Kevin Nash: The Rock Appeared On SmackDown To Keep His Brand Strong, He's Not Doing It For The Payday

Kevin Nash comments on The Rock's recent SmackDown appearance.

The wrestling world is still buzzing about the September 15, 2023 episode of SmackDown, as the show featured the WWE return of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

WWE United States Title Match Added To Friday's WWE SmackDown

Johnson, who was in town for the Colorado football game, ended up getting physical on the show, as he delivered a People's Elbow to Austin Theory. Johnson also reunited with John Cena in a backstage segment.

On the latest episode of the Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash reacted to The Rock's return. Nash also praised Theory, saying that he held his own during the segment.

“He looked great. It look like he put on 15 pounds from the Colorado game [laughs]. They went through the list, and Theory is young, right? Like 26 [years old], something like that? The list of guys he’s worked with already, woo. I really thought that he held his own in there.”

When asked why Johnson would be interested in making an appearance for WWE at this stage in his career, Nash brought up the ongoing strikes in Hollywood and stated that he wants to keep his brand strong.

“Well number one, to keep his brand strong. Who knows how long [the SAG-AFTRA strike] will go on. Dwayne is double pinched in this, because not only is Dwayne a member of the Screen Actors Guild as an actor, but he’s also a producer, so [he has] a pension health plan. I don’t think he’s doing it for the payday, but he’s definitely doing it from a PR standpoint. I don’t think it’s ever a bad thing to come back to where you started and show the world you’re the biggest star in [Hollywood].”

Johnson's return to WWE quickly when viral online, amassing over 100 million views in just a matter of hours. Fans can learn more about those stats by clicking here.

Grayson Waller recently taunted Johnson and implied that he wasn't ready for The Grayson Waller Effect. Fans can learn more by clicking here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.