The Rock Explains Why He Left the WWE - Muscle & Fitness (2024)
If the Mount Rushmore of the WWE were ever built, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s face would undoubtedly be there next to the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. For years, he was the reason people crowded the seats and tuned into Raw and Smackdown.
Some wrestling fans expressed sadness, and other frustration when he left the company in 2004 in the pursuit of becoming a Hollywood superstar (a mission he was very much successful in, to say the least). At that time, there was only one question: why? Why leave the company you helped built, and who gave you the launching pad to become a global phenomenon?
For the first time, we have the answer from the man himself.
During one of his many Q&A sessions, a feature The Rock launched while sheltering in his massive home gym, Johnson explained his decision to leave the WWE in 2004 and why he came back eight years later.
The decision, he says, was in part due to the fact that his contract expired after WrestleMania 20 in 2004, where he wrestled alongside Mick Foley against the trio of Dave Bautista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair.
“It was a career that was beyond my wildest, wildest dreams,” he says in the video. “I wanted to complete my word that I would deliver everything I could for them.”
But that wasn’t his only reason. He also felt like he could do more for the company that gave him so much, but only if he went away for a while. “If I could leave and become successful outside the world of professional wrestling … and then I could come back, this time as a global entity. This time I could bring a greater value to the company of the WWE.”
He would only do that, he said, if he became the world’s biggest star. “I wanted this to be a global success,” he says. “I wanted global influence in a very very real and powerful way.”
It’s safe to say he accomplished that. After leaving the WWE in 2004, The Rock became a box office sensation. He returned to the promotion in 2011 to start a highly publicized feud with fellow wrestler-turned-movie-star John Cena, which culminated in two “Once in a Lifetime” matches at WrestleMania.
At the last of the pair of matches, he was pinned by Cena for the WWE Championship. Most people would prefer to bow out with a win, but not The Rock.
“My wrestling career ended the only way I was willing — flat on my back, getting beat 1, 2, 3, looking up at the stars and being grateful for my blessings,” he says. “I went out the right way.”
“It was a career that was beyond my wildest, wildest dreams,” he says in the video. “I wanted to complete my word that I would deliver everything I could for them.” But that wasn't his only reason. He also felt like he could do more for the company that gave him so much, but only if he went away for a while.
He was surrounded by athletes, and his father was always one of the most jacked wrestlers in the business during his era. That's something that rubbed off on him, which is why The Rock had a great physique even before he started playing any sports professionally.
The Rock made a few appearances, as a special guest character on non WWF (WWE), wrestling TV shows in 1999 and 2000 when he was still wrestling full time.Then he got his first movie role in 2001.
In the opening minutes of the match, the 51-year-old wrestler delivered a deliberate low blow to Rollins, who was already down on the mat. As he executed the move, The Rock lost his balance and stumbled away, appearing to twist his leg at an awkward angle, placing significant strain on his left knee.
Then it's onto strength work and resistance training - usually in preparation for a movie - which can be anywhere from three to four hours and sometimes up to six, daily.
The Rock was in and out of WWE in the early 2000s due to his movie career and left for many years in 2004. However, he continued to appear on WWE programming whenever given the opportunity. In 2011, he returned to WWE and competed in matches against CM Punk, John Cena, and the team of The Miz and R-Truth.
WrestleMania 41 will probably be in 2025 and Dwayne Johnson is reportedly getting ready to enter the ring again, improving his fitness and currently on an intensive training regime from the last WrestleMania. According to USA Today, The Rock he spent 12 weeks training for his first match in eight years.
The Rock's wrestling return succeeded, thanks to his career-long ability to adapt. A few months ago, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made an agreement with WWE to return to the ring. When he did this, everyone involved figured he'd be featured in the main event of WrestleMania 40 against his cousin Roman Reigns.
In total, Johnson said his diet is about 40 to 45% protein — much higher than the typical recommended protein intake — along with 40 to 50% carbs and 15 to 20% fats. Protein is a crucial nutrient for building and maintaining muscle.
The Rock's Workout Routine. DJ breaks up his workout split the same way many bodybuilders do: by muscle group. Day one is back, day two is chest, day three is legs, day four is shoulders, day five is arms, and days six and seven are rest days.
You've got to give it to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: the WWF wrestler-turned-actor has practically got it all. He's one of the most bankable stars in Tinseltown, he's got muscles most of us can only dream off (20-inch biceps, 31-inch thighs), he's got a nonchalant boyish wit and he's also remarkably handsome.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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