'The Rock' announces WWE return for Smackdown

The Rock will return when Smackdown makes its Fox debut on Friday [Courtesy]

The Rock has announced he is returning to WWE this Friday, declaring "there's no place like home".

The eight-time WWE champion announced in August he had "quietly retired from wrestling" - but The Rock is back and will appear on WWE Smackdown as it makes its debut on US network Fox.

One of the most popular wrestlers of all time, The Rock has become the world's biggest movie star, having recently been named the highest-paid actor for 2019 by Forbes with a cool $124million intake.

But even when he announced his retirement he hinted at a return, saying: "There's nothing like a live crowd, live audience, live microphone."

And he has now announced to his 14 million Twitter followers that he is to return to the squared circle, as WWE chiefs pull out all the stops to make Smackdown's Fox debut a success.

But The Rock is back and will appear on WWE Smackdown as it makes its debut on US network Fox, after announcing his return to his 14 million Twitter followers.

He tweeted: "FINALLY...I come back home to my @WWE universe. This FRIDAY NIGHT, I’ll return for our debut of SMACKDOWN!"

He added: "There’s no greater title than #thepeopleschamp. And there’s no place like home. Tequila on me after the show."

Real name Dwayne Johnson, The Rock has come and gone from WWE a number of times in recent years, with Hollywood commitments taking precedence.

His last big feud in the company came with John Cena culminating at WrestleMania 29, while his last official match took place at WrestleMania 32 - an impromptu bout that saw him defeat Erick Rowan in a record six seconds.

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