Dwayne Johnson Thought About Pursuing MMA

Dwayne Johnson, otherwise known as The Rock, recalled how he considered walking away from his wrestling career for MMA.

Johnson is one of the most successful wrestlers to have ever graced the sport, having been a 10-time world champion. This included being a Royal Rumble winner in 2000, as well as being the WWE’s sixth Triple Crown champion. And yet, his interest in MMA has been there for all to see. During the UFC 244 event, Johnson was on hand to give Jorge Masvidal the BMF belt. And looking back, Johnson did consider coming into the MMA sphere. 

“PRIDE [a defunct] MMA company just opened up in Japan. I started seeing all these MMA guys going over to PRIDE. At that time, I was making $150,000 dollars wrestling 235 days a year. Do the math on that and how much you’re making per match. We start hearing, ‘These guys in PRIDE are making $250,000, $350,000, $500,000.’ I thought then, ‘F**k, I don’t think I’m going to make it in WWE,” Johnson 

Despite that being the case, Johnson’s career panned out fairly well. In the aftermath of his wrestling career, Johnson has managed to reinvent himself as one of the most successful Hollywood actors around. And moving forward, Johnson’s legacy as the Rock in the WWE continues to this day. 

Reaction

@JonnyBones vs @TheRock: UFC 300!

Make it happen, @danawhite!

— 🐊 Filthy Heathen Kirk 🐊 (@HeathenKirk) November 15, 2023

Really bro ?

— Jet Brown (@JetBrown47) November 16, 2023