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Over recent years, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, has become one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. From his turn in the Fast and Furious Franchise to the DC Universe, to his various fitness and tequila brands, The Rock was on another level from most other celebrities. But after the major disappointment that was Black Adam, it seems Dwayne Johnson is going back to his wrestling roots and joining Wrestlemania. But is The Rock coming back for the right reasons? Or has his Hollywood career fallen so far off track he has to pedal backwards? One thing is for sure, Black Adam sure didn't do The Rock any favors.
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0:00
He just smelled what The Rock is cooking
0:07
Dwayne The Rock Johnson is one of the most famous people on the planet
0:11
The former wrestling champion successfully segued into film roles and general business
0:15
magnate status through an immense level of charisma, sculpted physique, and a larger-than-life persona
0:22
Fearless, boomerang, smoldering intensity. What just happened? Um, you just smoldered. And yet, the most financially bankable actor on the planet
0:33
has returned to the venue that made him a star in the first place
0:37
the wrestling ring. But why? And as The Rock looks at all four of you jabronis
0:42
with tears rolling down your cheeks... It's been a rough few years for The Rock
0:46
His bid to take over the DCEU, restore Henry Cavill as Superman
0:50
and transform Black Adam into a household name didn't exactly go as planned
0:55
This sent the Great One into the corner, so to speak. Since then, he's been licking his wounds, attempting to figure out his next move
1:02
It's pretty obvious that he ultimately decided to pivot back to what had worked for him in the past
1:07
Despite claiming to be done with the Fast and Furious movies, he showed up in the post-credits stinger of Fast 10, a solo Hobbs movie was announced
1:14
and after eight long years, the People's Champion returned to the squared circle
1:18
Oh, you are in trouble tonight! Despite everyone loving to see the People's elbow make an appearance
1:27
it was The Rock's final statement that truly got everyone talking. Should The Rock sit at the head of the table
1:36
What does this mean? Well, long-time fans will surely be aware that the head of the table
1:41
is a reference to WWE superstar and the man currently holding the WWE Universal Championship belt, Roman Reigns
1:49
The entire universe acknowledged me! which at the time indicated that this would be an ongoing storyline not just a one appearance by The Rock This begs the question why He the biggest movie star on the planet He literally been courted by both political parties
2:07
to run for president. What about returning to the ring is so alluring to the greatest example of someone evolving
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from a performer into an entertainment brand? I love what I do
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I love getting in there and I love pro wrestling. It's who I am
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It's what I was born to do. And I was born in this business. For someone whose net worth is hundreds of millions of dollars, The Rock isn't hurting for money
2:29
Returning to the sport out of pure love also doesn't quite pass the smell test
2:33
Those of us who might be a tad more cynical or strategic-minded might view this move as something as a back-to-basic strategic play for Dwayne
2:41
However, there's even more going on behind the scenes than just pure Hollywood politics and a passion for sports entertainment
2:47
WWE figurehead Vince McMahon sparked controversy and legal peril when it became public record that Janelle Grant, a former WWE employee, was bringing a lawsuit against McMahon for egregious and unprofessional conduct
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The Wall Street Journal then revealed that federal prosecutors have been speaking to four women who have substantial evidence of McMahon's habitual wrongdoings, which border on monstrous
3:11
This information and the news that McMahon had paid over $12 million in hush money payments definitely put a black eye onto the WWE overall
3:20
So what does this have to do with The Rock, you might ask? Of course you're here, Rock. The man who magically appears any time the WWE universe is being insulted
3:30
Well, this news came out only one week after the announcement that inarguably the most recognizable wrestler of all time was going to join the board of TKO, the WWE's parent company
3:42
And here's where we get to one of the primary motivators for The Rock's return
3:46
One of the deal points is that Dwayne Johnson would be given full copyright and trademark over the name The Rock, which, believe it or not, he didn't own before joining the board
3:55
Had it not been for this name The Rock I feel like there be no wrestling stardom there be no Hollywood career He also purportedly gained the trademark over roughly 15 catchphrases and gestures that have now become iconic
4:08
In fact, The Rock now owns the trademark to the word jabroni
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You keep using this word jabroni and it's awesome. As if that wasn't enough, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that The Rock is being compensated with $30 million in stock
4:24
If rumors are to be believed, here's where things get messier. That stock only vests when The Rock fulfills a specific requirement
4:32
headlining the biggest event in wrestling, WrestleMania, against Roman Reigns. Initially, when asked if he would be returning to the squared circle to do battle
4:40
The Rock played coy, but did admit that there's a chance it could happen
4:44
We could possibly put on the greatest and the biggest WrestleMania of all time
4:49
And here's where a third competitor enters the metaphorical ring. To make things even more complicated, Cody Rhodes just won Royal Rumble, seemingly setting up a Rhodes vs Reigns WrestleMania
5:00
But now The Rock is in the picture, and the WWE is trying desperately to distract from the McMahon controversy
5:06
The timeline of The Rock and Reigns' throwdown has been obviously moved up significantly
5:11
At the time of this video's release, WrestleMania 40 is set to happen as a two-day event on April 6th and 7th, which begs the question
5:18
Will The Rock course-correcting the road to WrestleMania and chasing the wave of nostalgia
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be enough to hard reset his image and also produce one of the biggest WrestleManias of all time
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Maybe. But that sure seems like a lot of pressure to put on something that has been rushed
5:32
and is a reaction to the very public failures that The Rock has had
5:36
It should be obvious that the Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns match will happen eventually
5:40
and that the backlash from the fans at Rhodes being sidelined for The Rock will now be incorporated into the ongoing storyline
5:46
This is manifested in a few ways across the lead-up to the main event, with The Rock even slapping Rhodes across the face as a recent WrestleMania kickoff event
5:55
And what is this match all about right here Who sits at the head of the table What does it matter when neither of you have been doing any of the cooking for two years At its best wrestling is a living breathing entity It something that is
6:07
equal parts Greek theater and gladiatorial combat. It's orchestrated chaos, but therein lies the
6:13
distinction between when it's at its best and when it's at its worst. The level of organic discovery
6:18
and the level of planned pandemonium needs to be just the right amount to fully envelop the viewer
6:24
Has Cody Rhodes put in the work? Does he deserve a shot at headlining WrestleMania
6:29
Yes. Will it be this year? No, it won't. The bottom line is that the wrestling business is just that
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It's a business, first and foremost. It's an organism that feeds off attention
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And like it or not, The Rock brings more attention than Cody Rhodes ever would
6:44
So here's our answer when it comes to your... Yeah, yeah, yeah, you shut your mouth right now, boy
6:50
The Rock is the WWE's best bet to ensure that their quarterly earnings statement is fully in the black
6:57
So, of course, the second something goes a little sideways or when the powers that be, of whom The Rock is quite literally one of now
7:04
decide they need to maximize profits, everything shifts to the biggest and loudest piece of narrative machinery they have
7:11
The Rock is a director of the board of TKO, which means it owns WWE, which means he's your boss and your boss
7:18
The Rock is someone who is obviously insanely talented, fueled by an impressive drive and capable of feats of strength that are quite literally superhuman
7:27
But is he really the brilliant strategic mind that he obviously thinks he is
7:31
Or is WrestleMania going to go the way of Black Adam? If The Rock had allowed Black Adam to appear in the Shazam movies as a villain
7:37
as he should have been, maybe things would have been different for him. The character could have been slowly rolled out
7:42
Fans could have fallen in love with him. But instead, The Rock made one big swing
7:47
that wasn't all that well planned. Is he repeating that mistake now
7:51
We'll know soon enough. You listen to me, and you listen to me good, Mr. Midlife Crisis
7:58
You had your time. You damn sure can't have hours
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