Dave Meltzer believes The Rock is unlikely to wrestle at WrestleMania 43 due to his expected filming commitments.
WrestleMania 43 is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with organisers reportedly interested in having The Rock compete on the card. However, Dwayne Johnson is also scheduled to appear in Fast Forever, the planned final instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise. Vin Diesel recently told Variety that the film is targeting a December start for production.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer suggested that schedule would make preparing for a WrestleMania match extremely difficult.
“Because that movie is gonna take months to film, if he is in it, which he is scheduled to be in it, that him doing a match at WrestleMania would be out the window,” Meltzer said.
Meltzer did not rule out The Rock appearing at WrestleMania 43 in a non-wrestling capacity, noting that he could still travel to Saudi Arabia during production.
“Could he fly to Saudi Arabia and show up? Of course. Of course he could, and he could always do that.”
The Rock WrestleMania 43 Match Considered ‘Very Unlikely’
According to Dave Meltzer, the bigger obstacle would be finding sufficient time for The Rock to prepare physically for another match.
“I know that the Saudis really wanted him to wrestle on that show next year, and if they offer enough money, there may be a way, but I don’t know where he’s gonna get time to train when he’s doing a movie like that,” Meltzer said.
The Rock has undergone extensive training before his previous returns to the ring, and Meltzer doesn’t believe he would agree to compete without proper preparation.
“To get Dwayne to do something at this stage, especially in Saudi Arabia, the amount of money would be giant,” Meltzer said. “But, like I said, from a timing standpoint, I think it would be very unlikely he’s doing a match.”
The reported production schedule for Fast Forever is not yet finalised. Diesel said filming could begin in December if he can meet a request from Universal, which has reportedly sought a significant reduction in the film’s budget. The film is currently scheduled for release in March 2028.
While Meltzer believes a WrestleMania 43 match is unlikely, he has not ruled out The Rock appearing at the event if his filming schedule allows.
