WrestleMania 39: Two wrestlers The Rock might return to face one last time

Former WWE wrestler and Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as The Rock, might return to WWE for one final match with his cousins Roman Reigns.  As per the initial reports, the company would want the former wrestler to enter the Royal Rumble in January 2023, win it, and then head on to main event at the biggest pay-per-view event of WWE, WrestleMania, against Roman Reigns.

WWE has discussed The Rock winning the Royal Rumble to set up a WrestleMania match vs. Roman Reigns, per @davemeltzerWON pic.twitter.com/Fq4NeemKlD

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) December 2, 2022

But that would also require Dwayne Johnson's consent by January, as the preparations for that would need to start early.

Why against Roman Reigns? An in-ring bout with Roman Reigns, who is so far the most popular wrestler in the company, was thought of a long time ago, but due to Johnson's tight Hollywood schedule and Reigns' lined-up matches with Brock Lesnar, the company couldn't move forward with it.

• A match against Reigns was also something that Johnson had spoken about some time ago. Since the Hollywood star hasn't competed in the ring since 2014 when he faced John Cena in a WWE Championship match, he wanted his final match to be worth the hype.
• He did make guest appearances in WWE; for example, in Royal Rumble in 2015, but it was unfortunately turned down by the crowd as the WWE Universe hated the Roman Reigns character back then.
• Seven years later, Roman Reigns has had a 360-degree change in his character build-up and he is now a heel. He has hit the chord with fans and at present, holds both the championships. 
• A main event with Reigns and The Rock is something that would sell to a lot of fans in WWE.

However, things are only at the assumption stage right now and it is not clear whether The Rock will lock horns with Roman Reigns in his final match. 

Who is the other wrestler The Rock can compete with? Apart from Roman Reigns, The Rock can compete with Brock Lesnar. If there is any other WWE superstar who commands a massive roar from the crowd, it is Brock Lesnar.

• Also called "Beast Incarnate", Brock Lesnar had squared up against The Rock 20 years ago, in 2002. 
• Johnson had then dropped his title belt to Lesnar and moved to Hollywood. Lesnar, at that time, also became the youngest WWE champion.
• Lesnar too quit the company in 2004 after a final match against Goldberg in Wrestlemania XX in 2004. Goldberg too left the company after the match. While Lesnar returned in 2012, Goldberg returned in 2016.
• Lesnar, however, isn't a regular performer today and he competes in main events only. He recently worked with Bobby Lashley for the Crown Jewel event which happened in Saudi Arabia. 
• If the writers don't go for Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar would surely be the next choice. 
• Could there have been a third wrestler? Yes, Triple H was another person The Rock eagerly wanted to work with. 
• But the recent cardiac event for Paul "Triphe H" Levesque ended his in-ring career.
• The company had big plans for the match between The Rock and Triple H as both of them come from the attitude era, but now the choice has been narrowed down to two: Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar.

  

   

Why this could be the last match for The Rock: Dwayne Johnson today is 50 years old and is past his prime. 

He made his in-ring debut in 1995 in the Survivor Series and he continued his stint with WWE till 2002, before he turned his gaze towards Hollywood.

From 2002 to 2004, he made guest appearances and only starred in main-event matches. After 2006, he left the company; before making his return in 2011. 

At 50, The Rock's Hollywood career is at its zenith and he would more likely hang his boots up from a sport that requires extensive physical labour. So, if the 'Brahma Bull' indeed makes a return, it would perhaps be for his last match.