’s last appearance at a WWE event came at WrestleMania 32, and back in August, he announced he had no plans to get back into the ring.
However, it appears The Rock is cooking up something, as Johnson hopped on Twitter on Monday to announce he’ll be making his triumphant return on SmackDown this Friday.
FINALLY…I come back home to my @WWE universe.
This FRIDAY NIGHT, I’ll return for our debut of SMACKDOWN!
LIVE on @FOXTV.
There’s no greater title than #thepeopleschamp.
And there’s no place like home.
Tequila on me after the show 😈🥃#IfYaSmell🎤 #Smackdown#RocksShow #FOX pic.twitter.com/V5i4cxqIqH— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 30, 2019
Based on his comments a couple of months ago, it’s unlikely he’ll be stepping into the squared circle to give some candy-asses their comeuppance and it seems likely his appearance will be a one-off as opposed to an extended storyline.
With that said, I’ll take what I can get.