Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson parlayed his eight-year run as a central figure in pro wrestling into a lucrative movie career and the world as a whole has been able to appreciate him for the last two decades on the big screen. He hasn’t abandoned his in-ring roots, though, and after the completion of his latest Hollywood project, fans have hope that they could see him back in action sometime in 2024.
Rock appeared earlier this year as an integral part to Cody Rhodes’ “Finish The Story” title run, headlining both days of Wrestlemania LX. And now that his latest film venture, The Smashing Machine, is done filming (per Hollywood North Buzz), could the squared circle action be calling?
The Smashing Machine is a A24 Films biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, a legendary figure from the no-holds-barred era of UFC who struggled with addiction. Kerr was embroiled in a rivalry with Igor Vovchanchyn, who will be played by current Heavyweight Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk. There was an HBO documentary about Kerr all the way back in 2002, covering his painkiller addiction and eventual overdose.
The film is written and directed by Benny Safdie and co-stars Emily Bunt, Lundsey Gavin, Ryan Bader and Zoe Kosovic. Much of the filming, which has been going on since mid-May, took place in Vancouver, Canada at Lions MMA gym.
Rock’s last appearance in official ring action was when he and Roman Reigns worked together in a tag-team match in defeating Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. The following day he tussled with both John Cena and the Undertaker. Buzz has been steady that Rock will face off against Rhodes in next year’s Wrestlemania, but the build up of how that happens is certainly up in the air.
Currently WWE SmackDown houses The New Bloodline story arc and it is consistently being teased that Reigns is on his way back after a hiatus following Wrestlemania and the end of his record-breaking title reign. Once he returns, a Civil War storyline between members of the extended Samoan family tree, of which he and Rock are the current generation’s legacy members, is expected.