WWE is apparently still hopeful that they can strike a deal with The Rock regarding the wrestler turned movie star appearing on SmackDown 1000.

The 1000th episode of SmackDown is now just a handful of days away and is set to be a pretty stacked show. WWE Hall Of Famer Edge will be in attendance, The Undertaker will be appearing on the blue brand for the first time in two years, iconic faction Evolution will reunite, and Rey Mysterio will mark his return to WWE with a match versus Shinsuke Nakamura.

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Most of the names above contributed large chunks of their careers to making SmackDown the show that it is today, especially Undertaker, Edge, Mysterio, and Batista of Evolution. There is one very big name currently missing from the list, though. The Rock. The show is named after a catchphrase that The People's Champion coined after all.

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So will we be seeing the Hollywood star appear on SmackDown 1000 or not? Well, as of right now, that appears to be very much up in the air. You can rest assured that if WWE had an in-person appearance from Rock all tied up then it would flaunt it. That is obviously not the case, but apparently, the promotion is still in talks to have the surefire Hall Of Famer appear in some form or fashion.

According to Joe Peisich on the Barnburner’s No Holds Barred podcast, WWE has not yet given up on bringing The Rock in for SmackDown 1000. Mike Johnson of PWInsider also speculated on what a Rock appearance on the show might entail. During a Q&A, Johnson wrote "I’d be surprised if he didn’t have at least a video message on the show. In person, I am less confident."

There was a time in The Rock's career when it felt as if he was trying to cut ties with his wrestling roots. He has since proved that not to be the case and was actually encouraged to do that by people he worked with early on in his movie career. That doesn't take away from the fact that he is still an extremely busy man. He seems to be a part of more projects than anyone else in the movie industry, so it's unlikely he will find time to fly to Washington DC for SmackDown 1000 on Tuesday.

NEXT: THE ROCK RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN OFFERED $20 MILLION TO APPEAR AT WWE SHOW IN SAUDI ARABIA NEXT YEAR