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WWE fans witnessed one of the best SmackDown openings of the year as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson made a surprise return. The Great One even had an epic backstage reunion with John Cena, and Dutch Mantell believes the Cenation's leader's comments might have revealed The Rock's future in pro wrestling.
While reviewing the show on Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell said that he loved seeing John Cena and The Rock share a memorable moment as they've headlined multiple WrestleManias in the past.
The legendary manager noted that Cena greeted Johnson by saying, "Welcome home," which could be an indication of The Rock sticking around for an extended run. The Hollywood star's WWE appearance might seem like a one-off, but Mantell didn't rule out seeing more of The Rock based on what John Cena had to say.
Mantell stated:
"I was touched. I actually got a little bit of a tear. Stop it! I was emotionally affected by it. And he said welcome back. To the fan, welcome back means he is going to be here a while. I mean, welcome back, okay! Then they put it all behind them, and let's move forward. I thought this show was, like I said, match light and talking heavy, but I enjoyed it tonight." [27:13 - 28:00]
Dutch Mantell puts over WWE for an impressive SmackDown episode
It can't get any better than kicking off SmackDown with The Rock's return, but beyond the shocker, Dutch Mantell felt WWE had presented a well-rounded show.
Mantell liked the pacing and said that while there were many interview segments, it all added to the respective stories and reminded him of the days when WWE consistently put out great programming.
Dutch also noted that having strong SmackDown episodes was the need of the hour following the company's merger with the UFC.
"And it kind of moved too. The matches weren't kind of too long, and the interviews meant something. And this is a good thing for FOX to see, a good thing for Endeavour to see, a good thing for the fans to see. I don't want to put the WWE over too much, but it was their best show in a long time. It reminded me of some of the shows they put on years ago when they were getting those massive ratings." [28:01 - 28:45]
What were your takeaways from SmackDown? Share them in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video if you use quotes from this article.
