58-year-old female WWE veteran checks off bucket list item with The Rock’s return to WWE ahead of WrestleMania 41

The Final Boss marked his return to WWE on SmackDown. The Rock's flamboyant presence floored one of the company veterans.

58-year-old female WWE veteran checks off bucket list item with The Rock’s return to WWE ahead of WrestleMania 41

The Rock on SmackDown [via- WWE]

This past Thursday night, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shocked the world by formally announcing his return to WWE. As promised, he showed up on SmackDown, dropped a bombshell about WrestleMania 42 coming back to New Orleans, and went on to have a lengthy segment with Cody Rhodes. Before getting into it, there’s a certain someone who couldn’t be more excited about Rock’s WWE comeback.

She’s none other than the legendary ring announcer, Lilian Garcia. She got to introduce the Black Adam star as he ambled down that aisle on SmackDown. Garcia believed that it was her first time announcing The Great One inside a WWE arena since 2005. Taking to X, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

YouTube video

Stamping it as a surreal moment, Garcia is amazed by the prospect of announcing The Rock this deep into his career until his ongoing WWE run lasts. She claimed that working with the 52-year-old actor was a highlight of her first tenure with WWE. Back in the day, Garcia would interview him, which resulted in hilarious on-screen chemistry between them.

FS Video

Since the moment she came back to WWE last October, sharing a moment with Rock was definitely on Garcia’s bucket list. She’ll get to do it again next week when Dwayne Johnson pulls up to the Elimination Chamber PLE in Toronto. And who knows if that essentially entails that he’s sticking around for WrestleMania 41, likely in a non-wrestling capacity?

Apart from her fandom of The Brahma Bull, Garcia caught up with another one of her contemporaries—Trish Stratus. Stratus is currently in a program alongside Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax, and Candice LeRae that’d culminate at the Elimination Chamber. The WWE HOF’er was on SmackDown this week and hung out with Lilian Garcia afterwards.

Cody Rhodes to deny selling his soul to The Rock?

Why’s The Rock going to be at the Elimination Chamber? He’s due to hear back from Cody Rhodes after what transpired between them on SmackDown. The TKO Board director has offered Rhodes to be his champion, and in turn, Rock vowed to unlock doors of unrelenting success for The American Nightmare.

The Rock and Cody Rhodes
The Rock and Cody Rhodes [via- Wrestle Ops/@X]

Rhodes has until this Saturday to talk with wife Brandi, who’s heartbroken too, before giving his word to The Great One. Fans believe Cody wouldn’t accede to Rock, and the latter might snap.

It could then lead to someone else pledging his allegiance to Johnson with major WrestleMania 41 implications tied to it. A few names floating around include CM Punk and Drew McIntyre, who may join forces with The Final Boss to make Rhodes’ life a living hell.