By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE champion The Rock outlined the long-term plans working with John Cena in an interview with Matt Fowler of IGN.com discussing his TV shoot for "The Hero."

"You have to understand that my return back into the WWE was years in the making. And since I've been back, it's been a three year-long journey that started at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta," Rock said. "So, John has always been my first choice (to work with)."

Rock added that when he decided to return to WWE, he surveyed the roster and wanted to work with the full-time wrestler he could do the most business with.

"Here's the thing," Rock said. "The question was that if I was going to go back in the WWE, how could I go back and make the most impact? With who can I headline WrestleMania in that company and make the most impact? And the bottom line is that it continues to be John Cena. Just in terms of, and we'll use a Hollywood term here, box office appeal. Universal appeal. Athletic pairing. So there are a lot of reasons."

Rock also acknowledged that part of his mission returning to WWE is to elevate Cena, which results in strengthening WWE by having its top full-time star in a stronger position. But, he said he looks forward to helping bring massive attention to WWE, Cena, and WrestleMania in the New York market.

"What I'm talking about is being able to go back to the WWE and give back to the business, which is in my blood and has allowed me a platform to perform which then, 12 years ago, allowed me to make he transition to Hollywood," Rock said. "So the scenario I've dreamed of is that I'm able to go back, become WWE champion, go into the what is considered the biggest marketplace in the world, which is the New York City area, at MetLife Stadium and headline WrestleMania as champion and give back to the business, the fans, the company, and their number one hero. So I couldn't have asked for a better scenario and we're going to have a blast."

What about match quality working with Cena in the WM29 main event? Rock said, "I think we're going to have a great match and my hope is that it's going to be a classic."

[ READ MORE: PWTorch senior columnist Bruce Mitchell's PWTorch Newsletter-exclusive column this week captures everything Rock is talking about after the Mania picture was revealed this week on Raw. VIP members can read Mitchell's in-depth column detailing exactly what Rock said in this interview at this link in this week's Torch Newsletter. Not VIP? Find out to subscribe and read Mitchell's weekly column by clicking here - PWTORCH.COM. ]

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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