THE ROCK & A HARD PLACE
Star has returned to professional wrestling, but do fans want him?
It was odd seeing Dwayne (The Final Boss née The Rock) Johnson enter the ring at Wrestlemania XL with his own title belt. He hasn't wrestled in eight years.
But after The Final Boss had whipped Cody Rhodes with a weightlifting waistband and hoisted that belt to a roaring crowd of 70,000 people on April 6, it was clear that the man who helped turn wrestling mainstream, then left it to become a movie star, had found a new role. Johnson had also completed one of the most notable comebacks in this not-quite-sport. His win, of course, was scripted. But there'd been no guarantee that WWE fans would accept him — he's a wrestling legend from another century who, some suspected, only returned to the ring after Hollywood got stale.
Why he returned is a mystery. Maybe Hollywood execs had tired of Johnson's trademark performance.
Maybe it had something to do with reports that Johnson was ruffling feathers behind the scenes, allegedly pushing for producer credits on films or requiring his tequila brand at promo events. It couldn't be a coincidence that he had joined the board of WWE'S parent company weeks before his match, could it?
But Johnson knows how to pivot. So he embraced the hate and become WWE'S next big bad guy.
The third-generation star of a real-life bloodline that pioneered the professional wrestling industry, Johnson debuted to jeers in 1996 as Rocky Maivia, who had hokey outfits and a corny smile. A year later, Johnson transformed his persona into a trash-talking, overly confident badass now known as The Rock.
Johnson became a nine-time world champion over the next four years (he won his 10th title during a short stint in 2013). His catchphrases changed dictionaries and his outfits became Halloween staples. He is largely credited with bolstering wrestling's golden “Attitude Era,” when anywhere between five million to 10 million people watched the WWE'S weekly shows.
After moonlighting as an actor in the Mummy franchise and remakes of Walking Tall and Get Smart, Johnson made a splash in 2011 as Lucas (Luke) Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise. This opened up a 12-year, onagain, off-again partnership with the franchise, alongside roles in two Jumanji sequels and Disney's Moana. His resumé now includes 60 movies and 29 TV appearances. He launched a clothing collection, tequila brand and skin-care line.
Meanwhile, wrestling was evolving. After years of cheesy scripts and childish gags, the pandemic emptied arenas and caused WWE to focus on intentional and longform storytelling.
There has also been a shakeup in leadership: Longtime WWE chairman Vince Mcmahon retired in 2022 amid accusations of sexual assault and abuse, which he denied. A corporate merger the next year left WWE with a new creative leader, Paul Levesque, who has focused on recruiting wrestlers already popular outside the industry. Rhodes is a Today show darling. Rhea Ripley is all over Tiktok. Logan Paul is the U.S. champion, and commentator Pat Mcafee has a daily ESPN show.
So it wasn't surprising when Johnson became a board member of WWE'S parent company TKO in January. But when he announced he'd also return to the ring at Wrestlemania, some fans bristled. Many feared he would steal the spotlight from Rhodes, who spent more than a year trying to win WWE'S heavyweight title.
But Johnson leaned into it. He became WWE'S ultimate villain, The Final Boss.
The Final Boss is a meaner, foulmouthed version of The Rock, with an egotistical edge. The Final Boss carries the People's Champion belt, bestowed upon him by Muhammad Ali's family 24 hours before Wrestlemania. The Final Boss has a 15-minute ring entrance that's packed with flames, lightning and thunderous music. The Final Boss swears on live TV, whips people with belts, screams at referees to ignore the rules.
He drew more heat from fans than any wrestler in the last two months and drew more than 145,000 people to Wrestlemania over two nights at the event — a record for the company. Ratings for WWE'S Raw and Smackdown television shows skyrocketed.
Hardcore fans started to come around, too. “He knew how to flip the script,” said Damon Varges, one of the thousands of fans in Philadelphia that weekend. “The way he came on, and the way he became an a--hole, the way he was, that was perfect for this ultimate Wrestlemania. I love what The Rock is doing.”
Identity is a blurry notion in wrestling. Johnson is now The Final Boss, but sometimes he's still The Rock, and sometimes he's just Dwayne Johnson.
After he won his tag match against Rhodes, Johnson attended a press event sans persona. He promoted his upcoming movie, an A24 biopic called The Smashing Machine. He held the room in his easygoing aura for 19 minutes.
Rhodes made a comeback the following night, beating Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania's main event and becoming the new heavyweight champion. But the night after that, on WWE'S weekly show Monday Night Raw, Johnson was back in character as he crashed the victory celebration.
(The Rock) knew how to flip the script. The way he came on, and the way he was ... that was perfect for this ultimate Wrestlemania.