Why Dave Meltzer Was 'Dumbfounded' By Plans For Dwayne Johnson's The Smashing Machine

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is back in the news as his new movie, "The Smashing Machine," has officially been released. The movie follows the true story of UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr (played by Johnson) as he becomes one of the biggest stars in Mixed Martial Arts while also trying to battle personal battles that ultimately cut his career short. Despite Johnson being in the starring role, and the buzz about potentially being nominated for awards in 2026, it wasn't exactly the first MMA-related story that people thought would adapted into a feature length film, which is something that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reiterated during a recent appearance on the "Cinema Sidetrack" podcast.

"Evidently not, box office wise. But the other thing is, is when he first announced it, and this is years ago, I remember he went to a UFC show and I remember like, you know, when he when he did it, I was like, I was dumbfounded. Because it was like Mark Kerr was like, oh yeah, I remember the documentary and all, but nobody knows Mark Kerr, nobody remembers Mark Kerr. And at the end it's like there was no great thing past, you know, a guy with relationship troubles and a painkiller addiction. I do think that there are other fighters that would have made more interesting stories, but they, you know – I'm presuming Dwayne saw the documentary and said, this is it."

"The Smashing Machine" reportedly had a budget of around $50 million, but only managed to gross $5.9 million during its first weekend in theaters, leading to some calling the movie a failure. However, the movie will likely have a second chance of success in the new year if it is nominated for Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Academy Awards.

Please credit "Cinema Sidetrack" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.