“His Knees Are Cooked”: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Suffers Embarrassing ‘Slip’ During WrestleMania 40 Main Event

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wrestled his first proper match in over a decade at WrestleMania XL. Despite being away from the ring for so long, ‘The Brahma Bull’ gave an exciting performance. He brawled into the crowd, hit all his signature spots, took a huge bump on the announcer’s table, and pinned Cody Rhodes. All in all, a fine day’s work for the ‘Final Boss.’

However, there was a brief moment that showcased signs of ring rust from The Rock. His in-ring involvement was kept to a minimum prior to WrestleMania, prodding around with the weight belt meant for Mama Rhodes, and only inflicting punishment with the belt. On April 6th, at WrestleMania XL Night 1, The Rock shed his Versace shirts and put on a tough, gritty performance against two legends in the making in the form of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

The Rock’s athleticism might have taken a hit, but the biggest hit was taken by his knees during the match. It appeared as if The Rock almost buckled under his weight while Seth shoved off a Sharpshooter attempt.

The Rock’s last match was an 8-second squash of Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32. Although he’s managed to stay in shape since 2016, many were surprised to see The Rock shine in Philadelphia. The Rock put on an entertaining match, but his slip during the match became a talking point for some fans.

The WWE Universe pokes fun at The Brahma Bull

During the spot with Rollins, instead of quickly rising, The Rock flayed about trying to gain his balance. He stumbled away, appearing to twist his leg at an awkward angle, placing significant strain on his left knee.

Highlighting the moment, one fan pointed out that The Rock’s knees were unable to bear his weight.

A couple of years ago, the former WWE Champion in an interview with the Men’s Journal revealed that he has had five surgeries on his knee. The Rock said, “I was brought up to train hard and train smart. But that didn’t protect me when I was out on the field competing or in the wrestling ring. I’ve had five knee surgeries, a torn Achilles. I had to be sewn back together.” 

Years of in-ring wear and tear have affected his physique with his knees often bearing the burnt. A fan pointed out that The Rock’s knees are “cooked.”

During the match, The Rock had to keep up with two of the most agile athletes in the form of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Wrestling at their pace, at 51 years of age, he did a tremendous job, but there were moments when the in-ring rust caught up to him. The last time The Rock wrestled a full match was in 2013 when he competed against John Cena at WrestleMania 29.

That match saw DJ injured pretty badly during the early moments but he willed on to finish the bout. However, last year, on the Pat McAfee Show, he revealed he later found he had a torn quadricep and had to also do an emergency hernia operation.

A fan feared history repeating itself and hoped that The Rock was all right.

While many trolled The People’s Champion for the slip, The Rock’s ability to use his wrestling IQ and sell the injury, limited what could’ve been a huge WrestleMania botch, similar to Brock Lesnar’s botched Shooting Star Press at WrestleMania 19 or Shane McMahon’s ridiculous quad tear at last year’s edition.

A fan mentioned it wasn’t his knee but his ankle that was caught but gave The Rock credit for continuing.

Notably, The Rock was seen limping once the match was over, but no update was provided on a possible injury during the post-event press conference.

Still, he had the last laugh of the night after securing the win over his adversaries as an intriguing Night 2 is set to transpire today. What did you make of Johnson’s slip amidst his electrifying in-ring return? Let us know in the comments section below.