He was recently profiled in Fortune Magazine as the piece they wrote describes the Rock’s story that all WWE fans are well familiar with at this stage. How his family struggled to get by living off the wrestling business. How Dwayne would go to the University of Miami one of the top college football programs in the country but would eventually be replaced by eventual NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. This would take his journey to Canada to try to keep his football dream alive in the CFL. He would never play a game for Calgary and be cut from the practice roster. He would return home with seven bucks in his pocket and decide to join the family business at the reluctance of his father Rocky Johnson. He would have a rocky start before he would become one on the biggest stars in wrestling history. He was offered a small role in a movie with one line that would end up getting his own spin off movie based on his character. He was off to the races from there and eventually became to big a movie star to remain in wrestling.
He has made returns since popping in and out making a series of appearances tied to Wrestlemanias 27-29. Along the way, working with John Cena and C.M Punk, two of the biggest stars in the current WWE landscape at the time. He has made one off appearances on a somewhat regular basis since that time back in 2011. Reading the Fortunate article makes you wonder if that will be possible going forward. His last appearance with the WWE there was a vague tease to a match between himself and Triple H at a Wrestlemania to be determined. While many speculate about it being this upcoming mania it likely makes more sense to be the following year. The WWE will attempt to fill AT&T Stadium that could have a set up that would allow the WWE to shoot for 100.000 people to attend a Wrestlemania.
One wonders where the Rock would have the time reading this article, which focuses on the production company he owns and works with his ex-wife Danny Garcia. The length list of projects the Rock is to be involved in makes the idea of him coming back to wrestle and be a part of anything in a major way seem next to impossible.
Also factor in the WWE is losing money with the lack of success of the WWE Network can they even afford The Rock even if he is willing to cut them some kind of home team discount for his services. You also factor in that the last time he worked a match with John Cena he ended up being injured and thus he would appear at Wrestlemania 30 as a surprise but did nothing but cut a promo with Austin and Hogan.
Rock was set to make Hercules coming out of that match with Cena. He would literally be rehabilitating him self during the making of that movie. He wowed Hollywood with his ability to play hurt during the making of that film. In wrestling that is more the expected than the celebrated to work injured. Still it left a bad taste in most Hollywood people’s mouths about The Rock going back to play wrestler. So it makes the idea of him wrestling another match seem to be a real question mark.
It would make a ton of sense to see him work with his cousin Roman Reigns who like the Rock played at a Division I school in Georgia Tech and would see his football goals take him to Canada to play for Edmonton. Unlike his more famous cousin, Roman would play five games for Edmonton but he too would eventually go into the family business. Roman is pegged to be the next big star to replace John Cena and he needs The Rock’s help far more than John Cena ever did.
Still you have to wonder if The Rock’s success outside of wrestling is going to prevent him from ever being able to have a legitimate program of any kind going forward. At 42 years old, he is in his prime still for acting but in terms of wrestling, it is near the end of the line for most around this age if they have the means to retire.
The Rock has means too and than some. He only seems to come back to the WWE to have fun and to give some form of thanks for them helping him get into the acting world in which he has risen to the top. It is a great bio piece on The Rock and it really makes you take a step back and see how well he has done in his post-wrestling career. There likely will never be anyone more successful after his or her time in the ring than Dwayne Johnson.
What the future holds with Rock and WWE remains a question mark. It seems to be a relationship that he still values and the WWE should be eternally grateful for that. Rock may be his own billionaire soon enough if he isn’t already.
I enjoyed reading this
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