Browsing: Rock

Bas Rutten is very impressed with how committed The Rock was to playing Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.

Rutten spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about his role in The Smashing Machine.Rutten, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, appears in the movie inspired by Mark Kerrâ€s life. He spoke about working with Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson on the film, and said although they just met, it felt like he was around the real-life Kerr again.

“I just met him on the film for the first time. Weâ€ve been in contact quite a bit online, always interacting, [but the film set is] where I met him the first time,†Rutten said. “He grabbed me and he gave me a big kiss on my head and I go, ‘Okay.†And then I realized, ‘Oh, that was Kerr.†Kerr was always doing that to me.

“Him coming in with all the fight scenes, whatever it was, he was just glued to me, and he says, ‘I want you to do everything. All the directions, I want come from you because you were there. You were actually doing it.†That was the same with Benny Safdie, the director. He also said, ‘Read the script. The script is just to give you a guideline. You say whatever you want to say because itâ€s you. Just be Bas again from 25 years ago.â€

Photo Credit: Eric Zachanowich / A24

Bas Rutten says The Rock made working on The Smashing Machine very easy

Rutten joked that it took “an extra few cups of coffee†to do that because he was younger at the time the film takes place. He explained that working on set went really well, even saying it was pretty easy since Johnson nailed the role.

“People go like “Easy?†Yeah, but the only reason it was easy [was] because DJ was Kerr from the moment he walked in and started speaking. The way he walked, the way heâ€s fighting, if you see him fight in the ring in the movie, pull up a fight from Kerr and [look at] the way he stands. He always had this weird stance, more straight. I always told [Kerr to] stand more over, but he would always stand like this [straight up]. The way he moves his mouth, the way he speaks and cries in the movie, even the movements of the mouth when he cries, it was Kerr.â€

Rutten said this made the set very relaxed and calm, and he just got to teach Johnson just like he taught Kerr, his student, 25 years ago. Rutten didnâ€t agree that Johnson went as far as method acting, but said when he was on the set, he was Mark Kerr.

The 2015 UFC Hall of Famer said Johnson is a busy guy and has the spotlight on him constantly. He noted that itâ€s probably hard to commit to method acting like that, let alone pump his own gas or go to the grocery store without being recognized. After seeing the film on an IMAX screen, Rutten picked up on more traits that highlighted just how much effort Johnson put in to accurately portray Kerr in the film.

“The shoulders that he developed, the ‘Kerr shoulders,â€â€ Rutten noted. “That took a lot of work. I didnâ€t [initially] talk to him about it. It was the first thing I said, though [when I noticed]. When I saw him, I go, ‘Did you work to get the Kerr shoulders?†I know that his coach was there and he said, ‘Yeah, we worked really hard on that.†I can only imagine. So having a guy walk in that like that, walking up straight the way he normally walks, the way he fights, walks when he fights, heâ€s Kerr. He did his homework, 100% in every little detail.â€

Bas Rutten shares what he hopes viewers take from The Smashing Machine

Rutten said The Smashing Machineshows people that everything is not all “nice and dandy†in the spotlight. You never know what people on TV are going through, and the film shows what really goes on behind the scenes. Rutten highlighted how like Johnson as Kerr, Emily Blunt nailed the part of his ex-wife, Dawn Staples.

“When I saw her, boom, thatâ€s Dawn. It was the first time on the set, we made a picture for a release of the thing. I met her first in regular clothing, but then suddenly I heard something behind me,†he said. “She was standing there in a dress like Dawn, and her hair like Dawn. I said to a friend, ‘Iâ€m getting goosebumps.†Itâ€s amazing. The whole aura, everything, [Emily] was her.â€

He pointed out that the movie shows that a toxic relationship or home life can also impact your professional life. Rutten considers himself lucky to have a wife who understands what kind of balance and dedication heâ€s looking for. Some people might believe fighters will settle things in the ring and at home by fighting more, but most times, Rutten noted, they want the opposite.

“We donâ€t. We want peace and quiet. The more quiet your mind is, the better you fight. If you can come completely relaxed, mindful to a fight, thatâ€s the only thing you need, pretty much,†Rutten said. “Now we find out thatâ€s not always the case. There could be some struggles. When I read the script the first time, I was like, ‘Oh boy.†I knew [Mark and Dawn] had some trouble at home, but I didnâ€t know that. You will see it. Thereâ€s some scenes when Emily had like a smirk on her face before a big fight starts. I go, ‘Whoa.†Itâ€s like thatâ€s completely psychopathic. Itâ€s impressive.â€

The Smashing Machineopens in theatres worldwide on October 3.

Read More: The Smashing Machine: Ryan Bader On Working With The Rock, Making Fights Look Real

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Ahead of the release of The Smashing Machine, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr, The Rock named Jon Jones as his dream opponent if he were ever to step inside the UFC Octagon.

In an interview with Complex Sports (h/t Championship Rounds), The Rock was asked who he would want to fight if he hypothetically got invited to be part of the upcoming UFC event at the White House in Washington, D.C., next year:

Johnson initially named reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as his preferred opponent before walking it back and going with Jones instead.

The Rock joked, “Jon Jones, one-on-one, guaranteed he knocks my jaw into another zip code. He f–ks me up.”

Jones, 38, is widely viewed as one of the greatest pound-for-pound MMA fighters of all time.

Before announcing his retirement in June, Jones racked up a career record of 28-1 with one no contest. His only loss was a result of getting disqualified for illegal elbows against Matt Hamill back in 2009.

Jones went on to hold the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, and he had 14 successful title defenses in his career.

The Rock is considered one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, and by all accounts, he put on a spectacular performance as Kerr in The Smashing Machine.

Kerr was one of the first major stars in the MMA world, winning a pair of UFC heavyweight tournaments in 1997 before enjoying success in Pride Fighting Championships as well.

Johnson worked hard to transform his body in order to look like Kerr and allow for the fighting scenes to include him rather than stunt doubles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Hollywood megastar would be able to have any measure of success in MMA.

While The Rock vs. Jones or anyone in a UFC Octagon isn’t likely to ever happen, fans can judge Johnson’s fighting chops for themselves when The Smashing Machine hits theaters on Friday.

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is The People’s Champion, but recently, he pulled a shocker when he ignored some fans who wanted to see him in person by driving away.

The Rock is currently on a wrestling sabbatical in WWE despite being a member of TKO’s Board of Directors, as he’s investing his time to do movies and committing himself to more projects in Hollywood. He has just come off a successful premiere of the sports autobiographical movie, The Smashing Machine, where he played the lead role of Mark Kerr, who was a former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter.

The Final Boss’ last appearance in the Stamford-based promotion was at the 2025 Elimination Chamber in Toronto, Canada. He, along with Travis Scott and John Cena, colluded to brutally assault WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who refused his offer to join his side. Rocky is definitely one busy man, but he makes sure that he’s making time with his fans whenever he sees them. However, in this recent situation, the WWE legend had other plans in mind due to his hectic schedule.

In a TikTok post shared on X (Twitter), one fan was shouting that it was their birthday while the other wanted his autograph. Despite the persistence, the Brahma Bull didn’t bother to roll his car windows down to acknowledge the bystanders who waited to see him.

Eventually, a man approached the people surrounding Rock’s car and informed them that the latter was not signing anything. Afterward, the car drove away, leaving the fans disappointed.

Check out the footage below:

pic.twitter.com/9lLN7dQiYZ

— Is this a work or shoot, brother? (@ShootOrWork) October 1, 2025

The Rock Cleared The Air About How Her Daughter Ava Got To WWE

During a recent event centered around his movie, The Smashing Machine, The Rock emotionally talked about her daughter Ava (real name: Simone Johnson), his firstborn child with former wife Dany Garcia. He felt proud when discussing the current NXT General Manager, making a name for herself.

The Final Boss also made it clear that the 24-year-old didn’t use his influence to get to the WWE and that no calls were made to him.

The Rock became emotional when talking about his daughter, Ava, and her journey in pro wrestling:

“I am so proud of her because itâ€s what I did and I love what I did and I love wrestling, I grew up in wrestling. She was born into it too just like I was…â€

🥹â¤ï¸

(TikTok | mtvuk) pic.twitter.com/3Ll51OsPFB

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) September 25, 2025

When the WWE legend realized that her daughter hadn’t contacted him, it gave him a sense of relief that he and Garcia had raised a wonderful human being.

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Brock Lesnar was acknowledged by The Rock in a recent interview.

The Rock has faced several well-known wrestling legends during his time as a full-time WWE Superstar. Among them are the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, and more. Although these legends definitely gave him a hard time, there is still a special class of superstars he enjoyed sharing the ring with, a category that fits Brock Lesnar.

The Rock and UFC legend had an exclusive sit-down video with Sports Illustrated where they talked about their upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine, and their respective careers. Dwayne Johnson shared that he loved wrestling with wrestlers who have a prior background with other sports, like Olympic Gold medal winner Kurt Angle,

Kurt was one of the most incredible athletes, right? Just of all time […] There’s guys who I wrestled with who, and this is why I always, I loved wrestling guys who were just insane athletes who had a pedigree at other things. And that was always Kurt Angle. Insane athlete. As you know, pedigree in wrestling. Gold medal at the Olympics, wins the gold medal with a broken neck. I mean, it’s just wild.”

The Final Boss also named Brock Lesnar in this category, who was a former UFC fighter and football player. The former noted that aside from being an incredible athlete, The Beast can be versatile in the ring. Additionally, he also named Booker T as one of his favorite opponents.

Brock Lesnar was the same. Just incredible pedigree athlete. You could go anywhere in the ring with him. And you know who else was an amazing athlete was Booker T, who I love wrestling.”

The Rock And Brock Lesnar’s Last Televised Match Was 23 Years Ago

The Rock and Brock Lesnar’s first singles match with each other was also their final televised WWE match. It took place in the 2002 SummerSlam, where The Beast defeated The Final Boss for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Two decades later, both men have accomplished several things both in and outside professional wrestling, as well as becoming multi-time World Champions.

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There is a lot of awards buzz surrounding The Rock‘s upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine. However, the WWE Superstar isnâ€t thinking about what the film will do at the box office.

Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson recently sat down with The Guardian to discuss the upcoming release of The Smashing Machine. While discussing the potential box office of this movie, The Rock revealed why he hasnâ€t thought about that once.

“You know, Iâ€ll share this with you. This is the first time in my career that Iâ€ve not thought about box office once. And I like that. I appreciate it,†The Rock said. “With the other films, the big ones, the four-quadrant movies, itâ€s pressurised.

“Sure, I love making the Jumanjis and Moanas. But thereâ€s something so freeing about this process. We want this movie to open well and hope a lot of people like it. But for that not to be the thing … What a difference.

“Itâ€s a scary time because so much effort and money goes into the opening weekend here in the States. Then itâ€s: ‘How will it hold up? What will it do internationally? Maybe we should change that scene because itâ€d play better in Asia …†I make all these big movies, and some have been really good and some not so good at all. But this was one for us.â€

The Smashing Machine opens in theaters on October 3.

READ MORE: Adam Copeland Lands Another Big Movie Role

What do you make of The Rockâ€s comments? Are you going to check out The Smashing Machine when it hits theaters later this week? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comment section below.

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WWE

On screen, The Rock and Cody Rhodes had a bitter rivalry that saw the “Final Boss” brutally assault “The American Nightmare” on one occasion, as well as claiming he wanted his soul. However, behind the scenes, Dwayne Johnson seems to have a friendlier relationship with Rhodes, and even once invited the WWE Undisputed Champion and his daughter to one of his movie premieres.

“The Final Boss, The Rock, tells us, ‘I want you guys to come to the Moana 2 premiere. And I jumped…Put us on an amazing golf stream, fully catered, Moana-themed desserts,” Rhodes recalled during an episode of his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast. “So, he brings us out to Hawaii for the premiere and the premiere is done; it is the best premiere I’ve ever been to.” Rhodes further noted the premier catered towards families with several Disney characters.

Despite the fun day, Rhodes noted that his daughter, Liberty Iris, became fussy and was the only child not dressed in a “Moana”-themed outfit but went dressed as Elsa from “Frozen” instead. “So, full Elsa for the burning hot Moana 2 outdoor premier, and she’s sitting there, and I sai,d ‘Hey, do you wanna say hi to Maui? You know, talk to Maui?'”Â

However, Liberty Iris didn’t want to talk to anyone before realizing that talking to Maui was a big deal, and decided to turn around and wave to Maui instead. “It was jarring to see that she has the carny bone…”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Whether The Rock returns to WWE anymore or not is anyone’s guess at this point, despite what appears to be unfinished business and/or abandoned storylines still floating out there in the universe. According to “Busted Open Radio’s” Bully Ray, “The Final Boss” simply doesn’t need wrestling at the moment, focusing on Hollywood matters, but he does envision a final goodbye, tied to John Cena’s retirement tour.

“I don’t think The Rock would want to cloud anything up in Hollywood right now by coming back to pro wrestling,” Bully said. “I think he’s got his career back to where he wants in Hollywood, thus doesn’t need wrestling right now to serve whatever purpose he needed it to serve in the past for him.” Seeking some closure, however, more so than wrapping up any loose ends he may have left from his last run, Bully wants The Rock to close the book on things symbolically, with an appearance after Cena’s final match.

“There is some spilled milk to still clean up,” he said. “I know other people have cleaned it up and still continue to clean it up but I’d love to see him come back and do it himself.” In this scenario, Rock wouldn’t be putting a bow on his career with a final match of his own, but rather in a joint farewell of sorts, after Cena wraps up his own WWE run—against an interesting opponent.

“I’m talking about this: Here’s my off-the-top-of-my-head scenario. Last match: Dom versus John.”

Thank you Cena (and Rock?)

WWE

Highlighting Cena’s final run so far was capturing a record 17th WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. But one title he’s never held in his career is the Intercontinental Championship, currently held by “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio. In Bully’s proposal, that’s the angle that they’d lean into heavily to set up the big double-goodbye.

“IC Championship on the line,” he envisioned. “Holy s***! Will John win the IC Championship on his last night in the company? The only championship that he’s never won before, right? I’m interested.” Keeping in line with the age-old wrestling tradition of going out staring at the lights, Bully doesn’t see Cena winning here, but rather falling to Mysterio after the champ uses some very familiar underhanded tactics. “Get to the finish of the match,” he added, “lie, cheat, and steal, just like Uncle Eddie [Guerrero taught him] and he beats John Cena.”

With the match finish now in the rear view, and a victorious Mysterio now having exited, this is where Bully sees the surprise appearance from The Rock taking place, just as Cena is getting his flowers from the fans and thank yous are put forth in both directions. “Right in the middle of the ‘Thank you, Cena!’ chants, [Rock’s music hits]. Boom! The place will s*** itself.”Â

Bully’s final visual, then, would play out like so: “Out comes The Rock and there’s your face to face. Rock takes John’s wrist and he lifts it in the air one final time and The Rock leaves, end of story.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson recently addressed the possibility of him running for President of the United States of America.

The idea of him running for president has been floating around for years, even providing a key plot point of NBCâ€s Young Rock series. During a recent interview with Variety, Rock said heâ€s honored that people ask him about running for president, and concluded his comments by saying “weâ€ll see.â€

The Rock says:

“Itâ€s wild, man. Iâ€m always honored when people ask that. I love what I do. I love storytelling. But yeah… weâ€ll see.”

A 2021 poll found that 46 percent of Americans would support Rock running for president, the highest percentage of any celebrity in the poll, beating out names like Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey. Shortly after the pollâ€s release, Rock commented on it in an Instagram post, writing:

“Humbling ðŸðŸ¾ðŸ¤¯
I donâ€t think our Founding Fathers EVER envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club – but if it ever happens itâ€d be my honor to serve you, the people”

Rock is currently promoting his Mark Kerr biopic Smashing Machine, in which he plays the title role. There have been rumours he could be in Oscar contention for his performance. He told Variety that he knew he had more to offer the acting world.

“I feel like this has, for me, been brewing inside of me for some time — just this idea of: ‘Wait, I think I can do more. I feel like I want to do more.†And then it comes… and then Iâ€m going to do it with Benny Safdie. And then I start to get a little cold feet — ‘Wait, can I do more?†You know?”

Rock’s full interview with Variety is available here.

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Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson has once again addressed the idea of running for President—and this time, he left fans with a big “weâ€ll see.â€

While appearing on the season premiere of Varietyâ€s Awards Circuit podcast to promote his dramatic new film The Smashing Machine, Johnson was asked about the possibility of launching a future political campaign. The question isnâ€t new, but his answer continues to keep the speculation alive.

“Itâ€s wild, man. Iâ€m always honored that people ask that. I love what I do. I love storytelling. But yeah… weâ€ll see.â€

Johnsonâ€s political future wasnâ€t the main focus of the interview, but it was the comment that stuck. With America heading toward another election season, the idea of a Rock presidential campaign is once again gaining traction, especially after polls in recent years showed strong public support for the concept.

Still, Johnson was on the podcast to talk about The Smashing Machine, an intense A24 drama where he plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The role pushed him to places heâ€s never been before as an actor—and emotionally.

“This transition was, it was the hardest thing that Iâ€ve ever done.â€

Johnson revealed that he gained 30 pounds, wore prosthetics, and changed his vocal style to take on the role. But it was the personal baggage he poured into the character that made it hit so hard.

“I knew once I crossed this line and really went for it, then tap into all of that, and finally, I have a place to put all this stuff.â€

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a standing ovation, and Johnson admitted he broke down in tears afterward. The powerful response—and his commitment to the role—has many in Hollywood wondering if this is the performance that takes him all the way to Oscar season.

But with a growing number of fans still hoping to see him in the White House, Johnsonâ€s words only fueled more speculation.

Would you support a The Rock 2028 campaign? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

September 27, 2025 7:15 am

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Reaction to Manchester United’s 4-0 hammering at Brentford on 13 August 2022 was predictably fierce.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton talked of United hitting “rock bottom”. On Sky Sports, Karen Carney said United “can’t get any lower”. Former skipper Gary Neville said his old club was “rotten”.

Sutton and Carney were wrong.

From that mauling at the Gtech Community Stadium to the end of last season, United spent over half a billion pounds on new players. They ended the 2024-25 campaign in 15th spot, their worst finish since relegation in 1973-74.

There have been good days in the intervening years. United won the EFL Cup, FA Cup and qualified for the Champions League. But there has been embarrassment, too.

They conceded six in losing at Manchester City in 2022 and suffered a record 7-0 hiding at Liverpool in March 2023.

They were beaten 4-0 at Crystal Palace in May 2024 and it took late goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo to give the scoreline a respectable look when they were beaten 4-3 on their last visit to Brentford in May.

This summer, United spent another £219.6m on four more players. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens had not arrived by that point but Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo – who was one of Brentford’s scorers in 2022 – and Benjamin Sesko were all involved when their club was beaten at League Two Grimsby in the EFL Cup in August.

It was the first time United had ever lost to a fourth-tier side.

Far from hitting rock bottom when they were beaten at Brentford three years ago, it was just another heavy thud on a long descent from their glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson.

This weekend, United go back to west London trying to take baby steps on the path back to something like what they once were.

Victory would represent the first time they have won successive league games under Ruben Amorim, and the first time they have done it at all since they followed up a 2-0 success at Brighton on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign by opening last season with a late 1-0 win over Fulham.

It is a staggering statistic, both for United and Amorim, who took former club Sporting on a 12-match winning streak in the autumn of 2021 and had emerged victorious in 16 out of 17 games – with one draw – immediately before moving to England.

Little wonder he is not looking too far ahead.

“It’s really hard but I also understand it’s a different club, with different pressures in a completely different league,” he said.

“That feeling of winning and for it to be really normal to win, I struggle [with] a lot.

“It’s in our hands to change things. We just need to win the next one and to do everything to win the next one [after that].”

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