The Rock tells Morning Shift hosts they will be his guests when he next appears at WrestleMania
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made a surprise appearance on The Morning Shift on August 29, 2026, and during the broadcast told the programme’s presenters they would be his guests the next time he appears at WrestleMania. “I’ll make the promise to you now, whenever I do go back to WrestleMania, I gotta have you guys out. You’ll be my special guests, for sure,” Johnson said.
Johnson joined hosts Brook Ruscoe, Jordan Vaha’akolo and Marc Peard as they reacted to “Your Dad,” a song from his Moana project, Voices Across The Ocean, and the hosts said they had always wanted to be in the arena to see his entrance. The remark from Johnson was a pledge to those presenters and is not a confirmation that he will return to WrestleMania, particularly not an in-ring return.
There has been speculation linking Johnson’s next WWE appearance to WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but a match at that event appears highly unlikely. The article cites Johnson’s filming schedule for Fast Forever, which is expected to keep him occupied for the next several months, as a primary reason the promotion of an in-ring return seems improbable.
Johnson has not been part of WWE programming since Elimination Chamber 2025, where he played a key role in John Cena’s infamous heel turn, and he has yet to return to WWE television in any capacity since that appearance. Expectations of an imminent return have not materialised despite his continued public profile.
His most recent WrestleMania outing was at WrestleMania 40, when he teamed with Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins; that remained his last in-ring appearance. He was also recently included in promotional material for an upcoming talent tryout in Hawaii: the original poster featured several WWE Superstars including Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso, and an updated version added The Rock alongside Roman Reigns and The Usos.
Johnson did not specify a date or event for any WWE return during the Morning Shift appearance, and he reiterated the promise that Ruscoe, Vaha’akolo and Peard would be his special guests whenever he goes back to WrestleMania.