Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on Career Changes, Jason at WrestleMania, Girl Dads & Jabronis | Ep 159

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Speaker 2 We brought him drinks and donuts. We all signed a card.

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Speaker 2 That's how good leads the way.

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Speaker 1 Wait, so Reese's color is orange and the Oreo cookie was invented in 1912.

Speaker 1 This one's been in the vault waiting for its moment.

Speaker 1 Reese's Oreo. The biggest drop since, well.

Speaker 2 He was like, hey, good luck to you, DJ.

Speaker 2 Great working with you. And I said, thank you, coach.
And then I hang the phone up and my dad's listened to the call. I said,

Speaker 2 I don't want to do that. I'm closing that chapter of my life.
He goes, well, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to be a wrestler.

Speaker 1 He hated the idea.

Speaker 1 Welcome back to New Heights, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for a very, very special episode of Wondry Show brought to you by Peloton. We're your host.
I'm Travis Kelsey.

Speaker 1 This is my big brother, Jason Kelsey, out of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Shout out to the Heights, man.
Yeah, baby. I miss everybody back in the Heights, man.

Speaker 1 Subscribe on YouTube, Wonder Plus, wherever you get your podcast. And follow the show on all social media at New Heights Show with 1S for fun clips throughout the week.

Speaker 1 Jason, tell the people how special this episode is. Oh, we got an absolutely incredible special guest episode for you guys.
If you smell la la la la la la la, what? New Heights is cooking. All right.

Speaker 1 Without further ado, let's get right into it. I guess we're going to do the intro.
First of all, should we call you Dwayne, The Rock, the final boss?

Speaker 1 What are we going by these days?

Speaker 2 Whatever comes out, brother.

Speaker 1 Doesn't matter what your name is. That's right.

Speaker 1 He's our podcaster from the University of Miami. He was a member of the 91 New Year Games national championship team.

Speaker 1 You might know him as the 10-time WWE heavyweight champion, or from the films such as the Fast and Furious franchise, Jumaji, Moana, among others, and upcoming the Smashing Machine.

Speaker 1 92%ers, please welcome Dwayne the rock johnson

Speaker 1 let's go boys good to see you

Speaker 2 dude could not resist good to see you got me man you got me good to see you

Speaker 1 dude well these thank you so much for coming on man this is this you're one of our like

Speaker 1 icon guests. We've always wanted to have you on this show, man, and just shoot the shit with you, brother.
And this is, this is so cool because this movie is unbelievable.

Speaker 1 The smashing machine, um the the story of mark kerr the thank you the legendary ufc fighter in the beginning days of the of the ufc right yeah in the beginning days yeah i'm very interested what was it about mark kerr that really like made you like did you know of him before the before the like script or before the movie came to you or the opportunity came to you or how it all came about and just what you knew about mark kerr and the and the ufc at that time yeah absolutely before i get into that let me just take a moment give you guys your flowers congratulations on the podcast podcast, man.

Speaker 2 And not only that

Speaker 2 on the podcast, but also just congratulations on your careers, man. Just really incredible careers.
And for you, for you, guys like you,

Speaker 2 guys in the league who have become world champions like you, I always say, that's my dream, man. You guys are living my dream.

Speaker 1 Like, that's that's what I thought.

Speaker 2 You know, that was the goal. So, anyway, so thank you for having me on.
Good to see you.

Speaker 2 With Mark Kerr,

Speaker 2 he was one of the pioneers of MMA, one of the founding fathers of MMA, of UFC, two-time heavyweight tournament winner. And back then, when you fought in the tournament, it was,

Speaker 2 you know, you fought, and if you won, you didn't go home and fight the next week. You fought that night.
And

Speaker 2 his career started out in Valley Tudo down in Brazil,

Speaker 2 won everything that night. So he became a legend.
And his ascension, man, was like a rocket.

Speaker 2 And I actually met Mark back in the late 90s, back in, you know, back then, MMA, UFC wasn't as big at global as it is today. So the big organization was Pride in Japan.

Speaker 2 And a lot of those guys will come over from Pride and we'd be WWE guys, we'd all be in LA working out at the same gym, the Gold's Gym in Venice.

Speaker 2 And we've been in the same arenas too as well. So I met Mark back then, and the guy was a legend.

Speaker 2 And, you know, he was always this walking contradiction of a human being where he was just insanely jacked. He was at one time the greatest fighter on the planet.

Speaker 2 He was like Tyson, undefeated, dominant, and feared. But with Mark, what was interesting about Mark was he's so kind-hearted and tender and soft-spoken.
And he would wreck these dudes.

Speaker 2 And afterwards, he'd go back in the locker room and check on them: Hey, you okay? Are you all right?

Speaker 1 Which makes a dude even scarier, right?

Speaker 1 He's doing that crazy.

Speaker 2 So, in 2000, in the mid-2000s, he had a documentary out called The Smashing Machine. And that documentary was so,

Speaker 2 it was so heartbreaking because the guy at one time was the greatest in the world. And then he lost.
He lost in Japan, and you never quite got over that loss.

Speaker 2 And then, like a lot of athletes who we know, he succumbed to pressure. And

Speaker 2 he...

Speaker 2 He battled his demons and he became addicted to drugs. He overdosed twice.
He's lucky to be alive.

Speaker 2 So back then, when I saw that documentary, I felt, man, this is an incredible story.

Speaker 2 But now years later in 2019, I take this documentary to Benny Safdie and I just watched Uncut Gems and I said, man, Benny, I love your filmmaking style. I have a movie here.

Speaker 2 It's not the big blockbuster movie. It's small and it's intimate, but it's also moving.
I showed him the documentary. And he said, I'm 100% in.

Speaker 2 But the cool part about the story that I know you guys will appreciate is there was a Mark Kerr back then who who was he was the man dominant and feared battled his demons and he lost everything then there's a Mark Kerr today who is so grateful to be alive and so present in every moment and he is

Speaker 2 he's the reflection of what happens when you get knocked down you get knocked on your ass especially if you battle addiction you get sober you stand back up man and you become this You become this beacon of hope to a lot of people out there who are struggling.

Speaker 2 It's awesome.

Speaker 1 Fuck yeah, Mark. Amen, brother.
And it's an amazing film. And I mean, movies about fighters in general, there's a lot of that relatability of getting knocked down, having to fight your way back up.

Speaker 1 And I always just love them across the board. That's right.

Speaker 1 You've had so many unbelievable films as an action star, comedian, like you've done all these genres. My brains is crazy, man.

Speaker 1 What caused this film now? Like, why the biopic? And like, this was such a different light where you absolutely killed it, brother. Like, thank you, brother.

Speaker 1 Hats off, like, really got into the character and did a great job.

Speaker 1 What really

Speaker 1 made you want to go into this kind of genre?

Speaker 2 So there was two things. That's a great question.
Number one was,

Speaker 2 man, you know, for a long time, I've had this blessed career that I'm so fortunate and grateful for that I've been able to have this blessed career and make these films where it allowed me to work my ass off, continue to build, continue to grow.

Speaker 2 But I was in this position where I was chasing box office.

Speaker 2 And it's great. And there's something motivating about that.
But I wanted to chase the challenge. And I felt like it was time to make that switch.

Speaker 2 And to be honest with you, I wanted to challenge myself.

Speaker 2 And I, and while these movies are big and they're hard to do and they're fun and a lot of people like them when you win and then you have some movies that flop and tank and that's okay.

Speaker 2 You got to move on. But I was really looking to challenge myself and get out of the comfort zone.
Yeah. and rip myself open and then see what the fuck is going to happen.

Speaker 2 I don't know, but I'm going to give this thing a shot and you got to go for it. And so it was that combined with the voice.

Speaker 2 I had a little voice right in here, man, behind my ribcage and between my ears that was like, hey,

Speaker 2 you don't want to wake up one morning and go, man,

Speaker 2 I should have done that thing. I should have taken that risk and taken that chance.
So it was that voice. And I finally, after all these years, listened to that voice.

Speaker 2 There's a great George Straits song that I've been doing.

Speaker 1 Wait, you haven't been listening to that voice? No, I've been listening to the voice.

Speaker 2 It's you know what happens? It's like you listen to the brain, and the brain is saying, Hey, listen,

Speaker 2 don't fuck this up. You're in a comfort zone.
It's good. There's a lot of people who depend on you.
You're making a lot of money. These movies make money.
They do well or they don't do well.

Speaker 2 But then the heart is its own boss, as you guys know. And the heart will ultimately be the one to say, No, no, no, no, we're going to override the brain and go take this risk.
And you know what?

Speaker 2 There's something, I tell you what, and I want to know from you guys being elite athletes and champions is

Speaker 2 it's good to be scared.

Speaker 1 Yeah. It's good.
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 It's good, like to be scared of some shit.

Speaker 1 I like to face that fear, man. Yes.

Speaker 1 There's a great quote by Customada, Mike Tyson's former trainer. The hero and the coward both feel the same emotion.
They both feel fear. The difference is the reaction to that emotion.

Speaker 1 And I just love that. I've carried with it forever.
That's another fighter quote. I mean, there's so many, I just

Speaker 1 fighting culture in general. That's one of of the reasons I love this film.
Yes. For me and Travis, really, we got into UFC probably at the tail end of Mark's career.
It was more like Chuck Liddell.

Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 Yeah, exactly. And I remember Mark Coleman, I remember Mark Kerr, but they didn't know it as much as I did after coming out of this thing.

Speaker 1 And just so much respect for these guys that grew the sport, right? Yes. And when they got legend Boss Rooting in there in the corner, I mean, that was amazing.
So we go, man.

Speaker 2 We had Boss Root. We had Alexander Usik.

Speaker 2 We had a lot of guys, man who came but but you're right about these guys who who pave who paved the way and back then those guys weren't making a lot of money at all

Speaker 1 right you're right they were banging their bodies up man a lot so doing a biopic like this how much did you have to be around mark like i feel like would you you you have to find because i mean the mannerisms the the the style of fighting stuff like that like how much was he on set helping you with all this stuff or did there like was there a reference uh in terms of like a fight coach last year i started my my prep for smashing machine we started shooting i think in august my prep started in january because what i started in january was really got to know mark spent a lot of time with mark

Speaker 2 but the crazy thing is again so you know we're all a little fucking crazy sometimes is i gotta be a little crazy

Speaker 1 how you make it yeah it keeps you from going insane insane person makes it in this world right

Speaker 1 i get to the top of anything

Speaker 2 cozy yeah exactly whalen jennings says i'm happy to be crazy it keeps keeps me from going insane.

Speaker 1 I love that.

Speaker 2 So I was also training for WrestleMania, and that's when I saw you, Jason, there in

Speaker 2 Philadelphia. So I was training for that.
Once I got out of WrestleMania, then I shipped my focus to the training camp for MMA, spent a lot of time with Mark.

Speaker 2 And you guys will appreciate this, is I had to gain 30 pounds for the role. But as you guys know, Mark Kerr's muscle had a certain quality to it.
It was that fast twitch,

Speaker 1 fibrous,

Speaker 2 explosive. And I still had to move.
And he had this tiny waist. And I was like, God, man,

Speaker 2 that's a lot of weight to carry. But I did my best, worked out with Mark, worked out with MMA coaches, MMA fighters as well.
I had a 12-week training camp.

Speaker 2 And that was a whole other education for me because I, you know, grew up in the world of pro wrestling, loved the pro wrestling. I knew my way around a wrestling ring.

Speaker 2 But MMA is a whole different beast and a whole different monster. So I spent a lot of time with Mark.
But you know,

Speaker 2 the thing that moved me most that I didn't realize until I got into this with Mark was that there's Mark,

Speaker 2 the physical specimen,

Speaker 2 how he walked, how he talked. So there was a physical transformation for me, a vocal transformation.

Speaker 2 But the biggest transformation was his emotional transformation. And you realize, you guys know fight culture, you respect fight culture.
It's like these fighters,

Speaker 2 there's a unique mentality that they have. And you realize right away, it's not about the wins or the losses.
It's about the pressure. Absolutely.
Pressure that these guys go through, man. And

Speaker 2 there's that idea of, I can't remember who said it. Floyd Patterson may have said this, but

Speaker 2 the only thing you're left with when you lose is yourself.

Speaker 2 And so I wanted to find out from Mark.

Speaker 2 There was one of these fights in Japan, which you guys saw the movie, where he's fighting Vegeta at the end. He's on all floors.
Fujita is rocking him, but Mark's with it.

Speaker 2 His eyes are open and he's just taking a beating.

Speaker 2 I said to Mark, Mark, what was going through your mind? Were you numb from some of the stuff you might have been taking? What was it? Because you were with it.

Speaker 2 And he said, DJ, man, he goes, there's 40,000 Japanese fans. And he said, I couldn't fucking move my body, but I'm not going to tap and I'm not going to quit.
So I just waited.

Speaker 2 Either the referee is going to call it or this guy's going to knock my lights out. I was just waiting for either one to happen.

Speaker 1 Holy cow. Just that mentality.
Dude, that is crazy.

Speaker 2 So

Speaker 2 that's the thing that really became my anchor. You know, that kind of

Speaker 1 mentality.

Speaker 1 Yeah. Well, again, you killed it.
Thank you, brother. It was an absolute blast to watch.

Speaker 1 It was so crazy seeing like probably the most charismatic, like energetic guy I've ever seen on film or like in a WWE ring lock into this like, just like stone-cold, zero-emotion at times kind of killer.

Speaker 1 That's kind of how he moves through the movie. And then you see the highs and lows throughout it, but you did a phenomenal job, brother.
So Jason, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 This one meant a lot to me. And I've been saying this as we've been promoting the movie because, because I really mean it, is Smash Machine changed my life in ways that I never imagined.

Speaker 2 And as this thing continues to go on and we continue to have conversations about it, people continue to see the movie.

Speaker 2 It's been the experience of a lifetime.

Speaker 1 Of a lifetime. Awesome.
Tell you. I'm happy as hell for you, baby.
Thank you, brother. I do have a question, though, about the MMA and the wrestling world.

Speaker 1 I mean, obviously, you're very understanding of being in a ring and having 40,000 cheering you on.

Speaker 1 Was there ever a moment where you were like, yeah, you know what?

Speaker 1 I want to give that a shot.

Speaker 1 I want to go into the MMA ring. I want to go into UFC.
Was there ever a thought or like an opportunity? Maybe somebody put a contract on the table. It's like, it's there if you want it.

Speaker 2 Listen, me right now, it's like

Speaker 2 as you're training in MMA camp, it's like, okay, you know how ego will start knocking at your door and be like, hey,

Speaker 2 I could be a bad motherfucker doing this.

Speaker 1 I think so.

Speaker 2 You know, but then the reality, what happens, I, and, you know, he's not an MMA fighter, but he's arguably going to be one of the greatest of all time as Usuk. We were in the ring.

Speaker 2 And the moment I locked up with him, that was very sobering and again it's just he used to have fighter mentality and you could feel it and man just feel it right away feel it right away i tell you what when i was um years ago though when those guys were going to japan and in the in the mid to late 90s we weren't making a lot of money because we were on the lower uh you know we were opening match in wwe

Speaker 2 so there was a time where me and my buddies started hey do you think we could go over to japan i think we might be okay like we might be able to do well those guys are making you know a lot of money and then you realize no wait those guys will take my jaw and knock it into another area code, man.

Speaker 1 I'm not doing that. I don't like to get hit in the face.

Speaker 1 Just got to be real. Just got to be real, man.
That's so good. I love it.
I love it. Well, can't wait.
Everybody check out the Smashing Machine. You're not going to regret it.

Speaker 1 You're not going to regret it.

Speaker 1 Let's flash back, if that's all right with you.

Speaker 1 You talked about football was always kind of like the dream growing up. Dream.
Your time at the U. What was that like? I mean, give us a tackle, 91 Hurricanes team.
You're You're behind Warren Sapp.

Speaker 1 Take us back to that time.

Speaker 2 That was crazy, man. When I came in, I came in as a freshman in 1990 and

Speaker 2 I was kicking ass, man. I was balling.
And I was actually number two as a true freshman behind Russell, Maryland. Russell, Maryland, right, was number one draft pick for the Cowboys.

Speaker 2 And I was balling. I get hurt the last day of training camp.

Speaker 2 An offensive guard runs me into the ground. My entire shoulder pops out.
It's hanging out. The doctor had to come back and put it in.
You guys have been there.

Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 I had to have complete reconstruction on my shoulder, tore everything, went into depression.

Speaker 2 Had a miserable freshman year. I got a point fucking seven.

Speaker 1 Point seven. Yeah, that's

Speaker 1 fucking related to that. It's hard.
You got to try to get a point seven.

Speaker 1 I was the other way, though. I was having so much fun.
I had a point seven. You weren't having fun.

Speaker 1 I wasn't having the fun. I got a point seven.

Speaker 2 But anyway, so just a miserable freshman year. But the dude who ran me into the ground, that's Mario Cristobal, who's now the head coach in my life.

Speaker 1 He's kicking ass, man. How about it?

Speaker 2 How about it? That's my boy. I'm so proud of those guys down there.
But the you at that time in the early 90s, late 80s, early 90s,

Speaker 2 they rewrote the game on

Speaker 2 in terms of swagger, in terms of how to play. And we had a mentality down at Miami, which was speed kills, bottom line.
You guys know that.

Speaker 2 Oh, So Warren, our freshman year, they bring in Warren Sapp, who's a tight end.

Speaker 2 Yeah. And he's coming in, fresh, he's running routes, hands like butter, just like you.

Speaker 2 He's fucking around and he's in practice. He's catching punts with one hand.
I mean, he's, he already looks like, man, you could put this guy anywhere. Right.
I come in.

Speaker 2 We come into training camp and he's in the defensive line room. I sit down.
I said, what are you doing here? He looks at me. True story.
You could ask him him this.

Speaker 2 He goes, I've come to take your job.

Speaker 1 No way.

Speaker 1 No way.

Speaker 2 I said, you ain't taking my job. He said, I come to take your job.
I said, well, we'll see. We'll see.
Cut to me on the bench being like, hey, good job.

Speaker 1 He called it.

Speaker 1 He called it some beast. He called it.
Oh, you went for me? Not yet. All right.

Speaker 2 But man, that team back then, we had. We had Warren, we had Ray Lewis, Rohan Marley.
We had just, our defense was insane.

Speaker 1 Thank you. Insane.
Thank you.

Speaker 2 Did you guys play at the same time at Cincinnati? Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1 Oh, yeah. Okay.
We crossed over for a couple of years. Trav, long story short, Trav was ineligible for my senior year, so we never really had to do that.
We had to bring that up, too.

Speaker 1 I always bring it up because I still harbor resentment around that. But we did cross over.
We had a lot of success. Not as good as the Hurricanes, but Cincinnati had some.

Speaker 1 We went to two BCS Bowl games, including the Sugar Bowl and

Speaker 1 the Orange Bowl. So

Speaker 1 the old Orange Bowl down there yeah yes oh yeah baby that's why i was like i was like man i spent one week down there in miami and when i was a freshman in college i can only imagine what four years down in that place was big i would have survived brother they would tell you something that's why that's why especially during the the time at the you are you kidding me back then you guys were the superstars of the world yeah where it was like you know the dolphins were good at that time but the canes you know they were the talk of the town so i was for sure i was smart to get locked down my freshman year

Speaker 1 There we go. I'm not getting in trouble.
No, that's very smart. It's so crazy to think about what NIL and the transfer portal has done.

Speaker 1 Like for a team like the U, you guys had every single year had five stars coming in and just

Speaker 1 waiting for their opportunity to get into the game. It's it's so mind-blowing blowing to me that you know that isn't happening anymore.

Speaker 1 If you if kids aren't starting their or getting playing playing time as a freshman, they're in the portal going somewhere else.

Speaker 1 And I think that's, it might have leveled out the playing field and things like that. But I feel like the you is like kind of like, I don't know, historically, like it'll never happen again.

Speaker 1 Like, how talented they were. Like, they were so stacked across the board.
Like, kids would have left. They wouldn't have had that big of a deep of a team.
Is that what you're saying, Trey?

Speaker 1 That's what I'm, that's what I'm assuming. I don't know.

Speaker 2 We look, we, we were deep. Our second and

Speaker 1 third teams, and I was ended up being first-round drafts. Crazy, man, back then.

Speaker 2 Crazy back then. How do you think you guys would have done back then if NIL was there?

Speaker 1 Like, would you have been searching for that?

Speaker 1 Well, I don't know. I started as a sophomore and junior was really top player, almost was thinking about coming out as a junior.
Yeah. So maybe I would have transferred.
I don't know.

Speaker 1 It's hard to think.

Speaker 1 Offensive linemen still aren't getting that kind of money. Like, really, most of the money is going to the quarterbacks and the receivers and the big positions.

Speaker 1 Any money when you're in college is good money. Good money.
The NIL, the stuff they were talking about.

Speaker 1 We were doing some stuff at Titan U and guys were talking about over the course of their three or four years that they were getting NIL. They got over like $100,000, $200,000.

Speaker 1 In my mind, I'm like, I was kidding.

Speaker 1 Anything.

Speaker 2 We're just looking for the Pell Grant or something.

Speaker 1 Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker 1 You sacked Charlie Ward in 93. Is that correct? You did, yeah.
Yeah, got a sack.

Speaker 1 What was the Rocks' go-to move?

Speaker 1 What kind of D-tackle were you a big power guy, arm over, swim, dip and rip? Yeah, what would we like?

Speaker 2 You know what I do? I get my hands on the dude right away. Yeah.
So if it were,

Speaker 2 you were guard, right? I'm assuming what were you center?

Speaker 1 I played guard in college, but I played center at the NFL. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 Okay, so say it's me and you.

Speaker 1 Yeah. We line up.

Speaker 1 I'm already afraid, to be honest with you.

Speaker 1 You're being very kind to me, man.

Speaker 2 I tried to get my hands on you before you got your hands on me. I give you a little shiver.
That's a good strategy. And I'd just, I'd do that little boom.
I'd pull you down

Speaker 2 right over.

Speaker 1 Push-pull. Push-pull, man.

Speaker 1 That's a dangerous one.

Speaker 2 My coach, who you guys,

Speaker 2 you guys know, Ed Ogeron, from

Speaker 2 crazy Ed, man. My coach O, he was our coach down in Miami, and he said, he said, Dewey, you got great upper body violence.

Speaker 2 I said, look, I don't even know what the fuck that means, but that sounds good to me right now.

Speaker 1 You got great upper body violence.

Speaker 2 But if you think about it, right, as you guys know, as players, like if a player has upper body violence, and you can control the game, right?

Speaker 1 Violence hands, man. I'll tell you what I say.
I know exactly what Gojo's talking about.

Speaker 1 You got the violence where it's not just power, but it's like another level of like twitchiness with the strike. Yes.
Where it like jolts you.

Speaker 1 And there's guys that have that, and there's guys that don't really have that jolt. And then the ability to push and pull with that.
Yeah, man, that's a dangerous concept.

Speaker 2 That kind of

Speaker 2 like a piston. Yes.
Yes.

Speaker 1 Yeah. Where did Dewey come from? Why Dewey?

Speaker 2 It was a nickname that

Speaker 2 my mom gave me. So when I was a baby, my godmother took my mom, took me and gave me to my mom.
She goes,

Speaker 2 is he wet? And she goes, oh, he's just a little Dewey.

Speaker 1 Okay. And then it stopped.
Right.

Speaker 2 But then, okay, which is fine because, you know, we like to keep our parents' nicknames at the house. So my mom and dad came to watch me play, and they came to my first practice at Miami.

Speaker 2 And my mom was like, hey, Dewey, come here for a second.

Speaker 1 And I was like, oh, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 2 And you know, if you give a nickname like that around the boys, you're done.

Speaker 1 They're running with it.

Speaker 2 They're running with it. So it was, everybody was like, Dewey,

Speaker 1 what the fuck?

Speaker 2 And then it's just started.

Speaker 1 That was it. That's great.
Holy cow.

Speaker 2 Thanks for bringing that up, Jason. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 You said Dewey. I didn't.
I was like, what is it?

Speaker 1 Just bringing up the good stuff. Played with Doug Fluty in Calgary.
Is that you? Play in the CFL. I didn't know this going into this, to be honest with you, doing a little research.

Speaker 2 When I came out in 95, I had a dismal senior year. I got hurt.
I blew out, ruptured two discs in my back. You guys know what that's like.

Speaker 2 And when that happens at the beginning of the season, and you're just chasing, you're chasing pain, you're trying to chase relief, trying to, you're getting your injections, just all of that opportunities.

Speaker 2 And that's it. So that was really the thing.

Speaker 2 You're right. That was the thing that really messed me up because I knew right away, blow out two discs in my back.
The doctor said, you can have surgery or just ride the season out.

Speaker 2 And I said, I don't want to have surgery. It's your senior year.
You know, hey, I ain't coming back. So it's not like, you know,

Speaker 2 this is it. And so I'm just, who knows what's going to happen.
Maybe I could get a rep here or a rep there.

Speaker 2 Shitty senior year. And I didn't get drafted, but I got a call from Calgary.
And I went up there to Calgary. Yeah, I played up there for a little while.
And then I didn't make the team.

Speaker 2 I was on the practice squad. And we were making maybe about 300 bucks Canadian a week, which wasn't a lot to live on, man.

Speaker 2 But I was still, you know, you're living the dream and you're hoping that, hey, I can parlay this into I could get on an NFL squad next year and

Speaker 2 make that practice roster. And those guys are making 100 grand or whatever it is.
You know, so you keep the dream alive, keep the dream alive. And then I got cut from the CFL

Speaker 2 mid-October. I'll never forget it.
And

Speaker 2 I got sent back home. And so I got sent back home.

Speaker 2 Wally Buono, who's a legend up in

Speaker 2 the CFL,

Speaker 2 he wound up becoming my mentor. He said, listen, we're going to let you go, but man, you're a great player.
Love to call you back next year. I said, okay, thank you for the opportunity.

Speaker 2 I get sent home. You know how when you leave home and you go to college, you guys go to Cincinnati, you leave at home.
You don't plan on going back home with your parents. Like, this is it.

Speaker 2 Afterwards, you're hoping to make it to the league and do what you guys did.

Speaker 2 So I got cut from Canada. I go back home and I don't have a place to go now.
I got to move back in with my mom and dad in their little apartment in Tampa, Florida.

Speaker 2 And that was so sobering for me because it's like, man, there's a dream. It all goes away.
And then,

Speaker 2 yeah, that, and then I was down there.

Speaker 2 And then I get the call for Wally Buono after the season again ended. And he goes, hey, our season just ended.
I think they either competed for or they won the Great Cup.

Speaker 2 And he goes, we just had a big year.

Speaker 2 Jeff Garcia was up there, by the way, too, as well. He was their quarterback.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 2 he goes, I'd love to have you back. And I said, Coach, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 And in this moment, you know how you guys know that there's a defining moment in your life when you look back, like, man, had I not made that decision, I would have been on a different road.

Speaker 2 So, in this moment, when he said, Hey, I'm calling, I got great news. I'm going to bring you back

Speaker 2 next training camp, and we'll start all over again.

Speaker 2 And I said, Coach, I appreciate it, but I'm going to have to close this chapter of my life.

Speaker 2 And he was like, Hey,

Speaker 2 good luck to you, DJ.

Speaker 2 Great working with you. And I said, Thank you, Coach.

Speaker 2 So, and then I and then I hang the phone up and my dad's listened to the call. And my dad goes, Who was that? And I was like, Oh, that was the coach from, you know, Canada.

Speaker 2 And he goes, What did he say? I said, Oh, you offered me a job to come back. He goes, Oh, that's great.
I said, Yeah, I'm not going to take it. He goes, What are you talking about?

Speaker 2 And I said to my dad, who was a pro wrestler? Yes. I said to him,

Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah, yeah. I said, He goes, What do you mean? I said,

Speaker 2 I don't want to do that. I'm closing that chapter of my life.
He goes, Well, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to be a wrestler.

Speaker 1 He hated the idea. No,

Speaker 1 he was like, Worst decision.

Speaker 1 Worst decision.

Speaker 1 He hated it.

Speaker 2 Oh, we got to do a huge fight that night.

Speaker 2 So I played up there in Canada for a little while. And

Speaker 2 that became very defining for me, man. Yeah.
Because by the way, the thing I wanted most in my life, and I told you guys this, is I wanted your life. I wanted to be in the NFL.
That was my goal.

Speaker 2 And it wound up being the best thing that actually never happened for me.

Speaker 1 Yeah. You know? Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. Did you know on that call?

Speaker 1 Like when you were saying no that you were going to did you know like previously before it that you were going to go into wrestling or was it like literally at that moment where you're like nah man I'm going to go do this other thing it was at that moment.

Speaker 1 God crazy. It was at that moment.

Speaker 2 Because I was down there in Tampa and I was working at Bally's gym and I was selling memberships. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing.

Speaker 2 But then I, just in that moment, when he said, hey, you got a shot. And right then I went, I'm out.
Thank you anyway.

Speaker 1 Well, something's calling. Something's calling.
And it's that voice. Tell me what.

Speaker 1 And what was calling down the road that you had no idea was the fact that you own a pro football team now. There we How about it, baby?

Speaker 1 Could you have ever imagined it after a call like that that you'd be sitting there as the owner of a US, yeah, UFL team?

Speaker 2 No, there's no way. I mean,

Speaker 2 that's the beauty, I think.

Speaker 2 It's so humbling that life can come full circle in that way. Because while I never got that shot to live the dream that you guys have the

Speaker 2 privilege of living,

Speaker 2 years later, I have the opportunity to be the owner of this league and owner of the league

Speaker 2 with myself, Danny Garcia,

Speaker 2 Mike Ropoli, and

Speaker 2 Fox, Jerry Cardinal too, as well. And

Speaker 2 this full circle moment, man, to be able to create opportunities for players

Speaker 2 is the greatest feeling in the world. I mean, all this other stuff is wonderful, but...

Speaker 2 to create these opportunities for players just to play the game that we all love and to take care of their families, put food on the table, pay the bills and let them ball out has just has been amazing, man.

Speaker 2 And by the way, like this opening day of this season, we had 46 UFL players on NFL teams, man. Hell yeah.

Speaker 1 Oh, no.

Speaker 1 It's getting, it's doing exactly that. It's getting, giving guys opportunities to, you know, put the film out there, show that they can make plays, show that they can get developed under a scheme.

Speaker 1 I love to go in. I was down in Texas, and I just love the atmosphere.

Speaker 1 I love seeing, you know, Wade Phillips coach that football team and they were, I believe they were going in to try and win the championship that week or at least in the playoffs that week. So

Speaker 1 congrats on all the success.

Speaker 2 Thank you, man.

Speaker 1 And you already know it. You might not have had that privilege of living this life, but it seems that you live life with the privilege to live life, no matter what it is that you're doing.

Speaker 1 You're so humble about it. And you create your own path, man.
You created your own path. And it's so cool to hear the story behind it all.

Speaker 2 Thank you. You got to.
That's what we got to do is work hard and create create our own path, even if we don't know what it is. You got to have faith in the workout.

Speaker 1 So you knew what it was. You knew what it was.
The WWE, baby. The attitude era.
And that's it. We got to get into it, man.
We got to talk some wrestling.

Speaker 1 Iconic, man. Where do you even come up with this? How does it even come together?

Speaker 2 Well, back then in the Attitude era,

Speaker 2 keep in mind, that was before WWE was publicly traded. It was

Speaker 2 well before

Speaker 2 owned by TKO, obviously. So we flew under the radar.

Speaker 2 And there was a point where when I turned heel in the late 90s and I was mixing it up with Stone Cold Steve Austin and we were going back and forth and having our matches.

Speaker 2 That shit was bananas because the golden days because you could fly under the radar. And it reached a point.

Speaker 2 And I remember telling a guy who's a good friend of ours, mine today, and he helps run a division of seven bucks. His name is Brian Gowertz, and he was one of the first writers ever for WWE.

Speaker 2 And we used to write my stuff all the time together. And I said, you know what, man? You know how lucky we are right now? He said, what? I said,

Speaker 2 we could say anything tonight to this crowd. We could sing.
We could talk shit. I could talk in another language.

Speaker 1 I could whatever it is.

Speaker 2 I said, it's whatever we want. And I said, there's a whiteboard.
Let's write it. So the stuff about, you you know, whether it's if you smash it, you're gonna be so fired up, dude, dude.

Speaker 1 I'm telling you, it's like, oh, my God.

Speaker 2 Jason, do you remember that time right in the attitude era?

Speaker 1 Oh, my gosh.

Speaker 1 You know, I was bringing it back. I was going to bring it back.
That was good. That was good, baby.

Speaker 2 But it was a special time, man. I love it back.
That time was a very cool time.

Speaker 2 And that was also a cool time where there were just characters that were larger than life, you know, and everything evolves and everything in ebbs and flows. And I get it.
And I love pro wrestling.

Speaker 2 I will always love pro wrestling. But back then, that was special.

Speaker 1 Made it what it is today, no doubt.

Speaker 2 Damn, man. That was a fun time.

Speaker 1 What was life like as a WWE superstar? Like, we always talk about life as an NFL player.

Speaker 1 How is it different in wrestling?

Speaker 2 And I want to hear from you guys on this one. This is

Speaker 2 where you're on the road.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 365 days. There's no season.
You know, it's hard.

Speaker 2 It's not apples to apples it's when you're comparing nfl to wwe but it there is no season you're in a different city every night our goal was to put on a good show

Speaker 2 uh send the fans home happy don't get hurt protect each other's bodies yeah i'll see you down the road i'll see you at the next town right yeah it's like travis jason i'll see you in I'll see you in Arlington.

Speaker 2 And then the next night we're in Dallas. The next night we're in Austin.
Let's not get hurt. Let's take care of ourselves and send everybody home happy and injury free.

Speaker 2 But the problem is in that world,

Speaker 2 and it's just the way that it is, is, but you guys know this.

Speaker 2 You're always injured and you're always working through your injuries and you're always letting pain be your guide and you're always trying to protect yourself.

Speaker 2 And so while it was incredible and the world of pro wrestling is incredible and I love it. And what an opportunity it is because you get to connect every night with a different, a different crowd.

Speaker 2 And, you know, and the crowd in Dallas, that's a different energy than in New York. As you guys know, you go to these different cities, it's a different vibe, right?

Speaker 1 Different world, baby. Different world.
That's fun, though.

Speaker 2 Kansas City is different than Miami. You name it.
Philly is different. So, and it is fun.

Speaker 1 Did you have any favorites? What were your favorite cities? I didn't want to cut you off. No, no, no.
It's all good.

Speaker 2 It's all good.

Speaker 2 Chicago, New York, nothing like the garden, right?

Speaker 2 Down in Texas, amazing, too, as well. Philly, Philly, what I loved about Philly, that's a heel town.

Speaker 1 Dude,

Speaker 1 there is a lot of support. And I know you know this, but for The Rock in Philadelphia, he is beloved like no other.

Speaker 2 Philly is my tent. That's why I came back last year, man, at that WrestleMania.
There was nothing like it.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 2 I think compared to the league to the NFL is

Speaker 2 there's no seasons. And also

Speaker 2 it's incredible. And

Speaker 2 dreams come true for all of us, but also it's tough, man. It's tough being on the road road every night because what that means is then it's tough on your body.
You're getting banged up every night.

Speaker 2 You're working hurt every night and you're trying to keep up. And also it takes its toll on marriages and on relationships.
It's hard.

Speaker 1 Of course.

Speaker 1 I mean, you're all season.

Speaker 2 But how does that compare like to you guys where you guys are on the road every week?

Speaker 2 You're banged up. You're trying to.

Speaker 1 We're actually not on the road every week. We're only on the road half of the season.
That was one thing that was eye-opening to me, even just going into media.

Speaker 1 I travel more as a media member going to games than I did as a player because every week you're going to a new stadium.

Speaker 1 But I think you're still, it's a big commitment in season. You get one off day a week.
So it's the same thing. You know, there's a really intensely busy time period,

Speaker 1 which is six months, seven months.

Speaker 1 And then after that's over, you get a lot of offseason to, you know, reaffirm all of these relationships and spend time with your families. That's right.
Loved ones.

Speaker 1 So it's that's where it's different. The, the, the, the season is shorter.

Speaker 1 It's not 365 days, but for that shortened season, you're, you're at the building every single day, other than one day, pretty much. Yeah, it sounds like the similarities are amongst the

Speaker 1 routines of it. You know, you want to have that professionalism to always, always make sure that you're at your peak.
Yes.

Speaker 1 On the, on the night, on game night, on wrestling night, where, or on when the TV's live. Like, you just want to make sure you're being that for the organization, for the people around you.

Speaker 1 So I guess there is that

Speaker 1 similarity of like kind of just like the gruesome strain that you got to go through

Speaker 1 to have fun when the lights are on.

Speaker 2 I got two questions for you guys.

Speaker 2 Let's go. Jason,

Speaker 2 when you retired, Yes. You know, and you go out on top, it's like, again, it's, it's the dream.
It's my dream. I was watching that from afar.
I was was like, man, it's amazing.

Speaker 2 You give this impassioned speech, you know, you just, it's incredible. The next camp.
Yeah. And you weren't there.
Yeah. Was that hard for you? I've always wondered that.

Speaker 1 Absolutely.

Speaker 2 100%.

Speaker 2 Did you fall into like

Speaker 2 mini-depression? Like, how did you work through that? Like, what happened?

Speaker 1 I don't know how to label it, to be honest with you. There's definitely part of it I would say would be, you know, you're, you really miss being there with the guys.

Speaker 2 And there's a, there's was there a void that you had to fill?

Speaker 1 For sure, for sure. And for every day for 13 years, I was a regimented person.
Like, even in the offseason, we talked about the season's only a certain short period of time.

Speaker 1 To be the best at anything, you're putting in work 365 days a year.

Speaker 1 So you get used to this, you know, okay, Monday, Monday, I'm doing this, Tuesday, I'm doing this, Wednesday, and you get into that repetition, and then you build all these relationships with people.

Speaker 1 And then training training camp is the most heightened state of, like, hey, football's getting ready to get going. That's right.
And I'm very fortunate.

Speaker 1 I still live in Philadelphia, so I can still go to the building and get a little bit of it, but you're not in it. You're not going through the grind with your teammates.

Speaker 1 And you're not, you know, I miss going out and busting my ass and

Speaker 1 being hurt and tired after a practice. And then going into the cafeteria and bitching about it with my buddies and trying to like, hey, you're going to

Speaker 1 be fucking bullshit.

Speaker 1 I miss all that so much and

Speaker 1 with every successive year and I've talked to a lot of guys that have retired you miss less and less of it the one time I still like get goosebumps before every game when the national anthem plays and that kickoff's about to happen there's like a very visceral connection that comes to you and you like you start smelling the grass if it's a natural field that I don't I don't know it's hard to think that that'll ever kind of go away but how did you feel?

Speaker 1 Absolutely. That's when you, that's when you flip that switch, man.

Speaker 2 That's when you flip that switch. But, but what's your flip switch these days?

Speaker 1 Is it

Speaker 1 man?

Speaker 1 I got a lot of things that, so my flip switch is, um, man, it's a good question. Trying to,

Speaker 1 well, I do the, well, let me see.

Speaker 2 But probably, I would assume, going on the road, right?

Speaker 1 It's a different, well, yeah, I mean, it's a different,

Speaker 1 there's no more physicality thing that I had when I played the game.

Speaker 2 Like the tactile thing where you can grab something.

Speaker 1 Yeah, and that was a different switch where it's like,

Speaker 1 can't use violent hands out here in the streets. Violent hands no longer help me.

Speaker 1 He's got four little girls. Can't use violent hands.
Girl dads. I know.

Speaker 1 Top dads. You get.
fired up to either offer players help.

Speaker 1 I still go to the building and I still offer young guys support and to be able to help them in their careers or wherever I can in some type of like mentorship level.

Speaker 1 You get fired up to be the best at whatever you're doing. Like now I get to operate in a more creative space than I really ever got to in the field of football, which has been fun and different.

Speaker 1 And I feel, and I felt last year in a lot of ways, you're almost like a rookie again, where you're, you're, you're going into a new field.

Speaker 1 And instead of being a veteran, where you kind of have all these things set in place, you know how to do everything, you know what works. You feel that fear.
You feel that.

Speaker 1 Now you're going to be able to do that. That's just going to ask you.
Or you're scared. You feel that.
And you're trying to figure out, you know, how can I be the best at this new thing?

Speaker 1 What can I do? How do I study? How do I prepare?

Speaker 1 How do I,

Speaker 1 you know, bring something new that other people aren't doing? So it's, that's kind of what is probably the new switch. It's a little bit different than when you played.

Speaker 1 It's more of a creative kind of thinking about things from, you you know, what can I do that's different and unique than what everybody else has been doing.

Speaker 2 But it's still fulfilling for you.

Speaker 1 Yeah. It is.
It's fulfilling in a different way.

Speaker 1 I mean, I don't know that anything, quite frankly, is going to replace playing football in front of hundreds of thousands of people and millions of people on TV.

Speaker 1 But, you know,

Speaker 1 I think, you know, I got the privilege to do that for a long time. And at some point, that time ends and my time is over and I get fulfilled in different ways now.

Speaker 1 And I don't know that it's the same type of fulfillment as playing, but it's still pretty damn good. I'm still pretty damn fortunate to

Speaker 1 have a good time. I still get to talk about football, a game that I love.

Speaker 1 I get fulfilled at home, being with my kids and my family.

Speaker 1 Dude, I'm telling you,

Speaker 1 when I finally retire down the road,

Speaker 1 me and Jason are just going to be in the back putting the pads on for old time's sake.

Speaker 1 Getting better around. Filming back one time.
Just a violin chance, baby. Violet and hands.

Speaker 2 But think about this:

Speaker 2 and Trev, I have a question for you too as well, is, is while nothing will ever take the place of putting on the pads and strapping up that chin strap, putting on the helmet, and there's 100,000 people, nothing will ever take that place.

Speaker 2 But think about everything that you're doing now and how you've applied all of your mastery skills to become one of the greatest of all time, champions, et cetera, to what you're doing now.

Speaker 2 But also thinking about all the guys who maybe are on the cusp. Hey, I got about another year or two left in me, but look how he's doing it.

Speaker 2 Look how Jason's doing it. I want to do it like that.
So you're creating, I think, and already a really cool blueprint for athletes.

Speaker 2 Yeah, who are like thinking about like, what's my next step? The way he does it. I want to do it like that.

Speaker 1 It's funny you mentioned that because I've been following this big bear's footsteps my entire life, man. I went to Cincinnati.
I followed him into the football world. Then went to Cincinnati.
Yes.

Speaker 1 We both got drafted by Andy Reed. I've just been following his footsteps everywhere I go, man.

Speaker 2 Everywhere, man.

Speaker 1 He's paved the way for me to make a live in my life.

Speaker 1 You passed me a long time ago, Travis.

Speaker 1 Paving the way.

Speaker 2 Paving the way for so many.

Speaker 2 Trav, I got one question for you. And the question, I was thinking about this earlier.
The question is about pressure.

Speaker 1 Right?

Speaker 2 You will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

Speaker 2 And everything you, everything you got going on. By the way, congrats to your girl on the weekend.
What a crushing weekend she has. It's awesome.
Life of a showgirl. Life of a showgirl.

Speaker 2 My daughters are listening to the album now. It's very cool.

Speaker 2 Pressure, not only pressure as a professional athlete, especially once you become the greatest on the planet and the pressure to go back to because now there's no,

Speaker 2 if you don't win that and become the greatest and you don't become Super Bowl champions, then it's like us at Miami. If we didn't win the national championship, all right, that's.

Speaker 2 Our season's a failure, really. It doesn't matter what our record is.

Speaker 2 How do you handle that kind of pressure? Because you have the pressure of a a pro athlete which is insane but then the pressure of being in the spotlight in another kind of spotlight that's so big

Speaker 2 what it's is there a thing did you notice a shift did you feel a shift

Speaker 1 i definitely noticed a shift but i've i'm i'm not gonna lie man i've been so i've been so blessed so fortunate um

Speaker 1 My love for this game and my like attention to detail and the scrutiny I have on myself has been more pressure than anybody could put on me.

Speaker 1 And I've just always loved to find that answer, find the reason why I'm not having success, find the reason why I lost on this rep.

Speaker 1 So, the year in, year out, I feel like the only thing that I really got to like channel is just my energy for that day.

Speaker 1 You know, the attention to detail, the focus, the professionalism, that's always going to be there. But how am I coming into work? Am I coming into work enjoying what I'm doing? Is that infectious?

Speaker 1 Is that going to make the guy next to me want it just as bad as I do? Is Is it going to make the guy next to me, you know, go that extra mile when he sees me going the extra mile?

Speaker 1 You know, how, how, how can I make this team better from the inside out?

Speaker 1 And I think that's one of the biggest things that that's how you kind of handle pressure of the outside world is to just grind your fucking tail off inside.

Speaker 1 And I was saying I've been blessed in terms of all the other pressure, the worldwide pressure and everything.

Speaker 1 I've been so blessed to have that love.

Speaker 1 I look at it as a blessing, but I look at how

Speaker 1 I look at the life that I have as a blessing because of the people that I have in it. That's right.

Speaker 1 Having a support system as my family, having a support system like my brother and Taylor and all my friends that I've known since I was in fucking preschool.

Speaker 1 And we were rock-bottoming each other on the fucking recess. Do you have any idea how many times we got called to the principal's office, rock-bottoming people in their freaking wood chips?

Speaker 1 Jason Kelsey of the principal's office, Jason Kelsey,

Speaker 1 But I feel like when you got that ecosystem, and I've been so fortunate to have that ecosystem my entire life. You know, my family has been there for me every step of the way.

Speaker 1 My friends have been there for me every step of the way. And

Speaker 1 that pressure, that outside pressure doesn't feel as, you know,

Speaker 1 tough when you have all that at the house.

Speaker 1 Exactly.

Speaker 1 It's not as scary. I don't have to think about how the world's viewing me because the people around me and the loved ones around me know exactly what's real.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 1 you always got to separate that reality from the tabloids and the worldwide media that

Speaker 1 has to talk about it and is going to find something to say about it more than what's real and how you're living your life.

Speaker 2 So the noise,

Speaker 2 it's the home anchor that allows you to lock out all the noise.

Speaker 1 Yeah, man. And the fact that I get to do something I love.
You know,

Speaker 1 that'll always kind of, I think I'll have to find that

Speaker 1 fulfillment that you guys were just talking about. I actually want to ask you that same question.
Yeah, I was about to say, throw it right back at them. I mean,

Speaker 1 you're stepping away from the WWE full time. Like that was such a huge part of like your life.
It was at the height of like wrestling

Speaker 1 worldwide, I felt like the attitude area was just peaking and you step away and go into acting. What was that like? Did you find fulfillment right there in the same way?

Speaker 2 No, not in the same way.

Speaker 2 Thank you. That's such a a great, good question, man.

Speaker 2 There's nothing, just like you guys with the football field. You line up, you put your hands in the dirt.
There's nothing like it.

Speaker 2 There's nothing like getting in the ring, and there's 20, 30, 40, 50, 100,000 people. You could connect with them.
You could tell a physical story from beginning to end. There's nothing like that.

Speaker 2 I love it and I miss it.

Speaker 2 But, you know, I had the voice. It was just, hey,

Speaker 2 there's more. You could stay here and do what what you love, or you could get out of this zone, which is comfortable.
And by the way, I get it. We know that.

Speaker 2 Like, when you're in a comfort zone, it's called comfort zone for a reason. It feels good.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 Especially if everything is going well and everything is aligned and you're paying bills and everything is going well. But there was, I wanted to grow.
That's it.

Speaker 2 I really wanted to grow and I wanted to do more and I wanted to challenge myself in ways that I hadn't been challenged. I'd not been to Hollywood.

Speaker 2 I didn't know shit about Hollywood other than, well, I love movies and I'd love to make movies. I'd love to test myself.
And so

Speaker 2 in 2004 was my last WrestleMania.

Speaker 2 And I quietly tried to, as much as I could, just quietly transition and step away. And that was scary because, as you were saying, like, I was lucky enough to, I was on top.

Speaker 2 It was like Jim Brown.

Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, that's a great wrestler. No doubt.

Speaker 2 Like Jim Brown, you know, he was like leading the league in, you know, yards. And he's like, hey, I'm going to go to this other thing and challenge myself.

Speaker 1 The face of it.

Speaker 2 It was the face of the league. And that's what I did.
So

Speaker 2 it was scary at first. But ultimately, you know, I realized

Speaker 2 it's scary and it's okay. You know what also helped? And I was really lucky about this is

Speaker 2 I was doing okay in terms of money and I wasn't chasing the dollar. And I wasn't like, hey, I'm fucking starving here.
And I need, I have seven bucks. Like those days were behind me.

Speaker 2 So it's like, I don't have to worry about that. And then I could just concentrate on acting and acting coaches.
And,

Speaker 2 and, and

Speaker 2 my first role in, in Hollywood as a leading man wasn't, uh,

Speaker 2 hey, here's a small little independent role. This is Scorpion King franchise.

Speaker 1 We're going straight to blockbuster. Come on now.
We're going straight there. It's sink or swim.

Speaker 2 You know, you're baptism by fire. So I was really fortunate that, you know, I kicked off my career in that way.

Speaker 1 Well, you built up a legacy ready for that to kick off. And that's

Speaker 1 hats off to you. That had to be a daunting decision, but you nailed it, brother.
And

Speaker 1 as you said earlier, your dad did not encourage your wrestling career, very much was mad at you. Your daughter, recently now with NXT, has the on-screen GM.

Speaker 1 If you were supportive of this, where do we stand as dad this time?

Speaker 2 You know, what happens is like,

Speaker 2 you know, we're in control of where the dominoes stop falling.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 Right. Yeah.
So in my world, you know, while my dad didn't approve at first, and we got into a massive fight, and we had a complicated relationship, my old man.

Speaker 2 But,

Speaker 2 you know, I was in control of where that domino was going to stop falling. And with my daughter, Simone, she's my oldest daughter.
Like you, I'm a girl dad. I have three daughters, 24, 9, and 7.

Speaker 2 All different age rages.

Speaker 2 You'll get there, Trab, soon.

Speaker 2 You'll see the blessings.

Speaker 2 That's right and

Speaker 2 but with my daughter man i was so proud but here's the cool thing when she came to me and she she came to me at 16 and said i want to do what you do i love this business just like you do and i want to do it at 16 so she became the youngest wwe signee at 16.

Speaker 2 whoa she was going to nyu

Speaker 2 she gave me a call me and her mom and she said I want to pivot a little bit. I'd like to go directly into

Speaker 2 WWE NXT and SAR training down there in Orlando.

Speaker 2 And you don't have to ask me twice. I'm like, okay, hey, I got you.
But here's the great thing. The most beautiful thing about this is

Speaker 2 I never got that call from her. I never got the call like, hey, dad, I want to do what you do.
Can you call WWE? Can you call Bince McMahon at that time? Could you call?

Speaker 2 Nick Kahn. Could you call somebody? Never once did she ask me, could you make that call? She was just like, I want to do what you do.
I want to blaze my own path.

Speaker 2 I want to call myself Ava Rain, not, you know, the rock something or anything like that. She's like, I just want to do it on my own.
I love you. I respect you.

Speaker 2 And I was like, baby, listen, I wanted to do the same thing. I wanted to make it on my own.
My grandfather was a wrestler. I was like, your great-grandfather and your grandfather were wrestlers.

Speaker 2 So I love that you want to do it on your own. And I'm here.
I got your back. And so she's been doing a great job.
And I keep tabs on her. And, you know,

Speaker 2 I had,

Speaker 2 she was born when I was 29. And if you think about it at that time, we know as dudes in our 20s, we think we know what we're doing.
We don't know shit.

Speaker 2 We're just trying to keep up and we're trying to make it look like, hey, we're good. We got, you know, under control.
So it was almost like her and I grew up together.

Speaker 2 And, you know, these days, her being in the wrestling business has actually brought us closer together. And that to me is the biggest joy, man, because my, my babies, just like, you know,

Speaker 2 you, Jason, and like one day you'll know Trav,

Speaker 2 babies are everything.

Speaker 1 That's it. It is.
100%. You know? 100%.
It takes the moment the first one pops out. It's like, okay, my entire like

Speaker 1 hierarchy of priorities is completely shifted. Just like that.
In an instant. Seriously, it's crazy.
You'll see, Trav. It's crazy.

Speaker 2 We're putting voodoo onto you and Taylor right now.

Speaker 1 That's right. That's right, that's right.
Peloton is changing the game and fitness with the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus, powered by Peloton IQ.

Speaker 1 And let me tell you, this thing is like having your own Elite Training Camp at home. Oh, okay, Jason.
How have you liked working out with your Peloton? It's right there.

Speaker 1 It's always where I need it, sitting in a corner, sitting back there. I got the bike.
Do it on the tread. I'm a big tread guy.
I like the tread. And then you can watch shows.

Speaker 1 You can watch instructors. It's just a great product.
And something else that's really cool, the screen swivels now. So you can easily go from running to strength training or stretching.

Speaker 1 There's so many classes that Peloton has that you can click on. And moving the screen around just makes it so you don't have to move that heavy old bike or tread.

Speaker 1 It's like having a whole training facility right there, one place, one equipment. It is nice.
And having the trainer access is good.

Speaker 1 Oh, and Peloton IQ actually counts your reps and corrects your form with intelligent strength coaching, which we definitely need when working out at home.

Speaker 1 And get this, it tracks your progress and can even suggest weights to help you level up your strength game. The rep counter is nice.

Speaker 1 I also heard that Peloton IQ creates personalized workout plans based on your goals. In each class, you're coached by instructors who bring that energy you need.

Speaker 1 And that's what Peloton is all about: matching your energy and elevating your game to help you get to the next level.

Speaker 1 Whether you're just starting out or you're, I don't know, like a vet like Jason is. Let yourself run, lift, flex, push, go, more.
Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus at onepeloton.com.

Speaker 1 I appreciate your time up to this point. We got one last segment for you, big dog, and it's called We Gotta Ask.

Speaker 1 But you don't have to answer. You can tell us to just fuck off if you don't want to answer this.

Speaker 2 I'll answer it all.

Speaker 1 But we got to ask, man.

Speaker 2 Look, I've been drinking tequila the whole time. It's five o'clock somewhere.

Speaker 1 Dude, you got some of the best tequila around.

Speaker 1 No doubt. No doubt.

Speaker 1 All right. So we almost used

Speaker 1 Jabroni as a nickname for fans of this show. Do you own the word Jabroni?

Speaker 2 I do not own the word Jabroni. I think it's just out there.

Speaker 2 I own the name The Rock, not Jabroni.

Speaker 2 Oh, no, but wait.

Speaker 2 I might own that because I own everything

Speaker 2 associated with The Rock. Like, it doesn't matter if you smell so.
I might. I know that.
Let me give him props. The Iron Sheik was, he made that word.

Speaker 1 He made it?

Speaker 2 He made that word famous.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 2 he used to, especially in the locker room, oh, this Jabroni is this Jabroni is that. So he would call people Jabroni.
So that's where I got it from.

Speaker 2 I always got to give him flowers, but it's really cool. It's actually in the Webster's dictionary.
And I get the credit for it, but it's really the Iron Sheikh.

Speaker 1 It's really the Iron Sheik. Yeah.
A lot of people are asking me because I said it on after we won one of the AFC championships. I got on the mic and called the Cincinnati Mayor Jabroni for calling us.

Speaker 1 Oh, I know you did.

Speaker 2 I know you did. I was like, Yeah,

Speaker 1 let's go.

Speaker 1 Wait, my whole life to get this mic in Jabroni.

Speaker 1 A lot of the uh, like by like mom's friends or dad's friends, or the just like people in the building wrestling, like, what's what's a jabroni exactly?

Speaker 1 I was like, if you don't know, you're probably a jabroni,

Speaker 2 you don't want to be called a jabroni.

Speaker 1 What is the greatest rock insult of all time?

Speaker 2 The greatest rock insult of all time is, okay,

Speaker 2 what's your opinion? Who's going to win the Super Bowl this year?

Speaker 1 It's got to be the Kansas City Chiefs, right?

Speaker 2 All right. Got to be the Kansas City Chiefs.
Well, the rock, now I'm speaking as a rock. Well, the rock says, you take your opinion, that it's got to be the Kansas City Chiefs.

Speaker 2 You take your opinion, you roll it up. But that's right.

Speaker 1 You know what's coming.

Speaker 2 You roll that something, you turn it sideways and stick it straight up your candy ass.

Speaker 1 That was a crazy insult. I remember

Speaker 1 those guys at WWE at that time was like, your candy ass.

Speaker 2 They were like, where did this come from? And I remember saying, well, you know, telling somebody to stick something up their asses, you know, that's an insult. But when you turn it sideways,

Speaker 2 when you turn your opinion sideways, it's a whole different thing.

Speaker 1 So good. God dang, that's good.
How did you feel the first time you walked into an arena and you saw little kids like quoting the rock.

Speaker 1 Like what was that first feeling like when you saw it? Because you already know that the wrestling world is wide range of everyone, just like a lot of the sports world.

Speaker 1 But there's something when you get the kids behind you that it's just, it's some of the most fulfilling stuff and just see them going crazy.

Speaker 1 But when you started seeing them quote some of the things you were saying, like

Speaker 1 how was that feeling?

Speaker 2 Oh, there was nothing like it because you realize if the kids are quoting what you're saying, then they're saying that on the playground.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 oh yeah and if they're saying that on the playground then it's awesome for you you know they're getting in trouble they're getting called to the principals

Speaker 1 it was amazing you used to post ridiculous cheat meals on your social we got a few few of them here pancakes stacked mile high did you actually eat these are these just like kind of like messing around having fun on Instagram?

Speaker 2 No, I okay, I take a shot at it. I try to, yeah, I try to eat everything I can, man.

Speaker 2 But that's, you know, the cheat meals, I feel like, well, let me ask you guys this do you guys have a cheat day like do you is it sunday or maybe today's it yeah oh so it's a day before you play

Speaker 1 so it's two days before so it's friday fat guy friday friday yeah fat guy friday trav's playing monday you wait on friday morning yeah so we would call fat guy fridays and that's your day to just unload okay but so wait i got a question then so jace give me your give me your fat day friday what's your what's your cheat day look like my my cheat day is i'm going in there after practice uh the fast Fridays.

Speaker 1 You're going in there right afterwards into the cafeteria.

Speaker 1 I'm getting wings, as many as I can put on a plate, blue cheese, each and every different flavor, pizza, and then I'm going to finish it off with some ice cream.

Speaker 1 That's my like stereotypical, that's what I had every Friday.

Speaker 1 He inherited that from his father.

Speaker 1 Wings and pizza.

Speaker 2 So playing on a Sunday, so you have 48 hours approximately of 36 somewhere in there to burn that off. So wings, wings, and pizza and beer.
Not beer, but you got it. Okay.

Speaker 1 Well, that too. Yeah, yeah.
Exactly. And then try to have it.
Not coric intake. Caloric intake.

Speaker 1 I'm going,

Speaker 1 so mine starts

Speaker 1 as soon as I weigh in in the mornings. Gosh, I'm still playing, so I don't even know if I should be telling everybody.
I forgot about the donuts. I forgot about the donuts Friday morning.

Speaker 1 No, I was about to say, as soon as, so every Friday, the QB is going to get donuts. And shout out to Lamar's Donuts.
It's a historical donut shop here in Kansas City.

Speaker 1 And I see that yellow box, man, and I just go in and I get two nice fluffy glazed glazed donuts.

Speaker 1 Fluffy glazed. Yeah, and that's just, that's just where I start like before practice.
And then once practice ends, I usually grab some barbecue and just enjoy it.

Speaker 1 But throughout the week, I'm pretty like,

Speaker 2 yeah, you're strict, also. Yes.

Speaker 1 But also,

Speaker 2 you're the goat, so you don't want to give away what you're eating right now, right?

Speaker 1 And I will say, it has gone up a level since Taylor

Speaker 1 has come into the picture because she loves to bake sourdoughs. Oh, yeah.
She got sourdough pie tarts, sourdough cookies. I mean, it goes on and on.
She loves to make cinnamon rolls. So

Speaker 1 I'm not going to lie. I used to look at your cheat meals.
It's like, man, at least I'm not cheating that crazy. Dude.

Speaker 2 Well, wait, what's interesting is, so you guys don't have cheat days after your games.

Speaker 1 I mean, after the game, you're usually pretty free eating. At least I was.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 Like right after the game. I'm going to eat whatever I want now that I just put.

Speaker 2 But was that as ceremonial as your

Speaker 2 Fat Guy Friday?

Speaker 1 Not usually because

Speaker 1 the day, like right after the game, was never always going to the same spot. Whereas like Fat Guy Friday, you always are in the building.

Speaker 1 So like you and your teammates kind of have that remote.

Speaker 1 I forgot to say, like, we would always, I think it's Baylor's donuts in Philadelphia. And then the calf would always have certain food there.

Speaker 1 So that was more the ritual of the fast, of the cheap meal. And then after games, you're going out with family.
If they're in town, you're doing whatever.

Speaker 1 But yeah, you're usually pretty loose with what your intake is as well.

Speaker 2 Well, let me ask you that. And then I'm just curious, really quickly.
After games, do you ever require a quiet moment?

Speaker 1 Maybe at your locker. I mean, what do you think, Trav? Yeah,

Speaker 1 not at home games. Or when it felt really quiet, actually, was when we lost.
Because even when you lose, you're going to go out with your family.

Speaker 1 But you're thinking of like all the plays that didn't go right. Like you're not even mentally there there and present because you're still in that game.

Speaker 1 And the moment I would get back to my house, I would get my iPad and I would re-watch the game.

Speaker 1 Like with nothing happening, everybody else is asleep and I'm up at two, three in the morning, especially if it's a night game and you're going through all the plays and thinking.

Speaker 1 That was when it really was like the quiet moment. In victory, not so much.
For whatever reason, I was, you know, you're partying, you're having fun.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it's hard to win the NFL, man. I would enjoy this.

Speaker 1 No need to be quiet now. No,

Speaker 1 I think I have a lot of moments of reflection. I have a lot of moments of

Speaker 1 those quiet moments where you're kind of just appreciating either where you are or you're dreaming about being somewhere bigger. You know, I think I've always had those moments.

Speaker 1 I'll never not have those moments. And they kind of come more sporadically than they do just after a game.
But I think I'm with Jason on that one.

Speaker 1 When it's one that hurts, you kind of, you need to have that voice of reason. You have to watch the film.
You have to sit there and

Speaker 1 figure things out on your own before you can attack it the next workday. But I'm so fortunate.
I was telling you, man,

Speaker 1 win or lose, I've always got somebody at the game or a bunch of people watching to, you know, especially at the home games or the big games in the playoffs, there's always somebody there to enjoy it with.

Speaker 1 And if we're winning,

Speaker 1 we're having a blast and

Speaker 1 there's not much quiet going around.

Speaker 2 But when you're losing, you know, it's so nice to have that support, but also

Speaker 2 you're also left left really with yourself. You know, that's what I was wondering.

Speaker 2 It's like, and I'm just curious for the both of you, in the losses, when you're watching film that night, are you watching broadcasts or are you watching the silent game film?

Speaker 1 Silent. Silent game film.
You're watching, they call it the all-22. It's basically you get a sideline view and you get a behind like line of scrimmage view.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 Like looking at it like from the backside of it. Yeah.
Game test.

Speaker 1 And that gets that usually gets uploaded if it's a home game very quickly. If it's in a way game, those are even worse.
You want to talk about quiet?

Speaker 1 Be on an airplane after a loss going back across the country. You know what I mean? You get three to four hours of quiet time, right?

Speaker 1 John Cena recently announced he'll be retiring from WWE. Who should his last final match be against? Ooh, that's a good one.

Speaker 1 Just saying.

Speaker 1 That says it all. That says it all.

Speaker 1 Two of my favorites. Oh, man.

Speaker 2 That's,

Speaker 2 you know, I have a tiny bit of influence in the booking of it, but it really is just,

Speaker 2 it's who, it's whoever John wants. Really, that's what it comes down to.
Whoever he wants,

Speaker 2 that should be. It's not me or Nick Carr, Triple H.
It's just, it's whoever John wants. That guy has earned it.
And you know what?

Speaker 2 The best part about John is he comes as advertised. So who you think he is,

Speaker 2 that's who he is. And he's a good digital.
And I love that guy.

Speaker 1 It feels like it, man. And everything that guy does, he is like so authentic.
And like,

Speaker 1 you never see him being somebody there. That's a great.
Well, put, well put.

Speaker 2 No, he's a good dude, man. And kind.
He's really cool. And, you know, that stuff matters to me these days, you know, any day.
Like, if somebody's kind and cool.

Speaker 1 All right. As a dad, do you know how many times I've seen Moana?

Speaker 1 It is such a great film. You killed it.
Like, I don't know, man. What was that like?

Speaker 1 You guys just came out with Moana 2 not too long ago.

Speaker 2 Yeah, Yeah, with Moana 2

Speaker 2 at the end of last year. And it's amazing that

Speaker 2 you never know in our business what's going to hit, what's not. Just like

Speaker 2 you prepare for your season. You never know where you're going to go.
You guys could be, you just come off a Super Bowl win. You never know what happens.

Speaker 2 Every season brings a different alchemy and a different energy. Every movie is different.

Speaker 2 That was amazing. The most gratifying part about Moana is just this

Speaker 2 global, I think,

Speaker 2 embrace of Polynesian culture.

Speaker 1 You beat me to it. And that's what I love about teaching everybody, man.

Speaker 1 All of the Disney movies that I like the most are the films that really do a great job of highlighting the cultures that they represent, whether it's Moana, Coco,

Speaker 1 like Princess and the Frog in Louisiana. I think that's an older one.
But Moana is just such a fantastic film, and it really doesn't capture Polynesian culture.

Speaker 1 You might be the most well-suited to perform a live action of Maui with any voice actor, right?

Speaker 1 We're doing it.

Speaker 2 We're doing live action. Oh, really?

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 So, live action Moana. I have to actually fill, I have five more days of filming, live action Moana, and it's all the songs.

Speaker 1 Let's go. You're welcome.
Yes. Yeah.
Hell yeah.

Speaker 2 And so we'll do that. And live action Moana come out next summer.

Speaker 1 We can't wait. Hell yeah.

Speaker 2 And the director, Tommy Kale, is the director of Hamilton. You know, that little play that maybe a few people have seen.

Speaker 1 Two people have seen it.

Speaker 1 I don't know who else has, but I would say that. That's a good one.

Speaker 2 It is awesome, man. Yeah.
I can't wait for that.

Speaker 1 Awesome. Of all your acting co-stars,

Speaker 1 who would make the best WWE tag team partner? Aw, easy.

Speaker 2 Easy. Kevin Hart.
For sure.

Speaker 1 Kevin Hart. I do it.

Speaker 1 Philadelphia.

Speaker 1 Philadelphia board. There we go, baby.

Speaker 1 Every time you guys have a bunch of people.

Speaker 1 Be electric, man.

Speaker 1 Promos would be incredible. It would be crazy.
It's the most epic.

Speaker 2 Dude, I called him one time. I called him.
As a matter of fact, we're getting ready to shoot Jumanji 3

Speaker 2 in about a month.

Speaker 1 Holy thing.

Speaker 1 Jumanjis have been some of my favorites.

Speaker 2 Can't wait to work with Kev again. But, man, his nickname, I always joke about this.

Speaker 2 Kevin Hart's wrestling nickname will be Honky Pete.

Speaker 1 Honky Pete.

Speaker 1 You got to give us some death.

Speaker 1 How did you get Honky Pete?

Speaker 2 You don't want to know, but he's just on.

Speaker 1 We did read you're going to be working with uh friends of the show uh leonard diaprio and martin sorschese on your next film what are you guys working on yeah okay well can you tell us anything or i can yeah i'm happy

Speaker 2 i'm happy to so it's going to be martin scorsese and uh and leo you guys he was on the show it's an amazing show by the way um emily blunt as well uh who will produce it with me so

Speaker 2 this story is based off of a man by the name of nappy pulava And that name won't mean much to you guys now, but Nappy Pulava, just so you guys know, is a man who lived, who's still alive.

Speaker 2 He just turned 90. He was the godfather of all of the islands of Hawaii.

Speaker 1 Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 2 imagine Casino and Goodfellas wrapped up in Hawaii. And he ruled the islands.
And

Speaker 2 he was that guy.

Speaker 2 And will play that i didn't even know that that took place in the islands okay it's incredible and the story is incredible uh nick builton is writing it he's writing it now scorsese has a script we should connect with him next week but also i mean

Speaker 2 for me to work with leo to work again with one of my favorites emily but also to work with you know one of the goats and scorsese yeah scorses is holy so i'm honored to play this role honored to work with scorsese can't wait yeah that's awesome Hell yeah.

Speaker 1 I'm looking forward, man. I'm already looking forward.
You said Emily. I thought when you said

Speaker 1 former co-star you thought would make a great wrestler, I thought you were going to go Emily Blunt. That's where I thought you were going to go.

Speaker 1 She'd make a great one, too.

Speaker 1 She's a badass. She's a force.

Speaker 1 That's right. That's right.
On a scale of one to 10.

Speaker 1 What did you think of Jason's WrestleMania appearance?

Speaker 1 My laughing is an indication.

Speaker 1 It's not.

Speaker 2 You know what uh

Speaker 2 i'll give it a 9.9

Speaker 1 how about it this guy he's a generous man he's a generous man it was cool

Speaker 1 out of a hundred

Speaker 2 here's what i love about that understand that that like in our world of pro wrestling even though pro wrestling is global and it's publicly traded these days yeah The idea that a celebrity and someone who is at the top of their game, who's made it, who's just the greatest, like you, anytime anyone comes into the world of pro wrestling, it is

Speaker 2 the greatest thing to us. It doesn't matter how big the wrestling world has become and these superstars, how big that doesn't matter.
You,

Speaker 2 anybody. So it's always a big deal, man.
And again, I grew up in the business. So it's like,

Speaker 2 any kind of celebrity or champion or anybody who comes in is a special thing. And you did great.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 Well, it was a complete honor for me and Lane. We actually, during the week, we didn't know what we were going to get asked to do.
They're like, hey, do you want to be a part of me?

Speaker 1 I'm like, all right. Well, we've never wrestled.
We went to the monster factory down in South Jersey, got some pointers, and like saw wrestling on that kind of tier, which was incredible.

Speaker 2 That's a classic, that's a iconic place you went.

Speaker 1 Yeah, no, we saw all the pictures on the wall of all the wrestlers that have been through. It was special, man.
It was awesome. So did you have fun? Very honored.
Oh, my God. I had a blast.
I mean,

Speaker 1 they made it pretty easy. They were like, you're going to jump at this point, throw this, and then what a thing, but a boom, we're out of here.

Speaker 1 Just bring the energy. That's all.
That's it. You did.

Speaker 2 You did. That was awesome.

Speaker 2 What about you, Trav? When do you kind of come in?

Speaker 1 Oh, man. Listen,

Speaker 1 when the opportunity presents itself, you know, I'll dive in there.

Speaker 1 I've been dreaming about this, been working on my moves

Speaker 1 in the living room for years,

Speaker 1 trying to get my chip tied back. I'm more of an aerial act, though.

Speaker 1 I'm off the rope.

Speaker 1 I'm off the rope. Top rope.
Six five. Top rope, baby.
Let's scary.

Speaker 1 You're gonna break your neck on that hot ass mat. I'm telling you right now, everything is not as I love this shit.
I'll die for this.

Speaker 2 It's like the final boss in Travis. We got to figure that out.

Speaker 1 Here we go.

Speaker 1 All right, uh, we do got to ask this last question. We ask it to all our guests, usually, in whatever field.

Speaker 1 Don't really know which field to go for from here, but we'll ask you for Hollywood, I guess. Do you have a welcome to Hollywood moment? Ooh,

Speaker 1 oh man, it can be good, can be bad. Yeah, yeah, be like, holy shit, I'm actually doing this, or like, well, that was

Speaker 1 sure,

Speaker 1 yeah.

Speaker 2 Um,

Speaker 2 it would be

Speaker 2 okay.

Speaker 2 Um,

Speaker 2 the very first movie I ever did was a movie called Mummy Returns, and that was Brendan Frazier, was one of the biggest stars in the world, as he is today, as a legend. And

Speaker 2 I was so excited to be cast in the film, small part called The Scorpion King.

Speaker 2 Brendan, by the way.

Speaker 2 At that time, it turned into something.

Speaker 1 Okay.

Speaker 2 No, it turned into something. But for that, it was just in the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie, five minutes total in the movie.
I was just so excited at the opportunity.

Speaker 2 Brendan Fraser, by the way, I always want to make mention of this. He was one of the biggest stars in the world.
That was his franchise.

Speaker 2 I'm coming in. Like, just, I've never acted before.
I'm excited. He could have easily said, I don't know if I want this wrestler.
He embraced me. I love that man for that.

Speaker 2 And he helped kick off my career.

Speaker 1 So

Speaker 2 I go to,

Speaker 2 we're in the Sahara Desert, right outside of Morocco. I'm shooting the movie.
I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't shot anything.
This is before the first take. I'm in the Scorpion King outfit.

Speaker 2 I'm sick, by the way. I got like a 100-degree fever.
I'm freezing. It's 110 degrees in the Sahara Desert.
I'm like, my brain is spinning. I'm wobbly.
Shit.

Speaker 2 It's not the way I wanted to kick off my acting career.

Speaker 1 Right, yeah.

Speaker 2 The director, Stephen Summers, he calls action.

Speaker 2 We do the scene. It's an action sequence.
A lot of guys, stunt guys are running and flying and doing all this stuff for me,

Speaker 2 really taking care of me. He yells, cut.

Speaker 2 Boys, when he yelled cut,

Speaker 2 I knew in that moment, I got, you know how you hear that acting bug? Oh, the acting acting bug. I thought that was bullshit.
I didn't know what acting bug was. He yelled, cut.
I went,

Speaker 2 this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Speaker 1 Oh, my gosh, that's amazing. Holy cow.
I love that.

Speaker 2 Caught the acting bug right there in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Yeah, it was very crazy.

Speaker 1 That's an awesome story, man. Listen, we can't thank you enough.
Thank you so much for coming.

Speaker 1 DJ, thank you so much for your time, for just you being you, man. All the, all the,

Speaker 1 you know,

Speaker 1 you are are even cooler of a person than what your persona and and and everything as as as you've you've shown the world you're such a humble guy such a real guy and i i just can't say thanks enough for everything you've done for uh for you know a young jabroni like myself throughout my career man i still remember the day uh that i got introduced into the Super Bowl by you and I got to see you work in that moment and I was so just engulfed in you as a professional and you as a person And you said, What's up to me?

Speaker 1 Like you had known me my whole life, man. It just made my fucking life, dude.
So thank you for doing that. And thank you for coming on and telling some stories and having some fun with us.

Speaker 1 And congrats again on the smashing machine, man. You fucking rock.
Hell yeah, man.

Speaker 2 Well, look, thank you both. I appreciate it.
Jason and Trav, thank you. Jason, I met you last year.
It was an honor to meet you in Philadelphia and Trav. I think we were down in Miami.
Right?

Speaker 2 When we met. So when I was doing the big intros for that game, I remember dapping up Trav as my man i remember

Speaker 2 this is a big motherfucker i don't know how to

Speaker 1 holy

Speaker 1 yeah right

Speaker 1 man

Speaker 2 but listen thank you guys so much i had a blast and uh i don't get a chance to do this a lot so you know just hang out and just with my boys so thank you so much i appreciate it you're the man dude whenever you want to do it again dude please You're always welcome back anytime, man.

Speaker 2 We'll do it again. We'll do it in person and we'll have some tequila.

Speaker 1 Be good. Hey, i'm good on that gotta threaten me with a good time all right now

Speaker 1 hey that wraps up another episode of new heights thank you so much to dwayne the rock johnson for joining us

Speaker 1 why is he such a good dude

Speaker 1 i mean it's probably because

Speaker 1 he's charming handsome chap gosh

Speaker 1 great

Speaker 1 at what he does yeah

Speaker 1 driven motivated and appreciative man he's just so humble he's so humble and appreciative man make sure you subscribe to the new heights channel on youtube and follow new heights on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcast you can listen to new episodes of new heights ad-free right now by joining wondery plus in the wondery app or on apple podcasts once again new heights a wonder show brought to you by pelotim

Speaker 1 get that exercise right there in your your house your room your gym your that's right your garage right there right there whenever you need it follow the show and all social media at new heights show with one s for fun clips throughout the week as always thanks to our new heights production team for putting this one together.

Speaker 1 And thank you to all the 92%ers for tuning in. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we do.
And always, shout out to The Rock, baby. DJ, you're the best, brother.

Speaker 1 Mom and dad, mom and mom, dad and dad, whatever. Parents, are you about to spend five hours in the car with your beloved kids this holiday season? Driving to old Granny's house?

Speaker 1 I'm setting the scene, I'm picturing screaming, fighting, back-to-back hours of the K-pop Demon Hunter soundtrack on repeat.

Speaker 1 Well, when your ears start to bleed, I have the perfect thing to keep you from rolling out of that moving vehicle. Something for the whole family.
He's filled with laughs. He's filled with rage.

Speaker 1 The OG Green Gronk, give it up for me, James Austin Johnson, as the Grinch.

Speaker 1 And like any insufferable influencer these days, I'm bringing my crew of lesser talented friends along for the ride with A-list guests like Gronk, Mark Hamill, and the Jonas Brothers, whoever they are.

Speaker 1 There's a little bit of something for everyone. Listen to Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.