On the July 7th episode of SmackDown followed in the footsteps of Dwayne Johnson, and made his main roster in-ring debut for WWE at Madison Square Garden.
On the show, the former NXT star hosted the Grayson Waller Effect with Edge as a special guest. After some not-so-gentle prodding, Edge dropped the bombshell, that far from retiring, he’d be wrestling Waller later that night.
Although the veteran picked up the win, he tipped his hat to Waller after the bell, telling him he “swam,” a reference to their back and forth earlier and his need to “sink or swim.”
After the show — never one to undersell himself — Waller compared his in-ring debut on the main roster to that of The Rock, or as the confident Aussie called him, the “bloke with the cringle tassels.”
“This biggest debut in Madison Square Garden since that bloke who wore the cringe tassels”
The Rock famously made his own main roster debut make at the 1996 Survivor Series also inside the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena.’ Known as Ricky Maivia, the star was the sole survivor for his team, and has routinely poked fun at his appearance and performance in recent years.
Dwayne Johnson Given Less Favourable Comparison to Another WWE Star
![WWE: Así fue el debut de The Rock hace 24 años en Survivor Series 1996 [VIDEO] | Dwayne Johnson | Lucha libre | RPP Noticias](https://e.rpp-noticias.io/xlarge/2020/11/17/464146_1023852.jpg)
While Grayson Waller was quick to compare himself to The Great One, a number of fans and critics have drawn comparisons between the now Hollywood star and LA Knight. Even the star himself has admitted to trying to learn from The Rock and Steve Austin as he was growing up and getting into the industry.
However, Kevin Nash believes that Knight is doing more than simply taking inspiration, slamming the rising star as an “absolute rip off” of the WWE legend.
