Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson makes shocking transformation in new film about early UFC champion



Movie star and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson released an image of his transformation into former MMA star Mark Kerr, one of the UFC's earliest champions.

Kerr won the heavyweight tournament at UFC 14, which was the early format for the promotion, and won two more fights at UFC 15. Between 1997-2000 Kerr had an undefeated record of 12-0 before he would struggle winning just three more fights over the next nine years.

Kerr's nickname was "The Smashing Machine," which was also the title of the 2002 HBO documentary that showed his struggles with substance abuse at the same time he began accumulating losses in the cage.

"The Rock" decided to adapt the documentary into a movie, with himself playing the heavyweight fighter. Johnson and studio A24 shared a photo of the actor from the film where he looks almost completely unrecognizable and a spitting image of Kerr.

'A true honor for me to pay homage & respect to this legendary MMA Godfather.'

Johnson has shared images and video for several weeks from inside gyms where he is doing MMA training as well as stunt choreography for the film.

"Working hard to learn and absorb everything I can," Johnson wrote on X.

"Mark was a two time UFC Heavyweight World Tournament Champion and World Vale Tudo Champion. A true honor for me to pay homage & respect to this legendary MMA Godfather, all MMA fighters, the MMA community and to all our athletes who've struggled with mental health and addiction," Johnson added.

— (@)

The film also reportedly features former pro fighter Bas Rutten, who actually trained with Kerr when he was fighting. Also, current heavyweight fighter Ryan Bader is said to be in the film, BJPenn.com reported. Bader's most recent fight was in February 2024.

Bader was reportedly a recent add to the cast and is said to be playing another UFC legend, Mark Coleman. Coleman recently made headlines for rescuing his parents from a house fire that landed him in the hospital, resulting in a viral video of him recalling the heroic feat with his daughters.

The film is directed by Benny Safdie, who took the helm on the studio's "Uncut Gems" movie starring Adam Sandler, which featured several professional athletes and a focus on gambling.

— (@)

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FACT CHECK: Did Dwayne Johnson Start Working In Elon Musk’s New Film Studio?

The claim is from a satirical news outlet

Charlamagne Tha God shocks ‘Daily Show’ crowd by trashing DEI with facts



Charlamagne Tha God has revealed how he really feels about DEI programs — and it’s not what anyone expected.

“The truth about DEI is that although it’s well-intentioned, it’s mostly garbage, okay? It’s kind of like the black Little Mermaid. Just because racists hate it, doesn’t mean it’s good,” Charlamagne said while guest-hosting “The Daily Show.”

“You know I’m right because every one of you has sat through one of those diversity training sessions and thought, ‘This is some bulls**t,’” he continued.

Charlamagne also complained that DEI programs actually “don’t make the workplace better for minorities” and said “DEI training is like DARE for racism.”

“You all know how effective that was. I was sitting there going, ‘Oh, there’s a ton of fun drugs I should try, I didn’t even know about Molly, thanks officer,’” he told the audience.

While Dave Rubin is impressed, he wants “to reiterate the point that he’s just reading a script.”

“These are not ideas coming out of his brain. I don’t know that they would have given that exact script to Jon Stewart because they do believe in this neo-racism,” Rubin says.

While Charlamagne was most likely reading from a script, Alex Stein is glad this script is being read.

“He does make a good point that when you make everything about race and gender, that is inherently racist,” Stein tells Rubin.


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WATCH: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson says why he WON'T be endorsing Biden this year



Several big-name celebrities endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, one of them being Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. However, this year, the herculean actor is singing a much different tune.

Dave Rubin plays a clip of a recent interview with Johnson during which he was asked about his prior support for Joe Biden.

“You made that endorsement in 2020. Are you happy with the state of America?” asked Fox News' Will Cain.

“That answer is no,” Johnson answered. “Do I believe we’re gonna get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy.”

“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” he continued, adding that he used to think it was “[his] job to exercise [his] influence.”

“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer is no,” he concluded, without explicitly stating his political leanings.

Dave Rubin wonders if Johnson, like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, is “waking up.”

“Do you think Trump can bring a bunch of these people to the promised land?” he asks Valuetainment’s Adam Sosnick and BlazeTV’s Alex Stein.

“When [Johnson] was on Joe Rogan's podcast, he didn't even understand how many billions of dollars we were giving to Ukraine to fight Russia, so this guy claims that he wants to be involved in politics, but he doesn't even know anything about the geopolitical money-laundering scheme that's going on that involves the president's son. So, I don't really put my hope and prayers into politicians or celebrities,” says Alex.

“I think at this point, the country is like, ‘You know what, I'll sign up for more [of Trump’s] mean tweets if we can get everything back on track to where we were pre-COVID,’” adds Adam.

To see the footage of The Rock’s interview, watch the clip below.


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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson declares he won't endorse Biden in 2024 election over big regret he had in supporting him in 2020



Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson proclaimed that he wouldn't be endorsing President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election — a stark contrast to when the 51-year-old Hollywood actor pledged all of his support to Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020.

In a Fox News interview, Johnson said that he regretted endorsing Biden in 2020 because it caused "an incredible amount of division in our country."

"The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time," Johnson told host Will Cain in an interview released on Friday.

"I thought, 'I'm in this position where I have some influence, and I felt it was my job then to exercise my influence [and] share: This is who I’m going to endorse.'" he said.

"I was then the most-followed man in the world, and am today, and I appreciate that … but what that caused was something that tears me up in my guts — which is division. That got me," the massively popular celebrity continued. "I didn’t realize that then; I just felt like there was a lot of unrest, and I’d like things to calm down.”

Johnson stressed, "The takeaway after that was it caused an incredible amount of division. I realize now, going into this election, I will not do that. My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that."

The former WWE wrestler declared that there "will be no endorsement" in the 2024 presidential election, which seemingly will be between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Johnson noted that he would instead keep his politics to himself because of the "level of influence" that he possesses. He added, "It is between me and the ballot box."

The Rock revealed, "But I will tell you this: Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for that is my president and who I will support 100 percent."

When asked if he was content with the state of the country at the moment, Johnson replied, "Today's cancel culture, woke culture, division, etcetera — that really bugs me. In the spirit of that, you either succumb to that and be what other people want you to be, or you be yourself and be real. … And that might make people upset and piss people off, and that’s OK.”

Cain also asked Johnson if he ever plans on running for president, and he responded, "No, that’s not my intention. I’m not a politician."

An exclusive interview with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson | Will Cain Show www.youtube.com

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Johnson not only endorsed Biden but interviewed him and Harris in a video that was promoted by the Biden campaign.

"As a political independent and centrist for many years, I've voted for Democrats in the past and as well as Republicans," Johnson said in the video posted on several social media platforms in September 2020. "In this critical election, I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the best to lead our country, and as my first ever (public) presidential endorsement, I proudly endorse them for the presidential office of our United States."

Johnson praised Biden and Harris as both "experienced to lead." He also described Harris as a "certified badass."

The endorsement video racked up more than 4.4 million views on Facebook and over 8 million views on Instagram.

In an interview with Joe Rogan in November, The Rock said he has friends who support Biden and others who rally around Trump.

However, Rogan got Johnson to acknowledge that his friends really don't support Biden, but rather the Democratic Party.

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‘The Rock’ Says He Won’t Endorse Joe Biden Again In 2024, Criticizes Current ‘State Of America’

'The best decision for me at that time'

Only Dwayne Johnson can say 'Candy-a** jabroni' after wrestler acquires 25 names and catchphrases from WWE parent company



Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has acquired over two dozen names and phrases associated with his character as part of a deal with TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of World Wrestling Entertainment.

After Johnson became a member of TKO's board of directors, a deal was worked out between the two entities allowing him to take a firm grasp on many of his most popular phrases but not content that he was a part of in the WWE ring.

In addition to owning "The Rock," which was announced in January 2024 according to Variety, an SEC filing in late February 2024 from TKO revealed that taglines and names formerly owned by the WWE had moved to the "Rock IP."

Names now controlled by Johnson include: "The Rock," "Team Corporate," "Rock Nation," "The Nation," "The Samoan Sensation," "The Blue Chipper," "The Brahma Bull," "The People’s Champion," "The Great One," "Team Bring It," "The Rock Just Bring It," "Rockpocalypse," and "Project Rock"

The list also included "Rocky Maivia," the name Johnson first wrestled under that borrows his mother's maiden name.

The actor also took control of some of his most famous in-ring techniques, including "The People’s Elbow," a show-boating elbow drop, as well as the "Rock Bottom," a maneuver he's even performed in movies.

It is Johnson's catchphrases that are perhaps most iconic; some are preamble for his famous rants that are used before he makes his eventual point, like "Roody Poo" and "Candy-Ass," which may be used to describe a "Jabroni," a word he now owns.

The full phrases, however, now officially in Johnson's domain, can almost be heard in the mind as they are read: "If you smell what The Rock is cooking," "Know your role and shut your mouth,' "Finally, The Rock has come back to …" "It doesn’t matter what …" "Blue Hell," "The millions… (and millions)," and "The most electrifying man in sports and entertainment."

Johnson will also maintain "all other nicknames, caricatures, voice, signature, gestures, routines, costumes or parts of costumes, accessories [and] crowns" related to his time in the WWE.

As mentioned, while the entrepreneur came away with a lot in the deal, the agreement stated that he does not own any "photographic, audio and/or audiovisual footage" from the copyrighted works of the WWE.

The SEC filing also revealed that Johnson received $30 million in TKO stock and nearly $500,000 in WWE royalties (2023), will continue to receive annual royalties from the WWE, and will be entitled to receive royalties in connection with the sale of licensed products that use his name and likeness.

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FACT CHECK: No, This Video Does Not Show Dwayne Johnson Getting Booed For Supporting Biden

The original video was taken at the WrestleMania XL kickoff, and there is no mention of Biden.

NEW ‘Sara Gonzales Unfiltered’: Taylor Swift, Biden’s border war, and more trending political topics



If you enjoyed watching Sara Gonzales on "The News and Why It Matters," just wait until you see her new show, “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” which just launched this past Monday on BlazeTV.

This rebrand will have all the same raw and real political analysis of America’s most pressing topics but with more of Sara’s fabulous biting sarcasm and less filter.

“What better time to launch a new series, especially when the country is engaged in a full-on constitutional crisis at our southern border with the possibility of an armed conflict?” she says.

Tune in Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. ET or on demand at blazetv.com to hear your favorite spicy Latina unpack topics such as the border crisis, the relentless LGBTQ+ agenda, DEI madness, and the endless list of lies the government continues to feed us.

In Sara’s most recent episode, she tackles Taylor Swift’s potential role in the upcoming election, Biden’s intentionally orchestrated border catastrophe, and the escalating tensions in the Middle East, among other topics.

Check it out below.


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Why Joe Biden’s Poll Numbers Are Even Worse For Democrats Than They Think

Democrats are stuck, and they did this to themselves.