Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was dialed in backstage ahead of his return to the ring at WWE’s WrestleMania 40 this past April.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive clip from the WWE documentary, WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain, the 52-year-old professional wrestler-turned-actor is seen deep in the weeds with cameramen and producers backstage as they hash out every detail of his WrestleMania 40 entrance.
“When everybody’s contributing is when it’s the best,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque says at one point in the clip, emphasizing how involved every wrestler is with the show’s production.
Johnson is then shown deciding when he’ll turn a certain way to match his music queues and where he’ll stop to allow the camera to get a close-up shot on him as he makes his way to the ring later that night.
Johnson returned to WWE in January 2024 to enter into a storyline with his cousin, then-WWE Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns.
Johnson’s character as “The Rock” became a heel, or a bad guy, upon his return, while he and Reigns went on to face off against WWE stars Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes in a brutal tag team match that headlined Night One of WrestleMania weekend on April 6.
“Now that The Rock’s character has changed, The Rock has decided his entrance must change as well to reflect that,” the documentary’s narrator says at one point in PEOPLE’s exclusive preview of the doc, as Johnson and a cameraman discuss which angle would make his bad guy persona look as menacing as possible.
“Does that feel good to you? I think so, right?” Johnson asks.
Johnson has never hid his deep love for professional wrestling, an entertainment business his WWE Hall of Fame grandfather, Peter Maivia, and father, Rocky Johnson, were also a part of as in-ring performers.
The Fast X star initially tried to carve his own path in football, playing for the University of Miami and later joining the Canadian Football League. But Johnson told the Pivot podcast in 2023 that after getting cut from the CFL he had “seven bucks” to his name and decided that perhaps following his family’s legacy in pro wrestling was the right move for him, as well.
Johnson debuted in WWE in 1996 and took on “The Rock” persona, becoming one of pro wrestling’s most successful stars, winning 10 world championships throughout his career.
“The very first day of training…I was in love,” Johnson told Pivot. “In a way, wrestling did save my life.”
WWE’s WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain documentary airs Wednesday, July 3 at 7 p.m. ET on YouTube.
