Dave Meltzer Thinks WWE Raw Netflix Debut Reveals The Rock's Plans For WrestleMania 41

One of the biggest questions surrounding WWE programming right now is will Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson actually be at WrestleMania 41 in April? The "Final Boss" has not been seen on TV since the end of the Bad Blood Premium Live Event in October 2024, but given the amount of hype surrounding "WWE Raw's" debut on Netflix on January 6, many have speculated that Rock will make an appearance at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter discussed the possibility of Rock showing up on "Raw," and while he has not been officially told he will be there, Meltzer believes there is a strong chance of it. There is a reported belief within WWE that Rock will be at WrestleMania 41, but nobody knows in what capacity, as he is meant to be involved in re-shoots for the live-action "Moana" movie, and the plan of him taking on Cody Rhodes (which was teased on the "Raw" after WrestleMania 40) seems to be off the table, as the company is moving towards having Rhodes vs. John Cena instead. 

With all that said, Meltzer believes that if Rock does show up on "Raw" on January 6, he will not only have a prominent role, but that his road to WrestleMania will be mapped out for the whole world to see. What those plans for WrestleMania are remains a mystery at the time of writing, but it has been widely reported that Rock's creative power in WWE means that whatever he wants to do at WrestleMania will happen, regardless of whether WWE wants Cena to break Ric Flair's record of 16 World Championships on the grandest stage of them all.

With the January 6 "Raw" potentially having the biggest audience for a wrestling show since the '80s, WWE have stacked the episode with huge matches to the point where many fans are saying that it's a Premium Live Event-level card. However, that card could get even bigger.

Given that a preliminary plan for Rock was to have him face Rhodes for both the Undisputed WWE Championship, and the People's Championship, at WrestleMania 41, Meltzer has claimed that there are people who are not only expecting Rock to be on "Raw," but that he could actually wrestle on the show. Much like the plan for Rock vs. Rhodes, this is far from being set in stone, and it's unclear whether Rock is even in ring-shape at the time of writing, but as previously mentioned, it will be the biggest episode of "Raw" in recent memory, so having him perform could be a difference maker.

As for who he would face, Meltzer knows that Rock does want an eventual match with Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE and People's Championship at some point, and Rhodes isn't scheduled to compete on "Raw" either. However, Rhodes is facing Kevin Owens in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble on February 1, meaning that Rock would likely have to find a different opponent for January 6.