WWE: 10 Moments From The PG-Era That Made You Mark Out

5. The Rock Returns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqRGtghoaUQ But the biggest shock return during the PG Era doesn't go to Lesnar. One year earlier WWE announced that in the same vein as their weekly guest hosts of Monday Night Raw, WrestleMania XXVII would also feature a special guest host. Speculation went wild over the course of the week between announcement and reveal as to who the mystery man could be. Names like The Undertaker and Chris Jericho were leading the possibilities as well as a less welcome slew of celebrities. Bearing in mind that this was before WWE's new precedent for returning part-time wrestlers, not many fans were thinking very far afield. WWE attempted a swerve by presenting a pair of female legs stepping out of a limousine backstage, but when the lights went out and the electricity surges sweeped across the titantron expectations returned to the likes of Jericho or Undertaker. What was heard instead was "If ya smell..." and the rest is history. WWE have promised some big surprises in the past but very very few have ever delivered on the level of the one they treated Anaheim to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccrZV6Cp_1Y The Rock's return speech created over 20 minutes of overrun to the program but no-one at the USA Network would ever think of complaining given the ratings boom that it received. No surprise given the name value of The Rock both within wrestling and Hollywood, returning "home" for the first time in 7 years. It was a universally accepted fact that nobody ever expected to see The Rock back in a wrestling ring so this moment was huge to wrestling fans both past and present, and even to non-wrestling fans thanks to the expansion of his name value. After explaining his return he turned his attention to the two competitors in the main event: WWE Champion The Miz and John Cena. Cena had been vocal in his exception to The Rock leaving wrestling behind during media interviews over the years, and The Rock was not willing to let it slide. Cena splits the crowd at the best of times but when going up against the People's Champion he was going to need a bigger boat.