Dwayne Johnson — The Rock

Ryan Coogan, The Independent

As a fan of professional wrestling, there’s nothing in the world that’s funnier to me than when somebody tries to explain that wrestling is fake. It’s not even the sentiment, necessarily — usually, it’s the delivery that seals the deal for me. They always do it with an air of wisdom, like they’re revealing to me some immense hidden truth. “It’s just men pretending to fight in their underwear”, they tell me. That isn’t true, I usually respond. Sometimes they let women do it too. The past year must have been exhausting for the “wrestling isn’t real” crowd, as the (not) sport has gone from strength to strength since the tail end of 2022, and is now approaching a level of popularity not seen since the wrestling boom of the late Nineties. Imagine having to correct all those fans about a thing they already knew. They must have the patience of saints. This week, industry leader WWE signed a $5bn deal with Netflix, and former superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was appointed to the board of parent company TKO. Television ratings are up, venues are packed to capacity, and I no longer feel shame when I wear my nWo shirt in public. Wrestling, much like The Great One himself, is cooking.

This weekend sees the latest instalment of WWE’s most popular annual event: the Royal Rumble. If you aren’t familiar, the rules are simple. Thirty wrestlers enter the ring at regular intervals and attempt to eliminate each other by throwing their opponents over the top rope. The winner receives a shot at the world title in the main event of WrestleMania — the company’s biggest event. The format allows for high drama, not just because of the stakes but because you never know who is going to appear next. A returning legend? A celebrity? One half of a mid-card tag team you forgot existed? It could be anyone! Expectations for this year’s event are through the roof for a couple of reasons. Last year saw the return of CM Punk to the company after more than a decade away. Rumours abound that popular former superstars Sasha Banks and AJ Lee are set to make surprise returns at the event, and top Japanese wrestler Kazuchika Okada may even make an appearance. Even 70-year-old Hulk Hogan hinted that he might join the fray, and if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what to tell you, brother.

The biggest potential surprise of all, though, is The Rock, who may finally make his return to the company after years of onscreen teases and internet rumours. The Rock’s cousin Roman Reigns is currently the undisputed WWE Universal Champion, having held the belt for a record-breaking three years at this point, and has spent much of his run hinting at a match-up with the wrestling legend. If WWE does manage to pull this off, it could see wrestling enter the mainstream in a way it hasn’t since the Scorpion King’s original tenure with the company. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. Just days ago, ex-WWE boss Vince McMahon was accused of a litany of horrific misconduct charges by former employee Janel Grant, including sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. McMahon, who denies the allegations, calling them “replete with lies”, “obscene made-up instances that never occurred” and a “vindictive distortion of the truth”, resigned from the company on Friday evening, leaving WWE without a McMahon on its board for the first time since the 1950s.

Separate allegations surfaced in December 2022, to which WWE responded by having McMahon (who denied “any intentional wrongdoing”) appear on television in a stunt that was regarded by many as an act of defiance. It goes without saying that this stance has not aged well, and while Vince may be gone and the company is now under new ownership, McMahon and WWE are inexorably linked — for better or, in this case, very much for the worse. It is a black cloud over what should be the start of the biggest season in the company calendar, and has transformed what should be a potential turning point for the industry into an awkward and messy affair.