The Rock to return on WWE RAW with a major announcement for CM Punk vs. John Cena? Exploring potential Night of Champions twist

The Rock could finally make his long-awaited return to WWE on this week's RAW, and in typical Final Boss fashion, he could shake things up with a massive announcement for the upcoming match between John Cena and CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions.

The Final Boss was last seen at Elimination Chamber 2025, where he played a major role in John Cena's shocking heel turn. Many fans thought The Rock would actively play a part in the buildup to WrestleMania 41, but The Great One did not grace the WWE Universe with his presence after that.

However, his absence could end on this week's edition of Monday Night RAW, as The Final Boss could return and make himself the special guest referee for John Cena vs. CM Punk at WWE Night of Champions.

Cena's remarks in the last few weeks have raised a lot of eyebrows, potentially including a People's Eyebrow as well. While cutting a promo a few weeks ago on SmackDown, The Never Seen 17 surprisingly noted that he did not sell his soul to The Rock; he just grabbed an opportunity that presented itself.

On top of that, John Cena delivered his version of the pipebomb promo on last week's SmackDown, during which he mocked CM Punk by calling him "Mr. TKO." Cena has seemingly distanced himself from the company lately, which begs the question: How does The Rock, who is a member of the board of directors, feel about this?

We may get an answer to this on this week's RAW, as The Final Boss could make his return and announce that he would be serving as the special guest referee for the clash between Cena and Punk at Night of Champions. This potential twist could add a layer of unpredictability to the match.

This could even open up the possibility of a double turn happening during the match. Cena's recent attitude may cost him, as The Rock could betray The Last Real Champion by helping The Second City Saint win the title. Punk could adopt the "Mr. TKO" moniker and sell his soul to The Final Boss. This would mark a heel turn for The Second City Saint and a face turn for Cena.

The Franchise Player could spend the remaining six months of his career trying to redeem himself against the authority before riding off into the sunset. While it could be exciting, it should be noted that this scenario is only speculative, and nothing has been confirmed.

Veteran believes The Rock's relationship with WWE has been strained

While speaking on a recent episode of The Coach and Bro Show, former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman discussed The Rock's absence in the Stamford-based promotion. Coachman believed the reason for The Rock not showing up after Elimination Chamber 2025 could be his deteriorating relationship with the higher-ups of the company.

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"The more time that goes by, and not only is The Rock not showing up, but he’s not even commenting on a product that he is on the board of directors of. And you can’t tell me that he’s so busy making movies and doing his promotional stuff that he can’t tweet or do videos on Instagram. So, don’t you believe that there’s something real here that you and I broke several months ago? (...) Almost five months and Cena’s heel turn, that Rock started and not a peep. Don’t you think that’s intentional?" Coachman said. [H/T - TJRWrestling]

It will be interesting to see when and how The Final Boss gets involved in WWE again.

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