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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is speaking out about his retirement from WWE in a revealing new video. Johnson began his wrestling career in 1996, racking up a number of wins during his time there. He won the WWE championship an impressive eight times and was an unmatched draw for professional wrestling. However, after several years in the field, Johnson decided to retire to pursue an acting career, as others like Dave Bautista and John Cena have done. Johnson waited until his contract with WWE was up in 2004 before making the complete transition to acting. However, he’s returned to WWE since, making several appearances over the years.
Like with his wrestling career, Johnson has found immense success acting, effectively carving out a place for himself in Hollywood. Though perhaps best known for action movies like the Fast & Furious franchise, San Andreas, and the Jumanji movies, Johnson has also branched out to comedy and family films as well. For example, he played a key role in Disney’s Moana and sang one of the movie’s most popular songs. Johnson has also done TV work, starring in the HBO series Ballers, which just ended last year. He also hosts NBC’s The Titan Games, which will return for season 2 next week.
In a video posted to Instagram, Johnson discussed his retirement from WWE in detail, calling it “the biggest risk of my life.” He also reflected on his transition to acting, saying “the odds were stacked against me of having a Hollywood career that had any kind of long term, substantial global influence and value.” Additionally, the actor discussed his return to WWE, saying he did it “to give back,” and calling his 2014 WrestleMania match “the right way” to go out. Check out Johnson‘s full video below:
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Luckily, Johnson’s risk paid off. If anything, his star is only continuing to rise in Hollywood, as he’s become one of the most sought after actors of the last several years. Johnson will appear in Disney’s Jungle Cruise with Emily Blunt, which is now slated to release next summer. He’ll follow that up with his debut in Black Adam, playing the title supervillain. With any luck, this will lead to a larger role in the DCEU and a meet up with Zachary Levi’s Shazam. Johnson will also appear in another superhero movie, the recently announced Ball and Chain for Netflix. That film will reunite him with Blunt, as the two play a married couple whose superpowers are dependent on one another.
It’s refreshing to hear Johnson speak so frankly about his retirement from WWE, especially considering what a risky decision it was. There are very few people in entertainment who have achieved the level of success Johnson has in two different industries. Despite the risk involved in leaving wrestling for acting, in Dwayne Johnson‘s case, it’s a gamble that paid off.
Source: Dwayne Johnson
