Even though Dwayne Johnson was never known as an expert in MMA, he might be able to change this perspective very soon. The former WWE Champion and Hollywood A-lister is venturing into a new role that is going to see him play Mark Kerr, a former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. The movie will be a biopic named “The Smashing Machine” and Johnson has already started preparing for it.
‘The Rock’ recently came onto Instagram and revealed the process of his training in mixed martial arts so that he can do justice to the legend. Meanwhile, he also confessed that this is not just a role for him but a whole journey because he has not yet recovered from WrestleMania XL. ‘The Rock’ uploaded a video on Instagram talking about the preparation for the role of Mark Kerr.
He claimed that Kerr was the heavyweight godfather of MMA and UFC and was one of the greatest fighters on the planet, even though he struggled with addiction. Dwayne Johnson captioned the post, “From the wrestling ring to the MMA cage. With WrestleMania behind me – my second training camp of 2024 begins tomorrow for my next role, in a film titled – The Smashing Machine.”
He confessed that he wanted to do justice to the role of the fighter. “The Rock” declared how every fighter in UFC and MMA is putting their life on the line every day to make a difference. The world’s highest-paid actor of multiple years also gave his respect to the UFC community by mentioning, “I’ve lost so many friends (wrestlers) over the years from addiction and mental health struggle – from suicide to, it was just their time to go. This is my love letter to them. Let’s get to work.”
Mark Kerr, aka ‘The Smashing Machine’ had a controversial yet legendary life. He was one of the top fighters in the United States with a 4-0 run in UFC until addiction took over. However, he again redeemed himself by leaving it all for love, and his life story is nothing short of a movie. Though he lost in his last five fights, he had an impressive record of ending fights in the opening round for most of his bouts. After all the trials, he got over his addiction and also married his long-time girlfriend. Now Dwyane Johnson is playing him in a movie and fans are elated.
Fans show their enthusiasm over the biography featuring Dwayne Johnson
“The Rock” is already preparing for the movie and, according to him, this is going to be one of the most dramatic movies ever. In an interview, he added, “I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.” This is exactly what the movie is going to be about and fans are excited. Corey Caplan, Frank Grillo, Matt Arroyo, Bobby Maximus, and Chamatkar Sandhu were among those who commented on the post.
Corey Caplan gave him a huge shout-out saying, “FINAL BOSS MAKIN MOVES …… world get ready.” Meanwhile, another fan chimed in with, “YO FINAL BOSS!” American actor Frank Grillo also joined in to hype ‘The Rock’ up as he wrote, “Let’s gooooo, young man.”
Some veterans like Matt Arroyo even extended their hand for help and training so that “The Rock” could smoothly transition into the role, “As a UFC veteran and current UFC MMA coach, let me know if you need help getting ready technique-wise.”
Youtuber Chamatkar Sandhu also showed his enthusiasm- “Can’t wait for this,” while another fan boosted Johnson’s energy and said, “Can’t wait brother, you’re gonna kill it!!”
Johnson thanked some of the veterans as well, and one of them was Bobby Maximus. Maximus wrote, “As a UFC fighter who fought in the early days, I can’t wait to see this.” To this, ‘The Rock’ replied, “@bobbymaximus this means a lot brother can’t wait for you to watch it.”
Mark Kerr was one of the very first UFC fighters who experienced a whole array of mental health issues and addiction problems. An autobiographical film about this legend would give the UFC fans and the world a better idea about what goes behind the scenes in the fighters’ lives. Are you excited about watching the movie? Drop your views in the comments below.