Dwayne Johnson said quitting wrestling was the most difficult decision he had ever made.
The star of “Moana ” said goodbye to WWE in 2004 to embark on an acting career and he knew at the time that his chances of success were less.
He admitted on Instagram: “Leaving @wwe when I was 32 was the biggest risk of my life.”
In the video accompanying his remarks, he admitted: “In all likelihood, I was going to fail because it is always very hard to succeed in Hollywood, especially under these circumstances.”
A decade after leaving the sport, the 48-year-old star returned to WWE and admitted that it had always been in his plans because he wanted to achieve all of his goals before returning to devote himself to wrestling.
He said: “I felt that at 32 my career in Hollywood was just beginning. I could leave and retire quietly, but it would have been difficult for people to accept, otherwise I could leave and succeed outside of WWE. I wanted global success, global influence in a concrete and powerful way, that was my goal. If I could then go back to WWE, but this time as a global personality , then I could help help them and redo the locker rooms, for the men and women who give everything to this business and are so committed to it (…). I called Vince McMahon in 2011 and we developed a plan to come back for a series of games. I was so excited, it was an opportunity to dedicate myself to something I love so much. “
“Jumanji” actor recalls receiving a call from WWE boss Vince McMahon the day after his famous “Wrestlemania” fight against John Cena in 2013 and realized that he had achieved its goal.
Vince congratulated him: “Congratulations, you just broke a historic record in professional wrestling, you broke the box office record, attendance records, congratulations.”
The Rock said: “We hung up on it and for a while I felt so fulfilled. I knew that was how I could bring something to this sport, and I also knew the value it would now have. . “
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