“F*ck the smiling, I’ll smile when I want to smile”: Dwayne Johnson Reveals How His Life Changed Completely After the Most Crucial 1 Minute of His WWE Career

Dwayne Johnson explained how his latest return to WWE came to be. But he also shared things could have been different if he considered transitioning to MMA less than a year after joining WWE back in the ’90s.

There was a time when The Rock intended to leave WWE to pursue a career in MMA. The reason he wanted to switch is because he heard people in PRIDE are making “$250,000, $350,000, and $500,000.” That’s when Johnson thought he wouldn’t make it in WWE.

Also read: “Those guys would have knocked my lungs loose”: Dwayne Johnson Breaks Silence After Fans Accuse Him of Lying on JRE, Says His MMA Career Would Have Ended in 3 Minutes

Dwayne Johnson Told People Used to Boo at Him to Smile, Which He Didn’t Like

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Dwayne Johnson continued that audience used to boo at him out of the arenas, telling him to smile, but The Rock didn’t want to because he said that’s not what he is.

Then Johnson started talking with Ken Shamrock and Mark Kerr and asked them, “‘Tell me about PRIDE.’ I have this idea in my head, ‘Maybe I should train in MMA, go to PRIDE, and make real money, and I don’t have to smile.'” The actor took it so seriously that he thought even though he had to knock one of his lungs loose [laughs], he’d “find the right coach and train.”

This thought of switching from WWE to MMA proved to be worthwhile for the Fast & Furious star, as it shifted his career in just one minute.

Also read: “What’s the point of having F*ck you money”: Dan Bilzerian Feels Dwayne Johnson Can’t Afford to be Authentic to Protect the “Character” He is Playing For Fans

The Rock’s WWE Career Shifted Dramatically in One Minute

In 1997, The Rock considered leaving WWE for MMA. He spoke to Vince McMahon about turning heel and joining the Nation of Domination.

When he got a call from McMahon, he asked him if he (Johnson) could address the live crowd. When McMahon asked, “Why?” The actor replied, “I just want to be real and tell the fans how I feel and I needed to recalibrate things.” Johnson then continued on the podcast:

“That was the most freeing thing for me in my career. You know how you have these defining moments? In that one little moment, I was ripping all this open. Now you can boo me, watch how I respond. F*ck the smiling, I’ll smile when I want to smile. Watch how I respond, watch my words and actions. The fans felt something that night and within a month, I became the hottest heel in WWE.”

This is when Dwayne Johnson embraced his true self and broke free from expectations.

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