Tag: The Rock

Dave Meltzer Provides WWE Backstage Update On The Rock Vs. Roman Reigns

Things are very up in the air for WWE right now, with the promotion capping off a “great week” by fielding just as many questions regarding a lawsuit, and accusations of sexual assault, against former chairman Vince McMahon as they did their new Netflix deal. They also found time to hold their Royal Rumble PLE, which saw Cody Rhodes win the Men’s Rumble, and immediately challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40.

Rhodes’ victory led to more questions than answers, however, particularly whether this meant the long-rumored match between The Rock and Roman Reigns was off. As it turns out, it is and it isn’t. On the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer confirmed that Rhodes vs. Reigns is the planned WrestleMania 40 main event this year, and will take place as a singles match, without any involvement from The Rock.

That being said, The Rock is still expected to come back to WWE, and a match between him and Reigns is in the cards. When and where the match will take place remains to be seen, as conversations between Rock, who was named to WWE/TKO’s board of directors last week, and WWE, regarding the match are said to be ongoing.

The delay in Rock vs. Reigns will give Rhodes a chance to finally “finish the story” and capture the Undisputed WWE Title, something he failed to do against Reigns last year at WrestleMania 39. Reigns meanwhile will look to continue his record-setting reign as champion, which has lasted for over 1,240 days, putting him only 234 days short of passing Hulk Hogan’s 1,470 day reign as WWE Champion in the 1980s.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Inducted Into Polynesian Football Hall Of Fame

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The Miami Hurricanes announced the news on Twitter, which The Rock retweeted.

The Great One wrote,

“Thank you Fam.

Life’s road is long, wild and unpredictable.

Core values & relentless work ethic principles I learned at @CanesFootball. Honored and grateful to be inducted in the @PolynesianFBHOF.”

The Rock was inducted alongside Domata Peko and Reno Mahe as the Class of 2024.

https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1748812979909677249

Source: eWn

WWE May Consider Other Options For The Rock vs. Roman Reigns

After WWE Monday Night Raw, the hot topic of discussion was the potential showdown between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns, fueling speculation that it could happen at WrestleMania 40. 

Many believe that this marked the beginning of the highly anticipated match between the two.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE may hold the match at Elimination Chamber next month instead of WrestleMania or in Saudi Arabia. 

“But nothing is official. Everyone is tight-lipped completely past Johnson would not have said what he did at the time he did without the plan being to build to such a match. While one would think WrestleMania would be the place, it also could be in Perth, Australia, given the story that the government there specifically requested Johnson on the 2/24 Elimination Chamber show, and it also could be at the next show in Saudi Arabia, which does not have a date. The government there is paying ridiculous money for shows already and bringing Johnson in could possibly negotiate a bonus that would make it the biggest money event in company history,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWn

Backstage News On WWE’s Groundwork For The Rock vs. Roman Reigns Dream Match

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a surprise return to WWE on Monday night’s ‘Day 1’ themed episode of RAW, confronting Jinder Mahal and teasing a potential match with his cousin, Roman Reigns.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio is reporting that a potential dream matchup between The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 is not yet confirmed.

However, it was noted that Reigns began using the “Head of the Table” and “Tribal Chief” as nicknames years ago to set up an eventual blockbuster clash with The Rock.

Meltzer said, “That whole thing, ‘The Head of the Table’ and all that, and ‘Tribal Chief,’ was all done originally to build up the Roman Reigns-Rock match.”

It was further stated that a matchup between The Rock and Reigns has been on WWE’s radar before, with The Great One previously turning down an offer to lay the smackdown on The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, TX. Meltzer said,

“I remember they were gonna do the Dallas show [WrestleMania 38] and then it was gonna be Los Angeles [WrestleMania 39]. He turned down the first one to do the second one, which would have been Los Angeles. Then Los Angeles ended up being canceled, kind of in December, I think.”

During an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay this past September, The Rock confirmed that his dream match with Reigns was in the works for WrestleMania 39, but plans later fell through.

Only time will tell if The Rock vs. Roman Reigns finally happens at WrestleMania XL this year.

Source: eWn

The Rock Returns To WWE Raw On New Year’s Day, Teases Challenge Against Roman Reigns

After tons of speculation this week about “a former WWE champion” returning to WWE on tonight’s episode of “Raw,” the thousands of fans in the San Diego, California crowd, and the millions at home let out an audible sigh when Jinder Mahal hit the ring. But as “The Modern Day Maharaja” chastised the United States, expectations boomed for something more, and none other than The Rock made his way down the ramp, sending the place into a frenzy. From there, things only got more intriguing.

As Rock sang a custom rendition of the United States National Anthem to Mahal, things ended with more physicality than we’ve seen from “The People’s Champion” in several years, hammering Mahal with his trademark right hands, dropping him with a Spinebuster, and putting an end the altercation, of course, with The People’s Elbow.

From there, Rock thanked San Diego, told the crowd he loved them, and said he was hungry. He noted plans to go out and get something to eat but asked the crowd if he should sit in a booth, or maybe at the bar (which drew a pop from the audience, gleefully ending the holiday season themselves), or maybe, just maybe, he should take a seat at the head of the table.

Could that finally mean what the collective would think it to mean? Common sense would say that he wouldn’t utter those specific words without a specific payoff in mind. With WrestleMania season right around the corner, as well as a massive Elimination Chamber event in Perth, Australia, the conversation is only just getting started.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Video: WWE Alum Dwayne Johnson Surprises 21 Make-A-Wish Kids At Universal Studios

Pro wrestling and the Make-A-Wish Foundation have always been closely connected, with top stars like John Cena having granted over 650 wishes in 21 years. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has also been heavily involved with the organization, including donating over $100,000 to them just last year. Recently, he set out to top that by granting not one, but many wishes all in one day.

“The Today Show” posted on X a 4-minute video detailing Johnson’s meeting with 21 Make-A-Wish kids at Universal Studios Hollywood. Johnson would surprise all the kids, and their families, during the Universal Studios backlot tour, and proceeded to serve as the tour guide. All told Johnson would go well over the one hour he was supposed to spend with the kids and their families, ultimately spending 5 hours interacting with everyone. As Johnson explained to “Today’s” Jacob Soboroff, Make-A-Wish has always been something dear to him, ever since his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, granted the first New Jersey Make-A-Wish in 1983.

“This little boy, Bobby, I’ll never forget it, his last wish was to meet my dad,” Johnson said. “It puts things into perspective for you right away.” When asked why Johnson had put so much energy into his involvement with Make-A-Wish, when he could realistically work with any charity in the world, an emotional Johnson pointed to how helpful and meaningful moments like this were to those going through something difficult. “These are kids,” Johnson said. “And the cards that they are dealt, they didn’t ask for it, but they’re playing these hands the best they can. These kids are so strong.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Merger between Dwayne Johnson’s XFL and USFL approved for March 2024 launch

A report from Sports Business Journal has indicated that federal regulators have approved the merger of the XFL and the USFL.

The combined league is now set for its debut on March 30, 2024 to play a combined season, with terms being finalized of the definitive agreement per a statement from both parties.

The USFL, owned by Fox Sports, re-launched in 2021, while the XFL was purchased by RedBird Capital Partners, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Dany Garcia before playing a full season in 2022, following a shortened season in 2020.

Source: NBCSports via eWn

Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s Production Company Working On Docuseries About Fall Of WCW

In addition to his status as a major movie star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has his own production company, known as Seven Bucks Productions. In addition to producing movies he stars in, Johnson has endeavored to finance other projects, such as the recent “Tales from the Territories,” the documentary “Stuntman,” and the film “Fighting With My Family.” A new report from Deadline indicates that another wrestling project is on the horizon for Johnson. This time, it’s a docu-series focused on the history of World Championship Wrestling, the once-dominant Turner promotion that folded in the early 2000s and was bought out by WWE. Deadline stated that Seven Bucks is partnering with Vice Media for the series, though it’s not known when it’s planned for release.

The report referred to the end of WCW as “mysterious,” hinting that the upcoming series will focus on the reasons behind the company’s downfall. WCW got its start in 1988 when Ted Turner purchased the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions, turning them into a new brand that would air on his TV networks. Though the company eventually rose to challenge and even briefly surpassed WWE, it wouldn’t last. The last real WCW match took place in March 2001, and the company was bought out several months later.

Appearing on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” co-hosts Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez poked fun at the idea of labeling WCW’s downfall as “mysterious.” Additionally, the two men pointed out that Johnson was likely too busy at the time to be watching WCW’s programming, and if he had watched the company’s shows, the reasons behind WCW’s demise wouldn’t be a mystery. Meltzer also believes he has an idea of how the finished product will come across.

“I presume that they’ll have Bischoff all over it, and once you have Bischoff all over it, you’re just going to have the total ‘full of st’ story,” Meltzer said. “‘All those people [were] out to get us’ as opposed to — you know, you just f*ed up. You drove all your fanbase away. … I don’t want to say it’s just him, but he was part of that deal.”

Meltzer stated that the reasons behind the end of WCW were the falling ratings and loss of profits, making it relatively straightforward to determine why the company went out of business when it did.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Rock And Pat McAfee Appeared On SmackDown

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned (alongside Pat McAfee) to run down Austin Theory in Denver, Colorado on Friday night, and those in attendance at the “SmackDown” Hotel made a lot of noise for the returning People’s Champion, who hadn’t been seen on WWE television since 2019.

McAfee, who had appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” an hour away on ESPN and will co-host “College GameDay” from the same location on Saturday, made the journey to the Ball Arena to greet the WWE Universe, but was interrupted by former foe Austin Theory. After telling Theory he was just out there “enjoying the local laws,” McAfee brought out The Rock, who had appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier in the day, to an objectively earth-shaking ovation from the Denver crowd.

The Rock soaked in the crowd’s adoration for a while before heading down the ring, taking off his jacket, and announcing that “The Rock has finally come back to Denver!” He soon had the crowd running down Theory as well, though those at home listened mostly to a muted broadcast as Fox opted to sensor the organic “holy s*” chants and somewhat less than organic “You’re an ahole” chants. Eventually, Theory tried to get the jump on Rock, but was denied and taken to the ground before the Hollywood star hit Theory with the People’s Elbow. The Rock then gestured for McAfee, who had been dancing and observing in the corner for the segment, to hit a People’s Elbow of his own. The pair celebrated in the ring while Theory was left laying.

In addition to his in-ring segment, Rock briefly encountered John Cena backstage, but as of this writing he has not been seen interacting with any current or former member of The Bloodline. During his “McAfee” appearance, Johnson said there had been plans for a match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and said he’s open to a match with Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Johnson is also currently dealing with the Hollywood writers’ strike and its impact on his broader media endeavors.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

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The Rock makes huge donation to SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund

The Rock has donated to help those currently striking in Hollywood.

According to report from Variety, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson contributed a “seven-figure donation” for the SAG-AFTRA Emergency Financial Assistance Program, which will go to help the actors that are currently on strike.

The SAG-AFTRA union has been on strike since July 13, after they joined the Writer’s Guild of America, which has been on strike since May 2.

The report also notes that SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance and the Foundations Executive Director Cyd Wilson drafted a letter to 2,700 of the union’s highest-earning actors, detailing the financial need for actors while they continue to strike.

According to Vance, shortly after the letter was sent, Johnson’s team reached out saying they wanted to help. Variety did not have any specifics on the total amount that Johnson actually donated.

Wilson told Variety – “It was a love fest. It’s like, ‘Man, you’re stepping up in a way that is allowing others to know the dire necessity of it,’” Vance told Variety. “This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do.’ And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”

Wilson also stated that there are 160,000 SAG-AFTRA performers that are going to need help.” He further added that the donation is the kickstart needed in the first week of what he thinks will be a “long haul.”

It has been previously reported that Dwayne Johnson is set to make $50 million with his new Christmas movie “Red One” from Amazon Studios, which will release exclusively on Prime Video later this year.

Source: WrestleView