CLEVELAND, OHIO: While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's return to WWE was spectacular, not everyone was thrilled. The Rock's comeback has been criticized by Logan Paul, a former close friend, who compared him to the 'Jersey Shore' cast.
The Rock unexpectedly made his way back to Smackdown on Friday night, his first WWE appearance in four years, and faced off against an old foe in Austin Theory.
Logan Paul mocks The Rock
Even the reunion with John Cena was graciously resolved with a handshake and a hug. There have been rumors that a Wrestlemania XL matchup with Roman Reigns may take place in Philadelphia the following year. But despite the crowd's excitement, there was one voice in opposition.
Logan Paul mocked The Rock's triumphant comeback on social media by equating those in the ring with the 'Jersey Shore' cast, who donned identical attire and black tank tops.
"I’ve seen this before," Logan Paul tweeted, comparing the two pictures.
Paul joined the WWE roster after making his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 after becoming a rising YouTube celebrity.
The old friends
Nevertheless, Paul and The Rock were close friends once upon a time. Paul would ask Johnson for assistance with his YouTube videos, and the two would work together on other projects.
But that came to an end when Paul stirred some controversy in 2017 by visiting the Suicide woodland in Japan's Aokigahara woodland.
He and his friends came under fire for disrespecting the suicide victim after discovering the deceased's body. The Rock subsequently said that he would not collaborate with Paul again and distanced himself from him as well as his YouTube channel.
Although Paul expressed regret for his behavior, the harm had already been done. Mutual friend and comedian Kevin Hart indicated that the friendship was finished.
“The one thing you guys should definitely realise that I think the one thing that we should clear up right away. Dwayne would never do this because he’s not the same type of person right and I’m not calling him a bad person, in no way shape or form, but we’re saying stuff without saying,” Kevin Hart said during IMPAULSIVE podcast.