The Rock reflects on 'full-circle' return at WrestleMania with Jimmy Fallon

11/12/2024 02:32 AM

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a very busy man.

He’s about to open his latest picture, Red One, which has drawn headlines for how little it’s projected to gross as well as how often folks used bottles as restrooms on set, he’s GQ’s Entertainer of the Year, and oh yeah, he’s still the most popular member of the WWE Universe despite having worked just one match in 2024.

As his career has expanded to feature animated roles, prestige roles, tequila, energy drinks, and beyond, you would think wrestling has gone onto the back burner, right? Maybe so in terms of his schedule, but for “The Great One,” wrestling will always hold a special place in his heart, as he explained to Jimmy Fallon in a special appearance on The Tonight Show.

“I had such a great time. Cody and Seth and Roman, it was just wild. I grew up in that world of pro wrestling. There’s nothing like when that music hits, and the crowd goes crazy,” The Rock explained via Fightful.

“I grew up in the world of pro wrestling, and I followed the careers of my grandfather and my dad. My grandfather and my dad used to wrestle up here at [Madison Square Garden] in the ’70s, and here I come along, not trying to screw anything up with their legacy. Then all of a sudden, the business has grown into what it’s grown into. TKO now owns WWE, and I have the honor of sitting on the board of TKO. What a full-circle moment. It’s crazy. I started with seven bucks, and now… now it’s not seven bucks.”

Were there financial reasons for The Rock to return to WWE earlier this year? You bet; TKO placed him on the board, and they almost certainly handed him a ten-figure check for his appearance, merch, and insight fees, but he wouldn’t have been cutting 20-minute promos on social media if he wasn’t having the time of his life. And the best part, considering the WWE Universe is getting real close to the Road to WrestleMania once more, he has a chance to do it again in no time.

The Rock recalls his time wrestling for $40 in the USWA

Speaking of his Entertainer of the Year status with GQ, The Rock recalled his time wrestling for $40 per match in the USWA and how that experience taught him to treat people he’s worked with since the “right” way.

“Before I got to the WWE, I wrestled in a small wrestling company called the USWA,” Johnson told GQ. “The USWA was based in Tennessee. Those were the days where I was making 40 bucks per match wrestling in flea markets and used-car dealerships in the parking lot. But guaranteed $40! I ate Waffle House three times a day. What you learn there in cutting your teeth in that world of pro wrestling at that level is to do your best to send everybody home happy. When I got into the business of Hollywood and moviemaking, it’s like, Okay, well, what kind of movies do I want to make? I want to make movies that hopefully are good, that don’t suck. But also reach as many people as possible.”

With two certified tentpole films, Red One and Moanna 2, opening up in November alone, The Rock has a chance to reach a lot of eyes before the calendar flips over to December. While neither film may set the world on fire or put him up for Oscar consideration like his next project, The Smashing Machine, they will both absolutely send fans of all ages home happy.

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