Despite being one of the most electrifying men in sports entertainment, Dwayne Johnson’s shift from pro wrestling to Hollywood wasn’t easy. Following his initial years in the realm of Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson was reportedly asked to drop his ring name, The Rock. He was even asked to leave his past as a WWF (now WWE) superstar behind and has to cut his ties with the world of pro wrestling.
According to The People’s Champion, Hollywood tried to mold him like the rest of the A-listers in the Industry and even asked him to stop hitting the gym and lose weight. However, the Brahma Bull was having none of it.
Dwayne Johnson didn’t let the industry keep him down for long
After initially being cornered by the industry, Dwayne Johnson was eventually fed up with the situation and decided to change things by himself. As a result, the Jumanji actor went on to fire his old team and decided to leave his previous agency, CAA behind and pursue a fresh start. He said,
“I was told then, ‘You can’t call yourself The Rock. Don’t talk about pro wrestling. You gotta lose weight, go on a diet, you’re too big, don’t go to the gym as much… And I bought into it for a couple of years before I said, ‘This ends right now. And I’m gonna be myself and at least if I fail, I’m gonna fail being me.”
The Black Adam star’s decision would eventually turn out great for the WWE superstar as he would soon join forces with WME and Johnson would go on to mark his name into the top realms of the industry.
Firing his previous team turned out great for Dwayne Johnson
After parting ways with CAA, the Black Adam star would soon find his match in WME. Following McMahon’s advice, the actor alongside his ex-wife Dany Garcia would consider WME as their next option. And the Black Adam star wouldn’t be disappointed as his career would soon start to bloom and the actor would then star in several big IPs, including Jumanji, The Jungle Book, etc. One publication explained Johnson’s meeting with the agency by stating,
“Johnson spoke to WME’s Ari Emanuel, who flew to Johnson’s Florida home the next day and invited him and Garcia to a meeting in L.A. with about 150 WME staff, including the man who would become Johnson’s key rep, Brad Slater. Johnson was stunned by their enthusiasm and hunger, a hunger he shared,”
Although Dwayne Johnson’s career has gone a little off the rails after the failure of Black Adam. But it doesn’t overshadow the fact that the WWE superstar is still one of the biggest celebrities in the industry and hasn’t failed to entertain his fans on several occasions.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
