The Rock's return on RAW Day 1 was a big surprise for fans, but what about WWE?
This week Jinder Mahal was interviewed for Gorilla Position and he talked about organizing this big segment. He explains that he found out the news during the holiday season and couldn't tell anyone. He says :
“I didn’t initiate the idea. I went home for Christmas. When I landed in Tampa, I got a call from one of the writers who said, “I think you probably saw it on social media, we announced that a WWE Champion was coming back.” Yes, that's me, but… I knew something big was coming. “There's going to be a big change, you're actually with The Rock. Don't tell anyone.” I discovered it a few days ago. What a great moment. I was super excited. The Rock is one of the most incredible wrestlers of all time. Super generous. Super easy. It was the most relaxing time I've ever had doing a promo. He is a professional. In the meantime, I worked with an acting coach. It was a different side of me that I got to show and I received a lot of positive comments and overall very positive feedback for my performance.
A promo against Seth Rollins followed. I had a title match. Overall, it was a good start to the year. I hadn't planned this, but luckily I've been prepared all year long. This is WWE, anything can happen at any time. Just like when I became WWE Champion out of nowhere.”
It appears that WWE had this segment well prepared as Jinder Mahal was given about a week's notice. A very emotional segment that officially opened the entire WrestleMania 40 adventure for The Rock.
Photo credit: WWE