WWE has big plans for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns that do not involve the wrestling ring.
WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan recently appeared on The Town and revealed how the company sees Reigns as the next guy to make the leap to Hollywood.
“We think he’s certainly up there,” Khan revealed. “We have big plans to help him cross over, which we think will be great for him and certainly great to do with him.”
WWE Legend The Rock mastered the transition from the ring to the screen. Khan commented on Rock’s journey to blockbuster success.
“I think he was given advice early on to, ‘Hey, get rid of the muscles. Don’t be a handsome leading man. Distance yourself from WWE.’ You saw the result was like the Tooth Fairy movie,” Khan said. “He, to his credit, like Vince and like other people, has the unique ability to see things clearly. Instead of saying, ‘Hey, this Tooth Fairy thing was great! I made X number of millions of dollars on it!’ It was more, ‘This is not what I want this to be.’ It wasn’t authentic.”
Khan continued and revealed how WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon played a significant role in steering Rock’s acting career the right way, which includes his 2011 wrestling return.
“One of the people, Rock has shared with me and Vince has shared with me, Rock called was Vince,” Khan continued. “Rock called Vince and said, ‘Hey, this is not working the way I think it should be working. I think I want to reattach to WWE and I think I need to get a new agent.’ Vince helped him do that, and Rock was on his path that he’s on now. The inner voice has to match the outer voice. It’s the same thing with our characters. Rock, John Cena, Stone Cold, Roman Reigns. Who they are now is who they are in real life, just amplified. That tends to work best for us. When you miscast someone, it never works in the film business.”
Rock vs. Reigns is rumored for WrestleMania Hollywood in April 2023. There’s no word on when the build for that match might continue, or when Reigns’ transition to Hollywood will really begin, but we’ll keep you updated.
Stay tuned for more.
(H/T to WrestlingInc for the quotes)
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