How Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Almost Left the WWE to Become an MMA Fighter

• Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson once considered leaving the WWE to become an MMA fighter
• The Rock explained that he was not earning a lot as a wrestler and was being booed by fans
• The former WWE champion went on to become one the greatest wrestlers of all time

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters becoming pro wrestlers is not unheard of, and neither is wrestlers swapping the ring for the cage.

While Brock Lesnar is arguably the biggest male star to switch between the two, he could have been overshadowed if The Great One followed through with his plans.

As noted by Middle Easy, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson recently admitted that he was close to becoming an MMA fighter.

The People’s Champion was speaking to Joe Rogan when he revealed that he almost left the WWE for a career in MMA.

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Boxing

The Rock explained that while working out in LA during the 90s, he came across many MMA fighters from PRIDE who were earning a lot more money than he was.

“These guys in PRIDE are making $250 000, $350 000, $500 000, and I thought then, I don’t think I’m going to make it in WWE,” he said.

He added that at that stage, he was being booed out of arenas, couldn’t be himself, and was tempted to leave the company.

He began to speak to fellow wrestler Ken Shamrock about his plans and even discussed with his wife that he wanted to leave the wrestling promotion to become an MMA fighter just to make better money.

Thankfully for the WWE and wrestling fans, The Rock didn’t leave the company and went on to become one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

The Rock's championship wins

As noted by DAZN, the third-generation superstar won the WWE Championship eight times, the WCW Championship two times and the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice.

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UFC

He is also a five-time WWF Tag Team champion.

The Rock offers to help UFC fighter

WWE and Hollywood superstar, Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson, is coming to the rescue.

The former WWE champion has been touched by the story of Themba 'The Answer' Gorimbo, and has agreed to help the UFC newcomer.

The Answer made headlines last month when he shared a screenshot of his bank balance, saying he only had $7 to his name after his last fight, Sports Brief reported.