Former Miami Hurricane Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson making waves in the WWE once again
For the first time since he last wrestled in 2013, former Miami Hurricane Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears about to make his long-awaited return to the WWE at Wrestlemania in April, and it’s safe to say wrestling fans are happy to see him back in the ring.
“It’s a big week here in the world of professional wrestling because, once again, professional wrestling is cool,” Johnson said in a video he posted on social media. “Once again, professional wrestling is relevant. Once again, everyone is talking about professional wrestling. Why? Because of one man, and you’re looking at him. Because of The Rock and the people’s champion…. And it feels good.”
While Johnson may have been tooting his own horn just a bit, there is some truth behind what the 51-year-old who returned to the WWE in January said. Since making his return to tv appearances at WWE events, the average demo audience for WWE’s weekly program, Friday Night Smackdown, has seen a jump in its average viewership.
During last year’s first quarter demo, the average audience was 778,000, and that has now risen to around 900,000 viewers this year, which is about a 16% jump. While it may not all be Johnson’s work, there’s no denying the impact the Miami alum has had on the company.
Back in September, Johnson made an appearance on Smackdown, which drew 2.6 million viewers, which was a 23% increase from a week prior.
On April 6-7, Johnson is set to headline the WWE’s biggest event, Wrestlemania 40. Johnson will team up with Roman Reigns, whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoaʻi and who is also the real-life cousin of Johnson, as they take on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
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Like Johnson, Anoaʻi had a similar path to the WWE after first playing defensive line at Georgia Tech during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Many Miami fans may remember the 2005 matchup where the Yellow Jackets upset the ranked No. 3 Hurricanes after a pair of late defensive stands, of which Anoa’i was a part.
Before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became one of the world’s most famous professional wrestlers, the former Hurricanes defensive tackle played in Coral Gables from 1991–94, appearing in 39 games and winning a national championship in 1991.
While Johnson has risen to stardom, he has not forgotten about his time in Miami and what it meant to him. In August 2022, the Hurricanes unveiled their new football locker room after Johnson gave a sizable donation to fund the renovations.
“I was a decent player down there at The U, and I played with some amazing players who went on to be some of the best college football players of all time,” Johnson said during an appearance with Peyton and Eli Manning. “They went on to become the best in the NFL and legends in Canton. The time that I spent down there at the University of Miami and the lessons I learned there, now we were brash and cocky and we were crazy, but we were winning, man. The lessons I learned down there were tremendous and I took them with me forever.”
