In the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) commentator Jim Ross opened up about the time The Rock was being pursued by Hollywood.
ROSS AND VINCE MCMAHON WENT TO WATCH THE SCORPION KING TOGETHER
Ross and his then boss Vince McMahon went to watch The Rock’s first movie, The Scorpion King, together. About ten minutes after seeing the premiere, they continued sitting at the theatre. They had not passed even one remark at each other during the movie, only communicating through eye contact. The Rock’s acting made them realize that ‘The Brahma Bull’ had something special in him in terms of his on-screen potential as a movie star, which was different from his on-screen potential as a pro wrestling superstar.
“About 10 minutes after seeing the Scorpion King, I sat next to Vince McMahon. Not one word was uttered, we gained eye contact in the movie theatre at the premier and we kind of looked at each other like, ‘I see something special here.’ He jumped off the screen, man. It wasn’t like doing a promo or making his pie jokes, which were entertaining as s–t. But he jumped off the screen,” Ross recalled.
Ross went on to recall the premiere, and the fact that when The Rock was on the screen, he was the only person the audience could look at. It was then that he realized the potential of him as a movie star. But even Ross could not realize that The Rock would go on to become one of the highest paid actors in the world.
THE HOLLYWOOD OFFERS SOON WENT WAY OVER WHAT WWE COULD AFFORD TO PAY
Ross went on to say that The Rock was also a brilliant businessman, sharing a personal experience, and said that when Hollywood came calling with offers and bonuses amounting to far more than what WWE could pay, it was no surprise that he went to the Tinseltown.
“Offers were going to be piling in for a whole lot more money than we could pay, and bump-free money. Rock has been a brilliant businessman. He’s even got me drinking his tequila, and I don’t even like tequila. And I wouldn’t have tried it had it not been for him. Nobody could perceive how great he would be in that world,” he said.
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