Dwayne Johnson might be a bigger movie star than wrestling star these days — his movies have made $2 billion since 2001 — but The Rock is still just as humble as his “Die Rocky Die” days.
Dwayne Johnson is doing the promotional circuit for his new film, San Andreas, sat down for a lengthy interview over at Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard. Johnson talked acting, his wrestling mentor, the greatest wrestler of all time and his dream match.
Here are the highlights from the piece:
- On being the only professional wrestler to experience immense success in TV and film: “It’s hard,” said Dwayne Johnson. “It’s hard work. That’s the key, but it’s not that those guys don’t work hard. For whatever reason, it just kind of worked out for me. That’s the only answer I can give. I’ve had incredible matches with those guys and I’m good buddies with those guys, especially Austin. I know that they put their heart and soul into everything they do.
- On his relationship with Steve Austin: “Think about the matches and the tours I had with Austin. He is probably, if not the greatest of all time. There is a wiring in his head, which is, ‘I’m going out, I’m going to take it, and I’m going to be the best.’ He was my mentor, by the way, back when I was this young buck. With a top guy like Austin or Undertaker, you only get to work with them if they say it’s cool. For Austin to say it’s cool to have The Rock work with him is one thing, but he also wanted me to main event WrestleMania with him. He took me under his wing, taught me a hell of a lot, and I’ll never forget it.”
- On getting booed with his cousin Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble in Philly: “I wasn’t surprised by the reaction at all,” he said. “That’s the beauty of Philly. I have felt that from Philly on both ends, as a heel and a baby face. Roman was getting booed in every city, and I just knew – we all knew – well, Philly was going to be worse.”
- On his dream match, a four-way with his grandfather Peter Maivia, his dad Rocky Johnson and “Macho Man” Randy Savage: “I’ve always been such an incredible fan of Randy Savage,” he said. “Even before I started wrestling, I would watch his old tapes from Memphis. I’d watch his promos and his ring style. When I was in the eighth grade, my nickname was ‘The Macho Man.’”
- On his biggest wrestling regret: “I never had the pleasure of meeting him (Macho Man), and I always wish I had. Especially after he passed away, you just want to kick yourself in the ass. I have the resources, so I could have called him up and told him I was a big fan. I wish I did that, but I didn’t.”