Why Bully Ray Is Convinced The Rock's WWE SmackDown Visit Was A 'Last-Minute' Call
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his return to "WWE SmackDown" this past Friday, announcing that WWE WrestleMania 42 will take place next year in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as calling out Cody Rhodes as part of their ongoing rivalry. The announcement of The Rock's presence on "SmackDown" was announced relatively late in the game, with reports emerging that the appearance came together on short notice. Speaking on today's "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray explained why he also believes that to be the case.
"If they knew definitively that he was gonna be on 'SmackDown,' when should they have announced it?" Bully asked. "Monday night 'Raw' is the biggest opportunity you have, because that's your biggest built-in audience. So they didn't know on Monday, or else they would've announced it on Monday."
The scene backstage surrounding The Rock's appearance was reported to be chaotic, further supporting the theory. Bully believes that Johnson's 'SmackDown' segment was organized sometime between Wednesday morning and the announcement of his presence on Thursday night, as the company also didn't promote anything during "WWE NXT."
"This was obviously a last-minute call," Bully said.
Bully Ray Says The Rock Is 'The Boss Of All Bosses'
As far as the actual content of The Rock's promo on Friday, Bully acknowledged what many fans have complained about in the days since — that Johnson seemed to flip back and forth between hero and villain from minute to minute. At this point, Bully believes that Johnson is essentially running the show whenever he's onscreen.
"He's just doing whatever he wants to do in the moment," Bully explained. "You're not gonna get Rock to stick to anything that was discussed beforehand, because he doesn't have to. There's no accountability. Nobody's waiting for him on the other side of the curtain with the glasses at the end of the nose, wanting to talk to him if he goes off-script or if goes over or anything. He is the be-all, he is the end-it-all, he is the boss of all bosses right now. He can do whatever he wants, so if he wants to be a babyface one second and a heel the next, so be it."
As for potential reasons behind Johnson's constant flipping, Bully feels that the wrestler is struggling between promoting his real-world personal image and depicting his villainous WWE character.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.