Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Spotted In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford resident and Darien firefighter Shane Smith and his son, Blake, had some time to waste Tuesday night while Shane's daughter finished up softball practice at Stamford High School.

Blake, 7, who is just becoming a fan of WWE, routinely asks his father after basketball practice on Tuesday evenings to go see the giant WWE championship belt that's on display outside of the company's new headquarters on Washington Boulevard.

Around 7:30 p.m., the two headed over to the sparkling new HQ building, when all of a sudden, a few dark colored SUVs pulled up.

Out stepped Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"Being a wrestling fan, I knew exactly who The Rock was," Shane told Patch. Blake had just attended his first wrestling show in Bridgeport a few weeks ago, and he recognized The Rock, too.

"The Rock was walking by and he saw my son, and [The Rock] goes, 'Can I get a picture with you?'" Shane said. "The Rock was so nice. He took the time out of his day to take 30 seconds to make a kid's day. It was amazing."

Shane said The Rock was filming some promotional/interview-type segments, although it was unclear what it was for.

On Tuesday, it was announced that The Rock was joining the board of directors for TKO Group, WWE's parent company. The Rock and officials from TKO Group/WWE rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange that morning.

Also on Tuesday, WWE announced a $5 billion deal to bring its flagship weekly program "Monday Night Raw" to Netflix in 2025.

The Rock left the WWE in 2004 to pursue a full-time acting career, and he has been back here and there with a handful of appearances over the years.

On Jan. 1, The Rock made a surprise return to "Raw" and appeared to call out his cousin and WWE champion, Roman Reigns, potentially setting up a future showdown.

One of the WWE's premium live events, the Royal Rumble, is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 27, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Blake wants to tune in, according to his father.