It's no secret that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hoped to take charge of the DC Extended Universe with 2022's Black Adam. After joining the Fast & Furious franchise, a move which admittedly propelled that series to newfound success, the former pro wrestler clearly believed only he could rescue the struggling franchise by changing DC's "hierarchy of power."
Black Adam bombed both critically and financially. Later, we'd learn Johnson had used his influence to bring Henry Cavill back into the fold - behind the backs of those in charge - in order to set the stage for a Black Adam vs. Superman crossover he clearly felt had the potential to be the biggest comic book movie ever. All while shrugging off his character's connection to Shazam, of course.
Johnson tried to politick his way back into the franchise by spinning the movie's failings as a success, and even leaked word of a Hawkman movie in a bid to force DC Studios' hand. It didn't work and his time as Black Adam came to a very sudden end courtesy of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
The Rock, still looking to rebound from one of the biggest embarrassments of his career, recently joined the board of directors in TKO Holdings Group, the Endeavor-owned parent company of WWE and the UFC.
Now, he's used his influence to hijack the WrestleMania main event and, as we first reported on TheRingReport.com, fans aren't happy.
During last night's SmackDown, Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes gave up his match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Show of Shows, allowing The Rock to take his place. While WWE is scripted, he was blatantly unhappy and dejected with the decision (an awkward hug with Johnson proved that) which we've since learned came mere days ago. The Rock is said to have exerted his influence on board members under the guise of "saving" WrestleMania after the recent Vince McMahon scandal.
The response, however, has been overwhelmingly negative. As we write this, the full video of this SmackDown segment featuring The Rock is officially the most disliked video in WWE's YouTube history (love or hate pro wrestling, the company has one of the biggest presences on that platform).
For context, as we write this, it has over 300,000 dislikes compared to 77,000 likes.
Johnson likes to brag about making history and once again did so when SmackDown went off the air. Thanks to those YouTube statistics, he's made history for all the wrong reasons, and it's clear his vision for WWE - which, according to some insiders, may lead to an attempt to become the main creative driving force behind the scenes with his team - has been wholly rejected.
Why are we reporting this here beyond the fact we know many of you are pro wrestling fans? Well, a large number of pro wrestling fans are blaming Black Adam for this happening! Had that and other recent projects not failed, Johnson would have never returned to WWE. Like his attempt to turn the DCEU into the DJEU, this is yet another indication his ego is out of control...