Woo: Dwayne Johnson announces Ric Flair biopic amid Vince McMahon scandal
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, now a board member of WWE-owner TKO, leads a whiplash-inducing period for the pro-wrestling giant
Photo: Djamilla Rosa Cochran (WireImage)
Amid his return to pro wrestling, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has yet to comment on the abuse and assault allegations against his former boss, Vince McMahon. It’s unsurprising given that McMahon is responsible for Johnson’s career and the former WWE champion is on the board of directors of WWE’s parent company, TKO. Considering his business dealings, he probably won’t be making statements about the allegations of sex trafficking and rape cover-ups miring the company’s latest hot streak. But the Rock is announcing things. A few weeks back, he began discussing his next movie, The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie, a biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr. On social media this afternoon, he doubled down on biopics, announcing one on longtime friend and pro wrestling legend “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Johnson wrote about growing up “in the wild world of professional wrestling,” where he met and idolized Flair, a reverence that grew when he broke into the business “began to spill my own sweat and blood in arenas across America.”
“Ric Flair had a relentless passion to be the greatest of all time, but with achieving that GOAT status — he also sacrificed it all and paid a heavy price. And lived to tell the story,” Johnson wrote. “I’ve known Ric since I was 8 years old when he and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, were wrestling together in the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance).”
Of course, how far into that story Rock is willing to go remains to be seen. Flair has also been accused of sexual misconduct in the past, with the most oft-cited incident being aboard the infamous “Plane Ride From Hell,” in which a charter of drunken WWE Superstars accosted the crew. Flair was accused of sexual harassment by a flight attendant, as recounted in the documentary series Dark Side Of The Ring. Flair has denied the allegation, but the charge lingered, and the wrestler’s popularity took a severe hit.
Now that Rock has announced styling, profiling, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ biopic, Johnson’s connection to the world of sports entertainment deepens at an uncertain time. After changing the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe so significantly that Warner Bros. wiped the slate clean on an entire galaxy of franchisable films, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has returned to WWE to recover and will reportedly headline or co-headline Wrestlemania this year—which is also its own confusing mess. It’s not uncommon for the Rock to retreat into a world where he is the most electrifying man and 10,000 screaming audience members can give him goosebumps with the sudden pop of applause. But Johnson has yet to comment on the charges facing McMahon, and it’s really starting to feel like the whole angle is, as Deadspin put it, a real “hey, look over there.”
Earlier today, the second most famous WWE wrestler in Hollywood, John Cena, gave a measured and carefully crafted statement on the allegations on The Howard Stern Show [per Fightful] that amounted to he’s standing by Vince.
I don’t think it’s complicated to talk about. It’s complicated to listen to. That’s why I don’t necessarily put a lot of time and equity into it. There’s still a long way to go. I can say this, I’m a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty, and communication, in the same breath, I’m also a big advocate of accountability. If someone’s behavior lies so far outside of your value system that the balance shifts of, ‘I can’t operate in a world where this works.’ That’s the end result of being accountable. Right now, I’m gonna love the person I love, be their friend. ‘I love you, you have a hill to climb.’ There is the saying of, ‘You don’t know who your friends are until shit hits the fan or your back is against the wall.’ That doesn’t make any of what’s going on any easier to swallow. Just telling someone you love them, it’s a hill to climb, and we’ll see what happens.’ That’s that. It sounds so cliche, but it has to be one day at a time. I’ve openly said, I love the guy, I have a great relationship with the guy, and that’s that. It’s largely my construct of operating with honesty and communication. Those are strong leads to handling any problem or achievement. The whole thing is super unfortunate and it sucks. It deals with an individual I love and an entity I love.
I want everyone to have the experience that I have. Not only do I tell a friend that I ove them, but I switch to the entity and say, ‘How can I help?’”