The Rock has responded to criticism of his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
John Cena was successful in winning a record-setting 17th World title at WrestleMania 41, where he defeated Cody Rhodes - with some help from Travis Scott - to capture the WWE Undisputed Championship.
However, the most talked about storyline following the show wasn’t Cena’s victory, but rather the absence of “The Final Boss,” who was the catalyst for the shocking heel turn from Cena at Elimination Chamber last month.
The Rock addressed the online backlash on McAfee’s show on Tuesday by stating that he decided to step back and let Cena and Cody do their thing at WrestleMania, which led to even more frustration from wrestling fans and personalities.
Busted Open Radio host Dave LaGreca was among those who publicly voiced their displeasure with The Rock’s comments, which led to the latter replying to LaGreca on Instagram, noting that the wrestling business is a “complete work” which includes “every interview.”
He also told LaGreca to "stop ranting" and "enjoy the show."
“Hi Dave, the business is a complete work. Always has been, always will be. Every aspect of it. Every match. Every interview. Please join me, Cody, Cena, Brian, and the rest of us in our creative discussions so you can expand your perspective."
The Rock then added:
“Until then, stop ranting, it’s not healthy my friend. Enjoy the show.”
The Rock, who revealed in his interview with McAfee that Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel asked him to be part of Elimination Chamber due to slow ticket sales, has not appeared on television since that event.
The storyline entering the show was whether Rhodes would sell his soul to “The Final Boss,” with Cena instead being the person to align with The Rock.
Cena is expected to face Randy Orton next month at Backlash in St. Louis.
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