The Rock Set To Return For WWE SmackDown 1000?
'The Great One' could join The Undertaker on 16 October.
WWE are stacking the deck for SmackDown's 1000th episode.
With the special broadcast taking place on 16 October, the company are already advertising The Undertaker's appearance to go with three big SummerSlam/Hell In A Cell pay-per-view rematches: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz, Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy, and AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, which is listed as a WWE Championship bout.
The biggest announcement may still be forthcoming, however, as Barnburner's Fired Up podcast claim that WWE are "very, very close" to booking The Rock for the landmark show.
Dwayne Johnson's name has been all over wrestling media lately. Most recently, 'The Great One' was linked with a potential match at WrestleMania 35, with the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer suggesting Roman Reigns as a possible opponent. There have been no further updates on this, but it remains a possibility.
As WWE's biggest mainstream crossover star, it makes sense that the company would reach out to him for this landmark SmackDown. His presence guarantees an interest spike, and while Rocky wasn't present at Raw 25 in January, booking him would be a foolproof way to ensure a big audience on 16 October.