Before becoming a huge action star in Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson made his name inside the wrestling ring, which was his first claim to superstardom. Going by his now iconic moniker, The Rock, Johnson dominated his opponents in the WWE, went on to win multiple championships, and etched his name in the history books of the WWE.
An injury two years into his career, coupled with his dwindling popularity in the ring, forced Johnson, then Rocky Maivia, to consider moving away from WWE, to try his luck with mixed martial arts (MMA). The actor spoke of his interest in joining the PRIDE championship in Japan which looked to be a much more lucrative gig than the WWE, and harbored thoughts of trying his hand at MMA there. As it turned out, Johnson got a call back to the WWE, but not before audiences criticized his reasons behind wanting to join MMA.
Why Were Fans Critical Of Dwayne Johnson’s MMA Desire?
Dwayne Johnson publicly stated that he was up for a career in MMA after his first WWE stint waned. The athelete-turned-actor expressed his desire to join the PRIDE championships in Japan, which he said, would a stepping stone to his MMA career, along with being a very lucrative gig.
The star in an interview with Joe Rogan in JRE, also confessed that this decision was brought on by his lean period in the WWE at the time, but also revealed that he was intimidated by the formidable opponents who could destroy his chances in a very short period, if he went through with it. As it turned out, the WWE came back to save the day for Johnson.
”I have this idea in my head ‘maybe I should train in MMA, go to PRIDE, and make real money and I don’t have to smile.’ I’m going to get f****d up, knock one of my lungs loose. At the end of that summer of ‘97 I was rehabbing my injured knee and got the call from Vince McMahon that wound up changing my life. Thank God I got that call, because my career as an MMA fighter in PRIDE would’ve lasted all of 3 minutes.”
Following this information, netizens took to social media to question Dwayne Johnson’s reasoning behind wanting to join MMA. Some felt that his WWE failure was an exaggeration of sorts from the actor, who had already gained superstardom in the first two years. Others believed that The Rock was always aware that his future with the WWE and hence, his desire to join MMA, was not serious.
More significantly, netizens challenged Johnson’s financial motivations to move towards an MMA career, after writer Jonathan Snowden brought up certain facts about the Pride Championships in Japan. Snowden, who was MMA fighter Ken Shamrock’s biographer, stated that the Championship hosted only one event in 1997, and was not as lucrative as Johnson made it out to be, even motivating Shamrock to switch careers from MMA to WWE.
Dwayne Johnson Made A Huge Donation To SAG-AFTRA
The Actors Strike is finally over after many months of negotiations. WWE superstar and Hollywood celebrity Dwayne Johnson’s effort has been monumental, especially towards the support of struggling artists in the industry. Johnson is always known to live life king-size and has proved that his heart is as big as his presence, by making a staggering contribution to the Actors Strike.
The Rock donated a historic 7-figure amount which is said to be around $50 million to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance and Disaster Relief Fund. This is the single largest donation ever made by any individual for the cause. Following his contribution, many A-list actors joined the bandwagon and made generous donations to the cause, which has ultimately paid rich dividends in reaching a compromise that is workable for all concerned.
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