“None of us knew!” SmackDown backstage personality reveals being unaware of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s one-off WWE appearance

“If You Smell!” were the words that erupted out of the Denver crowd at Ball Arena. On the September 15, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made a one-off appearance. The shocking nature of this return was something that had the whole WWE Universe on its toes. Now that many months have passed, SmackDown backstage interviewer Kayla Braxton has revealed its unexpectedness.

While talking with Chris Van Vliet, Braxton was reminded of the special episode of SmackDown. Having The Rock and John Cena share the same frame on WWE television was a delight for the world. Kayla quickly responded that none of them were aware of Rocky’s appearance. She stated that she knew that ‘The Rock’ was in the building nearly 30 minutes before the show started.

Kayla recalled The Rock’s interview with Pat McAfee while discussing a college football game in Boulder, Colorado. She thinks of The Great One as also not knowing his upcoming presence until McAfee would’ve asked for it. She mentioned how Pat finds out how to make everybody his friend, and inviting The People’s Champion might be the easiest task for him.

Braxton then stated the beauty of this appearance, considering the perspective of a live audience. The people who have been long-time fans but witnessed SmackDown for the first time would’ve been blown away. As The Cenation Leader, McAfee and Johnson blessed that episode.

Kayla Braxton opines on the boom of WWE in recent years

While speaking on the same show, Kayla Braxton was asked about the popularity of WWE. Chris Van Vliet stated wrestling has bettered itself in 2023 with the growing realm of WWE. Braxton addressed her views, saying that the idea of bringing in superstars from other industries has changed the landscape.

She mentioned the likes of Bad Bunny and Logan Paul as the ones who brought massive eyeballs in the first place. People are coming back to wrestling with the means of these non-wrestling icons. Chris claims to have more WWE viewers than they ever had in their history.

Vliet mentioned that the fans tend to like the Attitude Era and have declared it the G.O.A.T. But Braxton states that this era is the New Great, which is fantastic for them. Especially this year, WWE has offered the fans loads of sports entertainment, which has leveled up the game for other promotions.

In case you missed it:

• “Time to play the game” – Wrestling fans spot a major WWE return tease in Mercedes Mone’s Christmas day post
• Dwayne Johnson implicitly teases WWE return with a potential Royal Rumble appearance on the cards

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