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The Rock Breaks Down In Tears During 15 Minute Standing Ovation

By Lyle Kilbane • Published Sep 02, 2025 05:10 EDT
The Rock Dwayne Johnson

The Rock has been left in tears after watching his critically acclaimed movie, as Oscar buzz starts to build for the WWE legend.

It was back in the early 2000s when Hollywood first came calling for The Rock. The Mummy Returns saw him star as The Scorpion King before that character got a movie of its own. Since then, The Rock starred in a slew of family-friendly adventure films before he found real box office success when he helped revive The Fast & The Furious franchise.

The man best known to movie-goers as Dwayne Johnson broke through to real commercial success and became the highest-paid actor in the world for a few years. However, questions were raised over his box office bankability when superhero flick Black Adam bombed.

Now, Johnson has taken a different tack as he brings to life the story of early UFC fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. The Rock turned heads with a dramatic weight loss as he appeared for the movie’s premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

The Great One was left in tears after the movie played as it received a huge 15-minute standing ovation from the assembled audience. There has been talk of an Oscar nomination for Johnson as a result of his portrayal of the troubled Kerr as he ditches all action roles for meaty, dramatic stories.

Is The Rock Returning To WWE?

The Rock has not been seen in WWE since Elimination Chamber in early 2025, when he lit the touchpaper for John Cena to turn heel. Cena has now abandoned that run, blaming those who led him to it and then failed to back him up – a not-so-veiled dig at The Final Boss and Travis Scott.

It’s long been believed that The Rock will return to the ring for one more match, and his role on the board of TKO means he’s more intertwined with WWE than he has been in decades. However, an Oscar nomination, let alone a win, will see whole new doors open for him in Hollywood, and he might want to make the most of any critical success to finally be considered a dramatic success in the film industry.