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.
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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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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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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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These celebrities are allegedly moving out of America if Donald Trump wins 2024 election
Barbara Streisand may be a great singer and actress, but that’s the extent to which we can give her credit.
“She is claiming that she will yet again leave the United States if Donald Trump gets re-elected,” sighs Hilary Kennedy.
Streisand made the same threat back in 2016, but, of course, she never followed through. However, she apparently means it this time around.
When Stephen Colbert asked her about her feelings regarding a second Trump term, Streisand responded with, “I will move. I can’t live in this country if he became president.”
She’s not the only celebrity who’s threatening to leave the states though. The list of Trump-hating celebs who claim they’ll move should he be re-elected also includes: Whoopi Goldberg, Raven-Symoné, Miley Cyrus, Bryan Cranston, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, and Chelsea Handler.
“This country would be a lot better if the people who claimed that they were going to leave it after Trump's 2016 victory actually would have left, but they didn’t,” laughs Logan Hall.
“This is an 81-year-old actress,” adds Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson. “I have no idea why I should give two you-know-whats about what Barbara Streisand thinks about politics or anything else.”
Amen to that, and good riddance to the woke celebs should they actually muster the courage to leave this time.
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THESE celebrities say they're leaving America if Trump wins 2024 election
For the second time in recent history, the trash is promising to take itself out.
In an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Barbara Streisand claimed she would leave the United States if Donald Trump is elected president in 2024.
“How do you feel about the specter of a second Trump administration?” Colbert asked Streisand, who replied,
“I will move. I can’t live in this country if he became president.”
When Colbert then asked her where she would go, Streisand said “England, I like England.”
This isn’t the first time Streisand has promised to leave the country.
In 2016, she claimed she would move to Canada if Trump became president. When he did become president, she stayed in the United States.
Streisand isn’t the only one. Whoopi Goldberg, Raven-Symoné, Miley Cyrus, Brian Cranston, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, and Chelsea Handler have all made similar promises in the past, but none of them followed through.
“Obviously this country would be a lot better if the people who claimed that they were going to leave it after Trump’s 2016 victory actually would have left, but they didn’t,” Blaze Media digital strategist Logan Hall says.
Hall believes these celebrities “don’t really have a lot of loyalty to America.”
“They don’t really feel like they’re American. They can just go and pack their bags and release all these horrible policies on the rest of us of lesser means who could not leave,” he adds.
Blaze Media editor in chief Matt Peterson notes that these celebrities' opinions couldn’t matter less, not just because they’re awful at staying true to their word.
“This is an 81-year-old actress. I have no idea why I should give two you know whats about what Barbara Streisand thinks about politics or anything else,” Peterson says.
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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.The Rock claims his friends support Biden, then Joe Rogan asks just one question that makes him quickly backtrack
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson backtracked in a recent podcast conversation when asked if any of his friends "actually" support President Joe Biden.
During a conversation with a Joe Rogan about America's hyper-politicized and tribalistic culture, Rogan explained how modern American political discourse is different today compared to several decades ago.
"When I was a kid, you could have a Republican friend. It was no big deal. It's no big deal. Like, 'Oh, Bobby likes George Bush.' Who cares? Who gives a f***?' You know, you were a supporter of Bill Clinton, he liked George Bush. Nobody cared," Rogan explained. "Nobody was like, 'F*** you.' It wasn't like, 'You're a Nazi.' Like what do you mean I'm a Nazi? I just want lower taxes."
Johnson agreed with Rogan's memory and his assessment of the modern political divide.
"It's the craziest thing," Johnson responded. "I have friends who support Trump. I have friends who support Biden."
And it was that claim — Johnson saying that some of his friends support Biden — that forced Rogan to interject and voice his skepticism, causing Johnson to retract his claim.
"Do you really have friends who support Biden?" Rogan asked.
"Oh no, no, no, no, here's – here's what I do. I have friends — thank you. That's a good check. Because that's important. This is important context," Johnson clarified. "I have friends who are loyal to the [Democratic] Party."
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Though Johnson endorsed Biden in 2020, his comments represent more anecdotal evidence that Biden did not necessarily win the election because voters were enthusiastic about his presidential prospects as much as voters showed up in record numbers to vote against then-President Donald Trump.
Also during the episode, Johnson revealed that a political party approached him recently about running for president, showing him evidence that he would be competitive in the race. Johnson did not reveal which party approached him.
Johnson, meanwhile, visited Washington this week, where he was peppered with questions about running for president.
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The Rock says he was approached by multiple parties to run for president in 2024: 'It was one after the other'
Actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he was approached by multiple political parties that were interested in helping him run for president after a national poll revealed strong support for the star.
Speaking to former Comedy Central host Trevor Noah on his podcast "What Now?" Johnson revealed that discussions with political parties took place after a 2021 poll that showed 46% of Americans would support his presidential campaign. The poll had 30,000 respondents.
Johnson said different political parties approached him in 2022 and cited the poll.
"That was an interesting poll that happened and I was really moved by that," Johnson said, according to the Daily Caller. "I was really blown away and I was really honored. I’ll share this little bit with you: At the end of the year in 2022, I got a visit from the parties asking me if I was going to run, and if I could run," he explained.
"It was a big deal, and it came out of the blue,” the 51-year-old continued. "It was one after the other, and they brought up that poll, and they also brought up their own deep-dive research that would prove that should I ever go down that road [I’d be a real contender]. It was all very surreal because that’s never been my goal. My goal has never been to be in politics. As a matter of fact, there’s a lot about politics that I hate."
At the time of the aforementioned poll's release, Johnson remarked on his Instagram page that he didn't think the Founding Fathers ever "envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club."
Johnson mentioned still that he would be honored to serve the country, however. The actor expanded on the idea of becoming president in an October 2021 post following an interview with Vanity Fair:
"I don’t know the first thing about politics. I care deeply about our country. And I care about every f**king American who bleeds red — and that’s all of them," he wrote. "There’s no delusion here. I may have some leadership qualities but that doesn’t necessarily make me a great Presidential candidate. And that’s where I am today," he added.
The Rock has flirted with political comments in the past and gone back and forth on whether or not he would run for office.
In 2020, the actor referred to himself as an "independent" with "centrist ideologies," then endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
In 2016, he told GQ that he "can’t deny that the thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring."
Then, in 2017, he told Variety that in terms of running for president, "the realistic consideration would be 2024."
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