photo courtesy of WWE
Dwayne Johnson will return to the wrestling ring with WWE in April at the company’s Wrestlemania 40 event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The star of ‘Fast X’ and ‘Black Adam’ returned to his wrestling roots during an episode of WWE Smackdown earlier this month.
Now one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Johnson’s films have grossed approximately $12 billion worldwide. However, to a generation of people, he’ll always be known as ‘The Rock’ — the wrestling persona that took over TV screens throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Although Johnson’s career as an actor has largely taken him away from the squared circle in recent years, he has been known to make sporadic returns — including for a dream scenario versus John Cena, who has now also transitioned his skills into acting.
Johnson’s most recent return occurred on the February 2nd episode of WWE Smackdown, which aired in the UK on TNT Sports, appearing as a surprise and sending audiences in the arena and at home wild as The Rock stood across the ring from Roman Reigns, current WWE Champion and Johnson’s real-life cousin (also known as Joe Anoa’i).
Known for his Wrestlemania appearances, Johnson most recently stepped between the ropes in 2016 as he defeated Erik Rowan in 6 seconds. Given the gravitas around the most recent return, it’s safe to say that his next match will last a little bit longer.
WWE Wrestlemania 40 takes place on Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th 2024.