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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Dwayne Johnson performs onstage during the Moana World Premiere at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California on July 07, 2026
Could The Rock return to WWE and headline WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? That’s the question many are asking in light of the recent live-action “Moana” movie flopping at the box office.
The Disney project, which featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprising his leading role as Maui from the animated film of the same name, earned just $4.5M domestically on its opening day, far short of projections.
The number leads many to believe that it will also fall well short of the $50M domestic barrier for its opening weekend and could even fail to hit $40M despite costing $250 million to make.
So, why does this have any effect on the WWE or WrestleMania 43? Let’s dig into it.
How ‘Moana’ Flop Could Lead To The Rock Main Eventing WrestleMania 43
The Rock, who currently serves as a member of the board of directors for WWE parent company TKO, was last seen on WWE television at the Royal Rumble in 2025, teasing an angle with then-champion Cody Rhodes.
That angle was never paid off, and he failed to appear at either WrestleMania 41 or WrestleMania 42, both of which were held in Las Vegas.
However, the last time The Rock appeared in an actual match was on night one of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, when he teamed with Roman Reigns against Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
He then appeared the following night during Reigns’ match with Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, which Rhodes ended up winning.
The match between Reigns and Rhodes came only after the WWE pivoted away from a planned match between Reigns and The Rock, which Johnson reportedly pushed for.
This came on the heels of another box-office flop starring Johnson, “Black Adam,” which resulted in an estimated loss of $50 million to $100 million.
That brings us to WrestleMania 43, which will be the first time the historic event has been held outside of North America. Wrestling Observer News reports that The Rock already has a standing offer to appear on the show for historic money.
It was noted from sources in Saudi Arabia that they were wanting The Rock on WrestleMania 43 and that he would be getting the largest offer ever made for someone to do a pro wrestling show for his involvement.
– @WONF4W pic.twitter.com/G9px2oU2vi
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) January 23, 2026
During previous WWE events in Saudi Arabia, the country’s Public Investment Fund has shelled out for the return of legends such as Goldberg, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels.
That history, combined with the struggles of “Moana,” has led many to speculate that a return to the ring for WrestleMania 43 is a near guarantee.
What do you think? Will The Rock make his WWE return to headline WrestleMania yet again? Let us know in the comments below!