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USA Insider WWE Monday Night Raw

The Rock Makes a Shocking Appearance on Raw and Seemingly Calls Out Roman Reigns

The Rock teased a showdown with Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw, but it's not the first time he's hinted at a bout with the WWE Champion.

By Chris Phelan
Split of The Rock and Roman Reigns

Well, if The Rock wanted the WWE Universe to be buzzing in 2024, he got his wish.

The Rock Returns and Seemingly Challenges Roman Reigns

The Rock speaks while standing in the ring

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Watch Monday Night RAW every Monday evening at 8/7c on USA Network. Stream more exciting WWE series on Peacock.

About midway through an eventful Day One episode of Monday Night Raw, the WWE Universe found themselves being lectured by former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal in a rant that incited massive boos and jeers from the fans in attendance. It seemed like nobody in the WWE locker room had the guts to put an end to Mahal's tirade – until the unthinkable happened. 

Just a few months after making an equally unexpected appearance on SmackDown, The Rock returned to Monday Night Raw in triumphant fashion, nearly blowing the roof off San Diego's Pechanga Arena. The Rock took action like only he can – after a verbal beatdown, a physical smackdown, and a few choice chants from the live crowd, Mahal left the ring with his tail between his legs, and order was restored – temporarily.

RELATED: Watch The Rock Make a Literal Busload of Kids’ Dreams Come True

Before leaving the ring, The Legendary Superstar delivered his most direct reference yet to a possible match with Roman Reigns, asking the WWE Universe where he should sit to eat in San Diego after Raw ended: In a booth, at the bar, or…

At the head of the table?

Wow. For the first time on WWE television, The Rock directly addressed years-long rumors that he would get into the ring with Roman Reigns and fight his own cousin for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Will The Rock Fight Roman Reigns?

The Rock returned to RAW on New Year's Day 2024

WWE is officially rocked to the core – while obviously nothing is set in stone, WWE itself is adding fuel to the fire by titling the above YouTube video as The Rock returns and wants The Head of the Table. So there's that.

Savvy fans know The Rock has been teasing a match with Roman Reigns for years. In October 2022, he called himself "The True Head of the Table" in an interview with E! Network that raised eyebrows (no pun intended) across the WWE Universe.

Earlier this year, The Rock once again made headlines by revealing on the Pat McAfee Show that he "potentially" could see himself squaring off against The Tribal Chief one day, further fueling speculation.

But on January 1, The Rock started the new year off with a bang by sending Roman Reigns a crystal clear message.

Did Roman Reigns Respond to The Rock?

The Rock returned to RAW on New Year's Day 2024

Over in The Bloodline's camp, it seems Roman Reigns is brushing off The Rock's latest appearance as yet another example of "all sizzle, no steak." The Tribal Chief took to social media to share his thoughts on The Rock's unexpected return to Monday Night Raw.

Cool, calm, and collected as ever, Roman Reigns posted a typically dismissive response to all the buzz surrounding The Rock's return to WWE.

To us, it looks like Roman Reigns isn't worried in the slightest about The Rock's latest microphone quips. To be fair, when you hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Title for as long as Reigns has, you have the right to be skeptical of a 51-year-old WWE Hall of Famer ending your historic title reign, no matter how confident he seems.

Whether this leads to the dream match of The Rock and Roman Reigns battling for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship or not, we can all agree that Raw ring announcer Samantha Irvine was all of us when The Rock's music hit:

With the entire WWE locker room preparing themselves to head off on the Road to WrestleMania and the 2024 Royal Rumble quickly approaching, there's never been a better time to be a WWE fan. From the shocking returns of CM Punk, Randy Orton, and The Rock in recent weeks to unbelievable in-ring action lately (we're looking at you, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre), 2024 will be one heck of a year.

And as for The Rock and Roman Reigns eventually clashing for the biggest prize in sports entertainment – well, we'll be crossing our fingers just like you.

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Royal Rumble on January 27. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.