WrestleMania XXVII just got a whole lot more electrifying.
It was not all that surprising when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was revealed on Raw Monday night as the guest host for WrestleMania XXVII, but even though a lot of fans expected it, the moment he walked on stage was incredibly dramatic nonetheless.
The Rock, making his first appearance in a WWE ring since 2004, looked as if he had never left. "The Great One" slipped into character with the greatest of ease, as he rattled off all of his trade mark catch phrases and displayed his distinct mannerisms.
Rock, with his head completely shaved and sporting a heavily muscled physique, not only proved that he can still captivate an audience like very few – if any – ever have in the history of the business, but he also showed that when someone of his magnitude shows up, standard restrictions no longer apply.
He laid the smack down on WWE's PG rating by cursing numerous times (he was bleeped only on the first instance), and he didn't conclude his promo until 20 minutes after the hour – a good 12-15 minutes later than Raw usually signs off.
Rock certainly had some interesting things to say. He noted that he was not hosting WrestleMania for the money or because he had a movie to promote, he was doing it because of the fans. Then he delivered the line that stopped everyone in their tracks: "I give you my word that I am never, ever going away."
There's no way Rock is returning fulltime to WWE, so my guess is that he meant that he will come back for occasional appearances and not seem so distant from the company. As far as donning the tights, Rock has made it clear on numerous occasions that he has wrestled his final match, and I do believe that is the case, although I suppose anything is possible.
People are already speculating that Rock is going to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania because he took some verbal jobs at Cena Monday night. I think it's far more likely that Cena will face Miz for the WWE title, with Rock as the special referee. Miz was the only other wrestler Rock mentioned by name during his promo.
Rock, Cena and Miz all in the ring together on the grand stage sure sounds like a WrestleMania moment to me.
Other thoughts on Monday's show:
This was a strong episode overall that featured some good matches, the best of which was an outstanding non-title match between WWE champion The Miz and Daniel Bryan. ...
It was a nice swerve when a woman got out of the limousine that supposedly had the mystery WrestleMania guest host inside. I wonder if we will ever find out who that was. ...
The heat on Michael Cole when he interrupted The Rock's promo was Vickie Guerrero-like. ...
The "2-21-11" video left no doubt that it has to do with The Undertaker's return, as "The Dead Man" was seen inside the creepy house. However, it appeared as if there was another dark figure standing outside the house, so I suppose there is still some reason to hold out hope that Sting is involved. ...
The plot thickened in regard to the world heavyweight title controversy. Edge showed up with the belt, but Guerrero came out to announce that Dolph Ziggler would be officially crowned as the new champion on Smackdown Friday night. She also said that she has proof that Edge was the person behind the attack on Smackdown general manager Teddy Long. ...
Miz's neckbreaker off the apron that sent Bryan headfirst to the floor was a potentially dangerous spot, but it looked great. ...
I like how WWE handled the passing of Jerry Lawler's mother. Cole, out of character, gave viewers the news early in the show and said that's why Lawler was not there. Miz referenced the death in his promo, but I don't think the way he did it crossed the line. He offered his condolences, but then immediately said that he didn't want Lawler to use it as an excuse when he loses at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view Sunday. ...
The Cena-CM Punk match was entertaining. It was nice to see Punk get the pinfall victory (even if it was by dubious means). ...
The Randy Orton-Sheamus match was decent. Sheamus got in his share of offense before losing. The post-match brawl, which involved all of the participants in the Raw Elimination Chamber match and ended with Orton and Cena standing tall in the ring, was good. ...
John Morrison showed really good intensity and aggressiveness during the tag team match in which he and R-Truth defeated Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga. ...
When Alex Riley was doing commentary on the Miz-Bryan match, I had to laugh when he said, "Can I sports entertain and commentate?" God forbid he would have said "wrestle" instead of "sports entertain." ...
Josh Matthews legitimately seemed surprised/ticked off when Riley and Cole bumped him in the face while they were shaking hands. ...
Michael Tarver is still hanging around backstage (he was visible when Miz and Riley were making their way to the ring). ...
I liked the finish to the WWE Divas title match between champion Eve Torres and Natalya, as Torres countered Natalya's cradle attempt by shifting her weight and scoring the pin. It wasn't spectacular, but it looked realistic. ...
I laughed out loud when Hornswoggle came from under the ring to join The Great Khali Kiss Cam segment and Cole said, "Ugh, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse." ...
I also thought it was funny when Maryse went to kiss Ted DiBiase Jr. during the segment, but at the last second she put her hand in front of her face, turned around and planted one on astonished Yoshi Tatsu. William Regal giving Zack Ryder a peck on the cheek, and Ziggler looking a little grossed out when Guerrero grabbed him and kissed him was amusing as well. ...
Hornswoggle – who despite his diminutive size is actually an adult – hitting on the 13-year-old actress from Triple H's new movie, "The Chaperone," was creepy. Where's Chris Hansen when you need him?
Photo of The Rock on Monday Night Raw courtesy of WWE