The Rock Declines MAJOR Non-WWE Wrestling Offer
WWE isn't the only promotion that may have wanted to book Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in 2023...
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson turned down the opportunity to wrestle in Keiji Muto's final match this year.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has notes from a 4 February interview conducted by Muto ahead of 21 February's 'Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love Hold Out' event. This session saw the 60-year-old claim that Johnson was his first pick for an opponent.
Pro Wrestling NOAH, the promotion hosting Muto's final match, reached out to The Rock's people. They returned with a price totalling "billions" in yen, which meant the match wouldn't have been economically viable. NOAH, understandably, had no interest in paying the astronomical fee.
For years, Johnson had been linked with a wrestling return to face real-life family member Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. This now appears to be off the table. Reigns is instead slotted to face Cody Rhodes following 'The American Nightmare's' Royal Rumble 2023 triumph.
Muto will wrestle NJPW star Tetsuya Naito in his farewell match on 21 February. The legend is currently in the midst of an elaborate retirement tour, which started with his final singles match as The Great Muta on 1 January, facing WWE's Shinsuke Nakamura. Three days later, he competed in his last NJPW match at Wrestle Kingdom 17, then put a bow on the Muta character after teaming with AEW's Sting and Darby Allin on 22 January.
21 February is Muto's final final match.