Felix Upton on November 16, 2023
The Rock changed the entire pro wrestling world when he broke out into the scene in the late-90s. According to Dwayne Johnson himself, there was a chance that he could have done something else with his career in MMA. That being said, there are some doubts about how realistic that was.
The Rock entered WWE after his career in football didn’t work out. He followed in his family’s footsteps to make it in the pro wrestling business. After starting with 7 bucks in his pocket, he eventually became the People’s Champion that we all know him as today.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer called out The Rock over his recent Joe Rogan interview. He said that The Great One “channeled Hulk Hogan” for the interview, as he stretched the truth a bit and did not remember history correctly.
“The Rock was channeling Hulk Hogan … he said in 1997, he was thinking very seriously, and he was very close to signing with PRIDE Fighting Championships … that’s what he said in 1997. He said he was making $150,000 a year as a pro wrestler, and he was hanging out in Southern California and he found out that these fighters in PRIDE were making $250k per fight, and he figured it was better than wrestling 5 nights a week and making not nearly the money — that’s what he said, that’s what he claimed.
“I am … I don’t know. I’m trying to think if the PRIDE fighters were making that kind of money, and I don’t think any of them were. In the 2000s, yes, but he said he was friends with Ken Shamrock, which he was friends with Ken Shamrock, they worked together in WWE, I remember that.”
Dave Meltzer went on to say that, “it kinda floored me, it was kinda like when Hulk Hogan used to say he was one of the original stars of PRIDE … he used to say his New Japan matches were shoots, and he fought in PRIDE in Japan, but yeah … it’s interesting that Dwayne said that.”
The idea of The Rock leaving pro wrestling in 1997 for the MMA world is interesting to consider. Still, even if The Rock had that thought back in the day, odds are he has the years a bit wrong on the retelling of that story.
The Rock made his WWE debut at Survivor Series in 1996 as Rocky Maivia. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the wrestling world. In 1997, The Rock quickly became a fixture in the mid-card scene, winning the Intercontinental Championship. Despite his initial popularity, fans began to resent the perceived push and the overly positive portrayal of his character. Then he turned things around a short time later by letting the fans know how he really felt as The Rock.
We’ll never know what would have happened if The Rock decided to join the MMA world before his WWE career even got off the ground, but we’re certainly glad he stayed with Vince McMahon. It’s anyone’s guess how the pro wrestling world would be different today if one of the most influential talents to ever step in the ring took off to make MMA money in PRIDE in 1997.
If anything, the validity of The Rock’s story doesn’t seem to line up well with how history remembers things, especially regarding PRIDE fighters’ pay cuts. We will have to see if The Rock has anything to say about this in the future, but he certainly changed history by staying with WWE.
What’s your take on this story about The Rock? Let us know what you think about this in the comments section!
Transcription by Ringside News
November 16, 2023 6:55 am
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