Interview with The Rock (2nd) 4-6-01

by Phil Speer

courtesy of WWF.com

The Rock's "indefinite suspension" from the World Wrestling Federation coincides remarkably with his movie schedule. Before he left the company to film "The Scorpion King"/serve his suspension, he talked with WWF.com about WrestleMania, the movie and his eventual return to the Federation.

WWF.com: What did you think of the match?

The Rock: I was very proud of the match. I was very proud of what Steve and I were able to go out there and accomplish. I think that we lived up to our expectations, and more importantly to the fans' expectations, judging by their reactions. It was a real pleasure once again. Rock-Austin II was everything I anticipated and more.

WWF.com: Were you surprised by the reaction of the fans in the Astrodome?

The Rock: Not at all. You have two heroic characters -- The Rock and Austin. So very similar in terms of being on top of the world and on top of their game, yet so very different. There's a true dichotomy between the two characters. When they're both so popular, no, it didn't surprise me, especially being in his home state, very close to his hometown. There were a lot of mixed emotions out there. And it was real. I certainly wouldn't want to attempt to pull the wool over anybody's eyes. The wonderful aspect about our industry is that fans can be as passionate and as vocal and as honest as they want to be -- and it was real. They were behind Stone Cold. They were behind The Rock. That chant of "Raustin" happened all night long.

WWF.com: How are you feeling physically?

The Rock: Sore as hell. My body's sore, my head's sore, everything's sore. But the soreness isn't as overwhelming as the pride for what we did. Not only Steve and I as a team -- when I say team, even though we're against each other, we're still a team -- I'm proud as a company as well. And we couldn't have done it without the fans.

There were times were I was on the offense and I would hear some boos, and vice versa. Certainly the meter tipped to Steve in the beginning of the match. It actually reminded me of the movie "Rocky IV," where Rocky fought Drago in Russia. They hated him in the beginning of the match, but in the end, he won them over. Anyway, no, it didn't surprise me at all. I was quite happy that they were so passionate. I appreciate that.

WWF.com: Now that you've gotten a chance to watch a tape of the match, don't you think Jim Ross and Paul Heyman did a great job?

The Rock: Absolutely. The match just wouldn't be the match that it turned out to be without the commentary of Jim Ross and Paul E. Jim Ross does such a phenomenal job of putting the viewer right there in the middle of the action, which is so important because there's so much emotion, and Jim does an extremely good job of exuding that provocativeness that we needed. And when we talk about being real, that's Jim. He calls what he feels. And Paul E. as well. They call what they feel.

WWF.com: Could there possibly be a more dramatic finish than the one in your match? I couldn't take any more drama.

The Rock: I know. Well, drama is a tremendous thing. Drama makes the world go 'round. I thought it was very befitting for WrestleMania -- the biggest WrestleMania of all time. I thought it was very befitting for the biggest match in the history of our industry -- the two biggest characters in the history of our industry. It was a very befitting match, very befitting drama and a very befitting ending.

WWF.com: You're leaving to do the movie and Stone Cold turned on the fans at WrestleMania. Is part of the reason for these two events to give other "good guys" more of a chance to be in the main event spotlight?

The Rock: That wasn't necessarily the idea. I think that the opportunity will certainly present itself for a lot of the babyfaces that we have. But going into this, from a storyline standpoint, it wasn't thought, 'Well, let's make sure The Rock signs a great deal with Universal, and he does his movie. And let's turn Steve heel just so we can elevate some babyfaces.' That wasn't the case. These events of me doing my film and Steve turning heel will be a good opportunity for a lot of babyfaces. And then when The Rock comes back ... (laughs) ... I'm just gonna laugh at that.

WWF.com: How is the movie going?

The Rock: The movie is going tremendous. I'm extremely happy. We started filming three weeks ago. I'm extremely happy with the studio.

The work is extremely hard, harder than most people can even fathom if they weren't in the film industry. They wouldn't understand the time and effort it takes. But it's certainly a goal of mine to excel, not only in the industry of sports entertainment, but in the film industry as an action figure and an actor. I'm having the opportunity to work with some tremendous actors and actresses, some great producers and a great director, and a great studio. They believe in this film. They believe it's going to be their big blockbuster film of the summer of 2002, which I'm very appreciative for. It's driving me to excel and work even harder. It's going very well.

WWF.com: I know you've signed Michael Clarke Duncan for the movie. Can you talk about the rest of the cast?

The Rock: Absolutely. They signed Michael Clarke Duncan of course, from "The Green Mile." They signed a guy by the name of Grant Heslov -- who was in "True Lies" and "Congo" -- who plays my comedic sidekick. He's extremely funny and extremely talented. They signed a girl to play the lead female. Her name is Kelly Hu, who is the star of "Martial Law" and "Nash Bridges." She's been in a couple of other films. Just a visually stunning girl.

WWF.com: When are you coming back to the Federation?

The Rock: Probably be back in July.

WWF.com: A little before SummerSlam?

The Rock: Yeah, a little bit before SummerSlam. I look forward to SummerSlam. I'd like to say that this SummerSlam quite possibly may be the greatest SummerSlam of all time.

WWF.com: The big comeback of The Rock ...

The Rock: And I think obviously a lot of storylines culminated at WrestleMania. The beginning of an era of Austin as a heel aligning himself with Vince McMahon is something that is, from a storyline standpoint, extraordinary. And of course, The Rock, who is now taken out by Stone Cold and will return with one focus in mind and that is Stone Cold and Vince McMahon. I look forward to it.

WWF.com: There's a distinct possibility that you're on the verge of becoming as big of a star in the movies as you are in sports entertainment. Are the movies going to draw you away from the Federation?

The Rock: It's always a question of opportunity. Opportunity and drive and focus. I have a fantastic opportunity with the film, especially with "The Mummy Returns" coming out, "The Scorpion King" and other projects that may come to fruition. Will they drive me away from the WWF? I don't think anything could ever drive me away from the WWF. I absolutely love what I do in the WWF. And I have an incessant passion for what I do. One way or the other, I'll always be part of the WWF. The Rock and the WWF are synonymous.
But, again, in terms of opportunity, there are a lot of long-term goals that I have set for myself, personally and professionally. Certainly, being an action-figure actor on film is one of them.

And not only just being on film, but being extremely entertaining and electrifying. That's very important to me. Indirectly, as opportunities continue to arise and I take advantage of them -- and I'm blessed enough with the ability to do well -- not only does it affect my career, but it indirectly affects everybody's career. Wherever The Rock goes, the WWF goes. I'll always be part of the WWF. There's only one Rock. There's only one WWF.