The Rock threatens to fire WWE official during Wrestlemania 40 match

Hunter Haas
The Rock threatened to fire a WWE referee during his Wrestlemania 40 match

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined his cousin Roman Reigns in a standard tag team matchup during Wrestlemania 40’s first main event. But Rock quickly changed the rules.

The two members of The Bloodline squared off with Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in what was supposed to be a traditional tag team match.

However, once the action spilled outside the ring, and the WWE official began counting out the wrestlers, The Rock changed the rules on the fly.

As the ref counted, Rock looked directly at him and threatened his job, telling him to stop the count and allow the fight to continue.

“Listen to me,” Rock said. “You count, you’re fired. Do you understand? You know The Rock, I don’t f*** around.”

WWE fans noticed this as the fight devolved into a no-disqualification match — essentially presenting “Bloodline Rules” to Rhodes and Rollins.

One fan applauded Rock’s off-the-script decision, claiming he’s “slowly bringing the attitude era back.”

Another fan called Rock’s heel run “epic,” while a different X user pointed out that whoever is in charge of censoring expletives for WWE might also be without a job soon.

Later in the match, as Rhodes was about to seal a victory by covering Roman Reigns, The Rock yanked the ref out of the ring to stop the count.

Typically playing a fan-favorite role, it’s been a breath of fresh air to see The Rock embody a villainous role in such a committed way.

After over 20 years in the wrestling business, many fans believe “The Final Boss” is his best character to date.

About The Author

Hunter Haas is the Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL. You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com