Dwayne ‘The Rock” Johnson is never too far away from brewing a storm in a teacup, just by sparking speculations among fans. Despite him being out of touch with the wrestling ring, he was rumored to return for Wrestlemania 39, and that too against Roman Reigns – which eventually was reportedly turned down by him. The special counsel to Universal champion Roman, Paul Heyman has indubitably claimed that the match was never really on the cards.
‘The Wiseman’ has gone on to clarify his stand as the statement came as a shock to some. Heyman specified the importance of conditioning and being ‘ring fit’ – which according to him, ‘The Rock’ is nowhere near to.
Why does Paul Heyman think that Rock is not a ‘ring fit’?
Appearing on the “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” podcast, Heyman was all praise for Dwayne Johnson’s physical aesthetic, touting his physique as one of the most Hollywood-ready ones.
However, he didn’t deem Dwayne Johnson to be at the peak of his cardiovascular strength. Owing to his involvement in XFL, Dwayne Johnson must have had a hard time juggling between this and his Hollywood responsibilities. Even though his nutrition and iron game are just as vital as they were, Heyman feels that Dwayne Johnson’s conditioning is off balance.
Bringing up the conditioning issue, he elucidated his stand saying Dwayne Johnson could probably run a marathon. But rumbling in the ring is a different ball game. Sparring for 15 minutes with someone like Roman Reigns, that too after being away from the game for a long time, will gas him out.
Dwayne Johnson may have claimed him as the ‘True head of the table’; but he will be shown his place in a merciless fashion if he opts to step inside the ring – is what Heyman feels. ‘The tribal chief’ might just eat him alive and seeing ‘The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment ‘ getting berated for 15 straight minutes will be a tough sight for the fans. Heyman doesn’t think the fans would even pay to watch that despite being two of the biggest names involved.
Did Roman Reigns already predict what Paul Heyman said?
In fact, Roman Reigns was doubtful about the rumors himself, the same way Heyman is. On “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon”, Reigns candidly expressed his concerns regarding Dwayne Johnson’s conditioning. The arduous tasks he has been put through won’t allow him to train for cardiovascular conditioning.
Even though the thunders in the royal rumble poster alluded to Dwayne Johnson’s return, and later on the rumors regarding the Wrestlemania return surfaced, Reigns didn’t even think for a second that he would have to fight Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne Johnson was rumored to fight Dwayne Johnson Lesnar in the last Wrestlemania as well. But the proposition was scrapped as he didn’t recuperate from the injuries he sustained from the brawl with John Cena.
Given the fact that this led to his ‘Hercules’ shoot being postponed, he must have been the farthest from intense cardio sessions. It’s only fair for Heyman to smell what The Rock has been cooking, and he certainly never smelled even a dash of Wrestlemania in The Rock’s pot.
