Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is at the point where he’s probably more famous as a Hollywood superstar than as a WWE wrestler.
After breaking into Hollywood with 2002’s “The Scorpion King”, The Rock has had more hits than misses. As a result, The Rock has gradually stepped away from the ring. The Rock has only wrestled seven times since 2003, which is an absurdly low amount considering how much attention he still commands whenever he steps foot inside the squared circle.
A wrestler who’s witnessed The Rock’s rise through the Hollywood ranks first-hand is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
The now-retired professional wrestler had his fair share of fabricated dramas and feuds with The Rock. You could argue that the two of them were the totem poles of the Attitude Era of the WWF, a time that many consider the golden eye of modern wrestling. Also, just like The Rock, Austin has dabbled in Hollywood. Although he’s not starred in as many films as The Rock, Austin has several notable acting credits to his name such as 2007’s The Condemned and 2010’s The Expendables.
So, when Steve Austin says something about The Rock, we ought to listen, which is exactly what happened in a recent interview.
This larger-than-life character that he was in that movie, and then he didn’t almost try to fit into Hollywood standards. No, no, no, just let me do this my way. So the thing I like about The Rock is, he goes, ‘Hey man, I’m not just going to just mold myself down. I’m just going to be me, and that’s what he has done. He has taken over Hollywood by himself.
For what it’s worth, Steve Austin wasn’t exaggerating when he said that The Rock has taken over Hollywood. He’s currently the highest-paid actor in the world, commanding more than $20 million per movie.
After starring in successive box office hits despite the pandemic, The Rock’s influence will only grow. He’s set to make his DC Extended Universe debut as Black Adam on October 21. Meanwhile, The Rock will make bank in the coming years with sequels to Red Notice, Jungle Cruise, Jumanji, and Hobbs & Shaw, all on the cards.
