Shawn Michaels Reacts to The Rock’s NXT Appearance Ahead of New Year’s Evil

Just hours before WWE NXT’s New Year’s Evil special airs on The CW, Shawn Michaels took to Twitter to comment on The Rock’s upcoming appearance. The Hall of Famer and current NXT head honcho didn’t hold back his excitement after The Rock announced his return to the developmental brand in a now-viral Instagram video.

Quote-tweeting footage of The Rock teasing his appearance while sitting in his truck, Michaels wrote, “Well, it ain’t every day you get a legend rollin’ through NXT… but today’s that day. Tonight on #WWENXT, @TheRock makes his way to our house. Be ready. It’s gonna be big. @TheCW #NewYearsEvil.”

This marks a rare NXT appearance for The Rock, who set the wrestling world ablaze during his Monday Night RAW Netflix debut. After delivering an uncensored promo and crowning Roman Reigns with the Ula Fala following his victory over Solo Sikoa, The Rock made it clear he wasn’t stopping at RAW. His announcement that he’d also be heading to NXT has fans eagerly waiting to see what “The Great One” has in store.

With Shawn Michaels hyping up The Rock’s visit, tonight’s episode of New Year’s Evil is shaping up to be a must-watch. Whether The Rock is there to shake things up or simply to elevate the brand, his presence promises to bring a level of star power that NXT rarely sees.

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil 2025 Lineup:

• NXT Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs. Oba Femi vs. Eddy Thorpe
• NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Giulia
• #1 Contender’s Match for NXT Women’s North American Championship: Cora Jade vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan
• Sudden Death Rules match for NXT Heritage Cup: Lexis King (c) vs. Charlie Dempsey
• Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx) vs. Gigi Dolin, Shotzi & Tatum Paxley
• The Rock will appear

Ringside News will be providing live play-by-play coverage of tonight’s show over in our WWE NXT coverage hub. It promises to be a memorable episode for many reasons, so it remains to be seen how the show will turn out.