The Rock has not wrestled in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 32 in 2016. At the show, Dwayne Johnson defeated Erick Rowan, then of The Wyatt Family, in an impromptu six-second squash match.
Last month, Sami Zayn revealed on Twitter in a now-deleted tweet that he bumped into the former World Champion at the WWE Performance Center.
This led some to speculate that The Rock was training for a return to the ring, with rumours emerging of WWE planning a Roman Reigns vs. The Rock match at next year’s WrestleMania.
During a recent conversation with the media ahead of NXT Takeover: Toronto this weekend, according to TalkSport‘s Alex McCarthy, Triple H revealed the real reason why The Rock was spotted in WWE’s Florida training facility.
“The Game” stated that Johnson only came to the PC to visit his daughter Simone, who reportedly trains in Florida with NXT on a part-time basis. HHH said Rock was there “as a proud daddy”.
Triple H also says The Rock's visit to the Performance Center in Orlando was all about his daughter. He was just there as a 'proud daddy'.
Doesn't seem like he was there on any other business… but, would HH say if he was?omit_script=1 😏
— Alex McCarthy (@AlexM_talkSPORT) August 8, 2019
Triple H would then go on to sing the praises of Simeone Johnson, even likening her work ethic and passion to that of her legendary father:
Triple H says The Rock's daughter Simone, who is training in Orlando, works just as hard as him and "the nut didn't fall too far from the tree with that one".
"She shares his passion for the business and if she really wants it, nothing can stop her."
— Alex McCarthy (@AlexM_talkSPORT) August 8, 2019
There is no word on when Simeone Johnson will be ready to make her NXT TV debut. However, it is believed that she is still relatively new to training.
The Rock recently revealed that he has quietly retired from wrestling. Therefore, it certainly seems like he was not at the WWE Performance Center to prepare for an in-ring return.
During the same interview, Triple H not only revealed that Drew McIntyre and Cesaro both “constantly ask” about making appearances in NXT UK, but also that he is in the process of planning for the return of the Mae Young Classic.
