The Rock looks unrecognizable amid WWE absence
The Rock has been absent from WWE programming for a while and didn't appear at WrestleMania 41 to help John Cena against Cody Rhodes. Today, Dwayne Johnson was seen in a new look, which almost made him unrecognizable.
Last year, The Rock began working on A24's The Smashing Machine and spent a while shooting the biopic on former MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Today, the studio released the film's official trailer, and The Final Boss looked unrecognizable in the video.
The trademark tattoos were gone, and Johnson was seen as a ruthless MMA fighter inside the cage. The film also features Emily Blunt and will be released in October 2025. The Final Boss has arguably never looked this different in any of his previous big-screen roles in over a decade.
The Rock explains absence from WWE WrestleMania 41
Earlier this year, The Rock returned to WWE and asked Cody Rhodes for his "soul" on Friday Night SmackDown. Later, The Final Boss gave the Undisputed WWE Champion time to think and arranged another segment at Elimination Chamber in Toronto.
The American Nightmare went off on The Final Boss, which didn't turn out well for him. Instead of Cody Rhodes' selling out, John Cena turned heel and aligned with The Rock. Interestingly, there was little to no mention of Johnson and Cena's alliance in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 41.
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the 10-time WWE Champion cleared the air on why he missed WrestleMania 41. The Final Boss explained he was there in Toronto to create one of the biggest segments in the company's history, and his character set up the champion and challenger's storyline heading into the biggest show of the year.
"And I called John after Elimination Chamber, spoke to him, called Cody, and I said, 'I think The Final Boss' work is done. We've established it. We just pulled off the greatest angle in the history of professional wrestling, other than Hulk Hogan turning heel back in the '90s.' I said, 'This is six weeks. Now, let's build. You guys go and crush it, and I'll be right there with yo,u and I'm always here if you need me. But I think it's best for The Final Boss not to be involved in that finish. You guys go.'"
It'll be interesting to see when The Final Boss appears next on the Stamford-based promotion's programming.