A brawl between a couple of burly, larger-than-life guys culminated with a pair of supervillains looming over our heroes, setting up an incredible cliffhanger as we wait for good to prevail over evil. It could have easily been a scene from one of Dwayne Johnson’s action flicks.
If casual fans of Johnson had watched the finale of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” this week, they might have been surprised to see the main man dressed as one of those bad guys, a menace in a vest with a cow print, ruthlessly taking down opponents with a weight belt.
But this isn’t the Dwayne Johnson that most people know—the blockbuster film star, the girl dad, and the likeable guy selling energy drinks, tequila, and skin care products. At WrestleMania XL, Johnson and his cousin Roman Reigns will be competing as a tag team against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins (pay per view and streaming on Peacock, 7 EDT/4 PDT on Saturday and Sunday). This is “The Rock,” or at least a darker, more sophisticated version of the professional wrestler he rose to fame in the late 1990s. In addition, it’s his best part to date.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (right) has returned to the WWE ring as a villain and is tag-teaming with cousin Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL April 6-7, 2024.
As in Johnson’s best movies (“Fast and Furious,” “Moana”), the fearsome persona who now calls himself the “Final Boss” is a supporting player in a much larger narrative, this one about family and legacy. Since 2000, Reigns’ Bloodline faction (composed mainly of his cousins) has seen more relative drama, intrigue and betrayal than your average season of “Succession,” and Reigns has enjoyed a Universal Championship reign lasting more than 1,300 days.
Rhodes has his own familial history: His legendary father Dusty, who died in 2015, never won the WWE belt, and in a rematch Cody vies with Reigns for the title on Sunday and a chance to “finish the story.” But first Rhodes has to win the Saturday tag-team match, or else it’s “Bloodline rules,” which pretty much means shenanigans and chicanery are afoot.
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Cody Rhodes has been under threat from The Rock (left) in recent weeks, both on WWE programming and social media.
The greatest aspects of pro wrestling have always been those that combine the fantasy with the real. Fans, who have strong, enduring ties to the wrestling community, have long yearned for Rock to face Reigns to determine who is the true “tribal chief” of their extended Samoan family. (An episode of Johnson’s earlier NBC biographical sitcom, “Young Rock,” even hinted at it in passing.) Although at live events the spectators made it clear that Rhodes was their man, that finally appeared to be in the cards for Wrestle Mania earlier this year. The Rock is currently feuding with Rhodes, leaving him in a bloody mess on WWE programming, or launching a curse-laden, 20-minute Instagram diatribe as if it were an unexpected Beyoncé tune. This is after a few brutal slaps, passionate personal insults, and one heel turn.
Johnson, along with other wrestlers-turned-actors Dave Bautista and John Cena, has made sporadic trips back to the WWE ring. Cena took a temporary break from the actors’ strike of the previous year to work with younger performers, such as Solo Sikoa of Bloodline. Typically, Johnson returns as the charismatic “people’s champion,” as he rarely takes center stage in major motion pictures. However, Johnson’s in-ring rendition of Rock is novel since he is dedicated to modifying a well-known persona while ingeniously elevating his own performance.
After the babyface “Rocky Maivia” character flopped in the 1990s, he made his breakthrough as the brash, eye-raising bad guy who everyone liked to hate (and finally just plain ol’ adored) known as The Rock. While he still exudes charisma, the present version of “Hollywood Rock” is hazardous and erratic. Johnson even messed with Rhodes’ dog and sang a threatening overture to her mother from his song “You’re Welcome” from “Moana.” (Rhodes’ wife and child have so far escaped, but it’s still early in the show.)
More significantly, Johnson is demonstrating his creative abilities following the public disappointment of his DC superhero film “Black Adam.” Raising the emotional stakes is the familial element. You can see why Rock and Reigns stand up for the honor of their people, even though they are heels. Johnson, who is 51 years old, has more of a rugged charm than he did 25 years prior. And like any good actor, he’s making everybody around him better: This Rock has lifted up the popular Rhodes as even more of a beloved folk hero than he already was, made the flamboyant Rollins much more interesting and created a spicy “who will turn on whom first?” vibe alongside Reigns. Plus he just looks like he’s having a blast, even as crowds gleefully chant “Rocky sucks” once again.
Unfortunately, we may not get as long as we would like. When Johnson inducts his grandmother Lia Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday night, he probably won’t misbehave. Even though he currently serves on the board of directors of TKO, the company that owns the WWE and UFC, Hollywood will eventually call once again. Johnson most likely won’t be ordering a reporter to play their part and keep quiet when promoting the Christmas film “Red One” later this year.
However, Johnson is killing it in his current capacity and is aware of it. “We love professional wrestling,” he declared to the assembly on Monday. And the Rock is preparing a tantalizingly dangerous journey for newcomers while serving up a reminder to diehard followers of how amazing he can be.
