The Rock was two hours late to WWE World, and then trolls crowd, blaming Jalen Hurts and the Eagles

Once Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson finally made it to the stage Thursday night, the crowd in attendance welcomed his arrival with boos.

The Rock at the WWE Wrestlemania 40 news conference in Las Vegas on Feb. 9.Read moreWWE

by Gabriela Carroll

Published April 5, 2024, 2:23 p.m. ET

Wrestlers turning heel in the ring is just part of the deal at WrestleMania, but Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson got ahead of his big return by provoking the crowd before he even steps foot in Lincoln Financial Field.

The Rock was scheduled to appear at WWE World, an immersive WWE convention ahead of WrestleMania, at 4 p.m. on Thursday. But as minutes ticked by, the movie star failed to make an appearance. Fans started to leave and questioned whether something bigger was going on behind the scenes to justify his late arrival.

Once he finally made it to the stage at nearly 6 p.m., the crowd in attendance welcomed his arrival with boos.

“What are you booing? Are you booing because The Rock was supposed to be here at 4 o’clock, is that what you’re booing?” The Rock said to the crowd as he entered.

Then, he took a shot at Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“[The Rock] was watching YouTube, watching Jalen Hurts lose in the playoffs again,” he said. “You boo because it’s the truth. Now, The Rock has shown up, you got greatness in front of you, you stand there, shut your mouth and enjoy the ride that The Rock is cooking.”

The Eagles collapsed down the stretch in 2023 before losing to Tampa Bay in the wild card round and lost in the Super Bowl the season prior.

But Hurts and the Birds are still beloved in Philadelphia, and showing up late and then bashing Philly’s favorite team is a surefire way to get a frosty reception on stage at the Linc on Saturday — which might be exactly how The Rock wants it.