Dwayne Johnson’s wrestling again! It is great news for WWE fans, who have always enjoyed the shows he put on, but it does not come without its prices.
The talented movie star, who rose to fame as a wrestler, returned to a WWE wrestling ring for the first time in over a decade for WrestleMania 40 last April. However, his body has not been responding the same way to the training as it did a decade ago.
Dwayne Johnson’s Wrestling Impeded By Age
At 52, Dwayne Johnson is no longer the young man he used to be, yet he is returning to perform in a ring against people with no other careers besides wrestling. He knows he is out of shape by now, even though he is probably much fitter than most men on earth right now. Hence, there is a need for extensive training. However, given his age, it has not been easy for him to keep up.
“It’s incredibly hard,” the actor told PEOPLE on Tuesday, December 17, at the opening of Cirque du Soleil ‘Auana in Honolulu. “The training becomes really extensive, and the training camp becomes extensive.”
“So, I went [to] training camp for WrestleMania, which was about an eight- to nine-week training camp,” he adds. “It’s really fast, and fortunately, I was able to get through it all.”
Is Dwayne Johnson Still A Wrestler?
Dwayne Johnson may have become one of Earth’s most sought-after male actors, but he has not forgotten his origins—wrestling.
The famous actor is no longer into wrestling full-time like he was in the pre-2000s, but he hasn’t officially hung his underwear. He has continued to appear on WWE programming every chance he gets, and fans love it every time. In 2011, he returned to WWE, competing in matches against the likes of CM Punk and John Cena.
His last big match was at WrestleMania 29 in 2013, where he lost the WWE Title to John Cena. Since then, he continued to make sporadic appearances in WWE, with his last match after the Cena feud being a six-second win against Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 in 2016.
After 2019, he stepped away for an extended period, almost four years, but returned in September 2023, once again to a huge, excited crowd. Earlier that day, he spoke to Pat McAfee about his potential return to the ring.
“Honestly, brother, it’s not the injury that I’m concerned about because that’s just part of it,” The Rock said. “It’s just part of the game you sign up for. You get hurt. We all get hurt. That’s just the way it is. It’s not even the schedule because I can control the schedule to a large degree.”
He added: “Me going back to WWE and wrestling a match, it always comes down to the reason why and what can we create that’s never been done before for the fans.”
Did Dwayne Johnson Restart His Wrestling Career?
Dwayne Johnson’s wrestling career seems to be back in swing. He was back between the ropes this April, teaming up with Roman Reigns to face off against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, whom he refers to as “great dance partners.”
Since then, Johnson, who has been promoting “Moana 2,” chose to go through another seven-week training camp for 2025’s “The Smashing Machine.” There’s speculation, often fueled by the movie star, that fans may witness him in the ring again. If it ever happens, many suspect WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas next year will be the platform for it.
When Did Dwayne Johnson Start Wrestling?
Dwayne Johnson’s wrestling career began in 1996 when he made his professional debut. He was first introduced as Rocky Maivia, a name coined from his father, Rocky Johnson’s name, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, who were also wrestlers.
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