The Rock Officially Joins The Bloodline On WWE SmackDown

The Bloodline officially has a new member, and it's a Great One.

On Friday's episode of "WWE SmackDown," Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns closed the show by introducing his cousin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, as the newest member of The Bloodline — the stable that has dominated WWE for more than three years now. The Rock confirmed his heel turn, which began when he sided with Reigns at the WrestleMania Kickoff press event last Thursday, by cutting an unmistakably heel promo on the Salt Lake City crowd. The segment ended with him altering his typical finishing catchphrase, saying "If you smell what The Bloodline is cooking" before raising a single finger along with Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman in the group's traditional salute.

Johnson used all the tricks in the heel wrestler playbook to earn the ire of WWE fans more accustomed to cheering him, insulting local sports teams and characterizing the audience as redneck hicks. He also took the time, naturally, to mock Cody Rhodes, Reigns' opponent at the upcoming WrestleMania 40, even going so far as to tell the fans they had Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania in the palm of their hands, and they gave it away. In doing so, he continued to play into the storyline's kayfabe-blurring nature, as reports have been flying for weeks now about who Reigns would face at WrestleMania, and why, and what changed. However, neither Rhodes nor his apparent ally, Seth Rollins, appeared on the broadcast, which faded to black when Johnson was finished delivering his promo. The segment, as a result, provided no clarity on what The Rock will actually be doing at WrestleMania.