During the January 1, 2024 edition of WWE RAW, also known as “Day 1,” The Rock surprised everyone with his appearance and hinted at a potential match against the reigning WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns.
Rock did a segment with Jinder Mahal before laying him out. This comes after his surprise appearance in mid-September on SmackDown, which was also not announced in advance.
Dave Meltzer from F4WOnline.com discussed why the WWE didn’t announce The Rock’s appearance beforehand on Wrestling Observer Radio, noting that while announcing him in advance would draw bigger ratings, Rock is more focused on the crowd reaction and surprising people in attendance as making WWE appearances is all for fun for him at this stage in his life.