Though "Once In A Lifetime" was a cheeky f*cking trick to sell a three-year arc alongside John Cena, the rest of The Rock's 2011-2013 in-ring return rode the wave of nostalgia just enough whilst 'The Great One' himself turned in several creditable efforts to make his unlikely last stand just electrifying enough.
Matches against Cena were enormous if not entirely awesome, but a quality contest with CM Punk shone a light on the gas the Hollywood A-Lister still had in the tank.
It wasn't perfect, but as earnest torch-passing exercises go, it was a welcome respite from the legends that only come back to take rather than give.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
