The Rock says he nearly quit WWE for MMA in 1997: Is he telling the truth?

The Rock is a man of many talents, such as acting, wrestling, and working out. Dwayne Johnson is even a skilled businessman. However, would he have survived the lethal world of MMA? Well, lucky for us, Rocky did talk about his MMA aspirations and how he almost went over to PRIDE.

During a conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience, The Brahma Bull revealed how he had considered a career in PRIDE in 1997 to make more money.

“I was still going out to LA and working out. We were crossing all the MMA guys. PRIDE just opened up at Japan. So I was seeing all these MMA guys going over to PRIDE.. that time I was making a $150,000 wrestling 235 days a year. Do the math of that, how much I’m making per match. We start hearing these guys over there at PRIDE are making 250, 350, 500. I thought then, ‘f*** it. I don’t think I’m going to make it in WWE. People are booing me out of the arenas. I can’t be myself. They’re telling me to f****** smile. I don’t want to smile, that’s not who I am. I start talking to Ken Shamrock who was wrestling with us. I run it to Mark Kerr. I start talking to him, ‘tell me a little bit about PRIDE.' I have this idea in my head, maybe I should train to MMA and go to PRIDE and make money, real money.”

However, it seems like not everyone is quite open to believing his story. It’s been pointed out that Ken Shamrock had his first PRIDE fight in 2002, but The Rock was asking about it in 1997. As a result, he may be telling a story that fans will mostly relate to, given that he had considered an MMA career prior to becoming The Rock.

On the other hand, some fans have given him the benefit of the doubt. They believe that The People’s Champ had almost switched careers because he wasn’t very successful during his Rocky Maivia run in WWE.

In fact, The Rock mentioned that he would have had a tough time in MMA, given how brutal the fights can become. However, young Rocky was motivated by money since he grew up without the riches he has today and always aimed for a bigger paycheck.

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The Rock revealed how he made a one-time return to SmackDown

The WWE Universe eagerly waits for megastars to return. One of the names that will always bring the roof down in any arena is The Rock. Therefore, when he returned to SmackDown in October 2023, it wasn’t an event that was in the works for months.

The Brahma Bull happened to be in Boulder for a college football event. He heard that SmackDown was happening in Denver and confirmed it with Nick Khan. When Khan confirmed, The Rock revealed that he would come to SmackDown, making an electrifying return to the squared circle.