Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new film, The Smashing Machine, is set to debut soon — and early reviews are already generating Oscar buzz for his performance.
And so Johnson is, once again, reinventing himself.
This week, he appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, with an extended cut of the interview released on YouTube. In it, Johnson is calm and serene as he talks about life from his front porch. Dressed in a soft cream ensemble, Johnson speaks like a self-help guru leading a weekend retreat.
“I sit out here
every morning and meditate, doing some breath work, right here on this porch,” said Johnson. “And you close your eyes, and it’s amazing what your ears become attuned to and what you hear. It’s all the stuff that we kind of don’t hear when our eyes are open. Close your eyes. You sit in silence. Hear everything.”
It’s a far cry from the man wrestling fans saw in 2024, who taunted “cactus-loving crackheads” and “Meth-head Marys.” This is a kinder, gentler Johnson — one clearly in the middle of an Oscar campaign, where threatening to come out and “slap the herpes” off a fan’s face likely wouldn’t fly.
Yeah… it doesn’t sound like we’ll be seeing Johnson in a WWE ring anytime soon — maybe not until 2027, when Saudi Arabia hosts WrestleMania 43. The kingdom reportedly paid a “mind-blowing sum” to secure the event and is willing to spend even more to bring in The Rock, potentially making it the biggest payday ever for a pro wrestler.
Meanwhile, the 98th Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, March 15, 2026 — just weeks before WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. With Johnson in the thick of awards season, the window for a domestic Rock appearance may be closing, if it’s not already locked shut.
