Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson told a wrestling host it was not healthy for him to be so animated over the sport and explained the whole business is not real.
Johnson’s comments stemmed from complaints about WWE’s WrestleMania 41, which aired April 19-20, and included disappointment over the fact that Johnson did not make an appearance. What made the no-show even worse was the fact that Johnson was heavily involved in the storyline leading up to the event that featured John Cena returning to the top of the promotion.
SiriusXM host and wrestling reporter Dave LaGreca was one of the most vocal critics of Johnson and heavily criticized the star for even going on talk shows after the event to say he would have done WrestleMania differently.
“Nice to hear from you now, pal. It’s over,” LaGreca said on his show “Busted Open.” “Now that everybody’s bitching and complaining. ‘Yeah. I would’ve done it differently.’ Oh, really? You talk about a Monday morning quarterback? That’s a Tuesday morning quarterback. Thanks, pal. Didn’t make yourself available. Didn’t show up at WrestleMania. But now I’m gonna say, ‘Yeah. I would have done things differently.’ You talk about completely throwing [WWE] under the bus. That’s exactly what the Rock did.”
‘Stop ranting; it’s not healthy, my friend. Enjoy the show.’
Johnson responded to the remarks on an Instagram post, which was shared by the show. In his reply, the 52-year-old immediately explained that everything in the wrestling business is for show.
“Hi Dave, the business is a complete work. Always has been, always will be,” Johnson wrote. “Every aspect of it. Every match. Every interview. Please join me, [other former wrestlers], and the rest of us for our creative discussions so you can expand your perspective.”
Johnson then told the host to “stop ranting; it’s not healthy, my friend. Enjoy the show.”
In the wrestling world, a “work” essentially means an act or a bit, and given that nearly everyone in the world knows professional wrestling comes with predetermined victors, Johnson’s reaction was taken by some as an unnecessary jab at someone who is passionate about the business.
At the same time, Johnson’s reaction could certainly be taken as a work in itself, as the return of Cena has come with a new bit that included purposely destroying the business. The criticism here would be that Johnson is hiding behind the fact that wrestling is predetermined to escape responsibility for a poorly received product.
The WWE has certainly found new ways to blur the lines of its business in recent years, however, speaking openly about the product and its past on shows and podcasts. Even the company’s head of creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, has made appearances that would have made previous generations of wrestlers incredibly upset given the depth at which he has exposed the inner workings of the company.
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