WWE has been pursuing The Rock in an attempt to get the Hollywood star to be part of their star-studded lineup for Fox's premiere on SmackDown.
The blue brand has found a new home on the Fox Network and will debut on there this Friday with a very special show. It's only right that the man who gave the show its name is present, but even as the premiere moves closer, WWE hasn't been able to lock him down.
Fans are well aware of the fact that The Rock is one of the hardest-working celebrities around and his schedule is pretty tough to break into. As such, there are still a lot of stops to pull out before it can be confirmed that he will be in attendance.
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According to Dave Meltzer, The Rock's schedule is the one thing standing in the way and WWE's unlikely to be sure they can get him until last minute.
“They are working on it and it’s really up to his schedule if they can pull it off," Meltzer reports. “It’s not so much they want the surprise as much as it’s probably not going to be confirmed until the last minute.”
The former WWE superstar announced his retirement last month, revealing that he had quietly stepped away from the wrestling industry. Having watched him smash a WrestleMania record by beating Erick Rowan in just six seconds back in 2016, fans were hoping they'd get to see "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" in the ring a few more times. But he disappointed just about everyone with his revelation last month.
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Of course, retirement from WWE doesn't quite work out as it would anywhere else, there's always the possibility of a retired star shocking an audience with a cameo return or even something bigger.
The promotion is hoping to pull the man who was the face of the company for several years back at least one more time and we're yet to see if they can make it happen.
In the meantime, we'll all just have to keep fingers crossed. But if there's one former star who's almost impossible to bring back, it's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.