Latest news with #TheRock
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
The Rock Makes Controversial WWE Declaration
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The new Netflix docuseries, WWE: Unreal, is pulling back the curtain on one of the most chaotic and fan-influenced storylines in recent history. In the fourth episode, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson opens up about the creation of his universally acclaimed "Final Boss" character. The series, which premiered on July 29th, gives fans an unprecedented look into the creative process. It details how WWE's original plans for the main event of WrestleMania 40 were completely upended by the fans. "The Most Gratifying Decision" The docuseries features The Rock describing his new heel persona in his own words. He calls the character the "greatest heel professional wrestling has seen." "There's nothing The Final Boss can't do. There's nothing that The Final Boss can't say," The Rock explained (H/T to "Becoming this new version has been the most gratifying decision that I've ever made." The "We Want Cody" Movement The Rock's heel turn and the birth of "The Final Boss" were the direct result of a massive fan rebellion in early 2024. After Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble, he appeared to step aside to allow the returning Rock to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. The fan backlash to this decision was immediate and overwhelming, with the hashtag "#WeWantCody" trending worldwide. EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - FEBRUARY 16: Actor and WWE Professional Wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson attends a press conference to announce a major international event, Wrestle Mania XXIX, at MetLife Stadium on February 16, 2012... EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - FEBRUARY 16: Actor and WWE Professional Wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson attends a press conference to announce a major international event, Wrestle Mania XXIX, at MetLife Stadium on February 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. More John W. Ferguson/WireImage More news: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match This groundswell of support forced WWE to make a major creative pivot. At a now-infamous press conference in Las Vegas, The Rock officially turned heel, slapping Cody Rhodes and aligning himself with The Bloodline. The Birth Of "The Final Boss" In response to the fan backlash, The Rock expertly leaned into the negativity. He abandoned his heroic "People's Champion" persona and transformed into the arrogant, entitled, "Final Boss." With his long, rambling promos, expensive shirts, and a new, more vicious attitude, he became the most compelling villain in the entire industry. Not even a top 3 heel of all time — SWAGGY C | $wing Trader (@SwaggyCTV) July 29, 2025 Final Boss can't even show up and explain why John Cena turned heel and joined forces with his arch nemesis — Young Chove 15 (@ImYoungChove15) July 29, 2025 Vince was the greatest heel professional wrestling has ever seen hands down — Mr TKO (@titofromLA) July 29, 2025 Not even close to the greatest heel he's good yes but not the greatest — sharnee get well soon gabe kidd (@zsjmaobrookes) July 29, 2025 Why is he talking about it like he shows up and plays it — TheReplier (@thereplier1234) July 29, 2025 At the time, the situation was so fluid that even top insiders were unsure of the direction, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer calling it one of the "strangest weeks in WWE storyline history." The WWE: Unreal docuseries shows how this potential creative disaster was turned into a massive success, culminating in the highest-grossing tag team match in history on Night One of WrestleMania 40. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
The Rock Pitched Shocking WWE Title Change For Fan-Favorite Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The new WWE: Unreal docuseries on Netflix has revealed another major scrapped storyline, and this one was pitched by The Rock himself. The series shows that The Rock and his creative partner, Brian Gewirtz, pitched a plan for Kevin Owens to surprisingly win the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes at the Elimination Chamber premium live event. The shocking pitch would have completely changed the landscape on the Road to WrestleMania 41. It is a fascinating look into the kind of "seismic" moments The Rock wanted to create. The Rock and his writer pitched an idea where Cody Rhodes turns down his favor at Elimination Chamber, so Rock uses his power to set up a title match on the spot against Kevin Owens, and Owens wins the Undisputed Title. Wow 🤯#WWEUnreal — WrestleBrock (@WrestleBrock) July 29, 2025 A "Seismic" Pitch In the docuseries, longtime creative mind Brian Gewirtz revealed the motivation behind the pitch. He explained that he and The Rock felt the expected babyface rivalry between Cody Rhodes and John Cena "felt a little dry" and they wanted to inject "controlled chaos" into the story. The idea was that after Cody Rhodes refused The Rock's on-screen offers, The Rock would have made an "impromptu title match right then and there." The plan would have then seen Kevin Owens, who was in a storyline with Rhodes at the time, come out and defeat him to capture the championship. "Kevin Owens winning the title wasn't the end goal," Gewirtz explained. "The takeaway was whatever it is we do, needs to be seismic." Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic More news: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match The Heel Turn That Happened Instead Ultimately, WWE chose to go with a different "seismic" moment. The segment at Elimination Chamber in March did not feature a Kevin Owens title win. Instead, it saw John Cena make his shocking heel turn, aligning himself with The Rock and setting up his own championship match against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Gewirtz's history as a head writer for WWE during the Attitude Era and his current role as a top executive at The Rock's Seven Bucks Productions make him and The Rock a powerful creative force. While the plan for Owens to win the title was scrapped, it shows the kind of unpredictable storytelling they were pushing for. Both Owens and Rhodes remain at the top of the card in WWE, with Cody set to challenge Cena in a Street Fight at SummerSlam, while Owens will hopefully be back in 2026 after undergoing neck surgery. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natasha Lyonne talks flirting with the Thing in 'Fantastic Four': 'It's kinky'
The actress reveals things aren't that serious between her and Ben Grimm, adding, "I'm also seeing four other rocks, you should know, at this time." Natasha Lyonne says flirting with Ben Grimm/the Thing in Fantastic Four: The First Steps was anything but a rocky experience. The actress, who stars as the Thing's love interest Rachel Rozman in the Marvel film, tells Entertainment Weekly that sparks were genuinely flying between her and Ebon Moss-Bachrach's craggy character. 'Oh gosh. Really kinda wild,' Lyonne confesses of flirting with the solid superhero while visiting Entertainment Weekly's video studio for The Bad Guys 2. 'Ebon and I have known each other for a long time, but, well, it's kinky. I'll be honest.' She continues, "Yes. Super specific. But I just love him so much, I mean, he's such a good actor. We've known each other for a very long time, too, so it was very special to be a part of that."Rachel, a schoolteacher, and Ben, a cosmically altered rockman, have their own mini meet-cute in The First Steps when she encounters him playing with one of her students. Despite the pair hitting it off, Ben keeps his distance from Rachel out of fear of being rejected, but ultimately seeks her out at a local synagogue in the end. Lyonne, however, insists that the pair isn't that serious. "By the way, I'm also seeing four other rocks, you should know, at this time," she teases. "I won't name names." But, before anyone gets any ideas, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is not one of them. "Not the Rock!" she quickly clarifies. "I'm so sorry, I just don't want it to get tangled up." There may still be hope for Rachel and Ben's blooming romance — after all, the Fantastic Four are set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, and if First Steps taught us anything, it's that the end of the world has a way of bringing people together. Check out more of . Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sports Fans React To The Rock's Tribute For Hulk Hogan
Sports Fans React To The Rock's Tribute For Hulk Hogan originally appeared on The Spun. The wrestling world lost arguably its most iconic figure on Thursday with the passing of Hulk Hogan who died at 71. Hogan reportedly suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida and was pronounced dead at the hospital with "no signs of foul play or suspicious activity." From 1977-2012, Hogan took the ring and helped the sport reach the masses with his unbelievable star power — drawing record audiences and racking up massive title belts throughout his almost four decades in wrestling. There isn't a professional wrestler out there who wasn't inspired by Hulk Hogan to some degree. Including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who penned a lengthy, heartfelt ode to the late Hall of Famer on Instagram: Fans appreciated Johnson's story in the comments. "Beautiful ,Rest in Peace Hulk🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼" actor Emilio Rivera replied. "Watching that clip gave me chills…" another said. "I miss those days." "Blink 182, Linkin Park, WWF, Hogan, the Rock, Stone Cold, Kane, Undertaker. That's my childhood," a fan shared. "We will miss that energy 😢" another account commented. "RIP Legend 🕊️" "😢That was beautifully written ❤️" "Rest now CHAMP!!! 🙌🏾😎🙌🏾" Deyemi Okanlawon posted." It's almost impossible to talk the sport of wrestling and not mention the "Hulkster." Unfortunately, Hogan faced a number of health complications and controversy in his later years. But nothing can take away from how he made fans feel at his peak. Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in both 2005 and 2020 (the second time as a part of the New World Order). He finished his career with championships in 1984, '89, '91 (x2), '93 and 2002. Along with another tag team title alongside Edge later that Fans React To The Rock's Tribute For Hulk Hogan first appeared on The Spun on Jul 26, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson pays tribute to 'immortal' Hulk Hogan: 'A childhood hero'
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died Thursday at the age of 71, and another WWE icon paid tribute to one of his heroes. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson posted on social media an emotional ode to "the immortal" wrestler, whom he called "a childhood hero." "In 1984, I gave you your 'HULKSTER' headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden - I was the lucky kid [that] caught it when you threw it in the crowd. You were wrestling 'Mr Wonderful', Paul Orndorff that night in the main event," Johnson recalled. "You were shocked and so happy after the match because you told me that was your very last headband and if it weren't for me, you'd have no way of getting that exact one made again. You promised me that you would get more made and give me a Hulkster headband of my own as a thank-you gift. A month later in Madison Square Garden, you did just that. You kept your word, with a handshake and a 'thanks kid'. And that meant the world to that little 12-year-old boy." Johnson then reminisced on their legendary match at Rogers Centre at WrestleMania X8, a match that Johnson said "was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time." It remains one of the greatest matches of all time and one that has defined wrestling history. The post featured the fight on a small television, reminiscent of that of the late 90s and early 2000s. "When you kick out of my Rock Bottom finisher - just listen and FEEL that crowd go ELECTRIC…all for you. I've never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you," Johnson wrote. "You may have 'passed the torch' to me that night, but you, my friend….you 'drew the house' meaning you sold out every arena and stadium across the country in your prime as Hulk Hogan, on your way to becoming the greatest of all time."From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever…Thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house. RIP Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan." WWE paid tribute to Hogan on Friday night's edition of "SmackDown!" with a 10-bell salute, with many of its current superstars, and some of Hogan's old foes, on the stage. The tribute included clips of Hogan's decorated wrestling career and his entertainment ventures outside the ring. The SmackDown crowd erupted in applause and a chant of "Hogan! Hogan!" after the video concluded.
