Michael Bay: [He] needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300-pound men."

[Jack-Hammer]

Action film director Michael Bay is quoted in giving The Rock a little advice. Because of undergoing surgery, The Rock was forced to miss the Los Angeles premiere of his current film Pain & Gain.

Michael Bay was in attendance at the premiere and stated in full: "Dwayne's hurt tonight. He was pushing it too hard. [He] needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300-pound men."

As for what's best for Rock's increasingly lucrative film career, Bay is probably right in the sense that he needs to stop wrestling. The Rock's upcoming role as Hercules is arguably his biggest yet. He's the sole real headliner of the film that isn't part of a well known & established brand like GI Joe or The Fast & The Furious. His injury at WM is what a lot of the honchos at the studio feared the most. If he wants to continue wrestling in any way, it might make them pass him over in the future for big roles. Even wrestling one single match a year can potentially lead to serious injury, after all. What bugs me though is that part of his comment obviously seems like a dig at pro wrestling. The "needs to grow up" stuff sounds quite a bit like some of the condescending bullshit you sometimes hear from people who simply aren't fans of wrestling. He's entitled to his opinion, of course, but he's probably more than a little ignorant of pro wrestling as most non-fans are overall.

The "grow up" comment also struck me as a little funny when you consider that Bay's films are usually either weak plotted bloodbaths or CGI driven action films packed with explosions every 30 seconds with little to no real plot at all.

 

[The Butcher]

Action film director Michael Bay is quoted in giving The Rock a little advice. Because of undergoing surgery, The Rock was forced to miss the Los Angeles premiere of his current film Pain & Gain.

Michael Bay was in attendance at the premiere and stated in full: "Dwayne's hurt tonight. He was pushing it too hard. [He] needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300-pound men."

As for what's best for Rock's increasingly lucrative film career, Bay is probably right in the sense that he needs to stop wrestling. The Rock's upcoming role as Hercules is arguably his biggest yet. He's the sole real headliner of the film that isn't part of a well known & established brand like GI Joe or The Fast & The Furious. His injury at WM is what a lot of the honchos at the studio feared the most. If he wants to continue wrestling in any way, it might make them pass him over in the future for big roles. Even wrestling one single match a year can potentially lead to serious injury, after all. What bugs me though is that part of his comment obviously seems like a dig at pro wrestling. The "needs to grow up" stuff sounds quite a bit like some of the condescending bullshit you sometimes hear from people who simply aren't fans of wrestling. He's entitled to his opinion, of course, but he's probably more than a little ignorant of pro wrestling as most non-fans are overall.

The "grow up" comment also struck me as a little funny when you consider that Bay's films are usually either weak plotted bloodbaths or CGI driven action films packed with explosions every 30 seconds with little to no real plot at all.

The comment may have been a dig at wrestling, or simply a show of disgust/disappointment that one of his film's stars couldn't make the LA red carpet premiere because, well, he was injured wrestling a near 300 pound man. In either case, Bay can get bent. I'm sure he wasn't upset when his movie was getting pimped and previewed in the middle of numerous episodes of Raw. I'm almost positive that Rocky's attendance at the premiere won't affect the movie's box office receipts either. Based off of his prior history, that's just Bay's style. He kicked Megan Fox to the curb for Transformers 3 because she had the nerve to criticize him, even though she was roughly 90% off the reason to watch any of those. The dude is a wiener, and I think I've exhausted more words on him and his snotty comment than either deserve.

 

[tom9422]

Well Michael Bay needs to grow up and stop making terrible movies.

Despite how much money it made, Transformers 3 was to date, the worst 'movie' i've ever seen in my life, no exaggeration.

Just sayin'...

 

[closet_fan]

If it was anyone other than Michael Bay, I'd give his comments some backing. But anything connected with Bay is a disaster. Watched Nightmare on Elm Street (produced) and it was a train wreck.

Everything this guy touches turns to shit.

 

[BaconBits]

Micheal Bay is 100% right.

The Rock is no longer a sports entertainer, he is a movie star who often performs in physically demanding roles. He should be protecting those interests more than anything, as investors have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in him and his films. By wrestling and getting injured, he is putting all that money at an extreme risk.

The Rock likes wrestling and the fans want him around. I get that. But he has much bigger commitments than the WWE and The Rock and his fans have to realize it.

 

[Mustang Sally]

"Dwayne's hurt tonight. He was pushing it too hard. [He] needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300-pound men."

'Course, we don't know exactly how Bay meant this to come out; if it's the non-fan's usual misconceptions about pro wrestling ("It's all fake") or a genuine concern for Dwayne Johnson. In either case, it doesn't really matter.

If Bay's point is that Rock shouldn't take unnecessary chances in the ring, especially in view of his "other" career in the movies, it's not bad advice. The problem here is that Rock was a wrestler before ever becoming a movie star, and as a wrestler, he was ....and is....a consummate pro. He gives it all when he's in the ring. Like most of the guys who became stars, he knows no other way. In fact, if you're going to wrestle, it's probably a good idea not to try and soft-pedal it in the ring. That's probably an easier way to get hurt than getting yourself into the flow of a match and going with it.

I still have the image of Wade Barrett being thrown from the ring and fracturing his arm, remember? He pounded the floor in aggravation and was out of action for months.....yet, he did nothing he hadn't done a thousand times before. Wrestlers take chances all the time; for a form of entertainment that's so "fake" it's amazing how these guys and gals put their bodies on the line over and over in every match.....because that's the way it's done. I doubt Vince McMahon tells them to take every dangerous opportunity to entertain the fans; he doesn't have to.

So, as long as Rock is going to insist on doing the best job he can when wrestling, his best alternative to keeping himself healthy for his day job is to stay out of the ring altogether.

 

[Alastor]

Bay has a right to be pissed. His headliner was unavailable due to an injury that was avoidable if Rock did not have an interest in something that demands a lot out of his body. I'm sure most of you will be pissed if a wrestler got hurt horseback riding or playing in an exhibition game of some other team sports and missing out on some promotional event you were looking forward to.

He was probably taking a dig at pro-wrestling to vent his frustration. He probably shouldn't have done it for PR purposes but I prefer our entertainers not be kept on a leash all the time. Being condescending towards pro-wrestling isn't new anyway. Video games, comic books, cartoons, all get the same treatment, fans of these forms of entertainment just rolled with the punches even after they are accepted by mainstream media.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Bay is all about bussiness, he would sell his own mother if he thought it would make money. Thats why his concerns, and not genuinly about Rocky...

 

[VinnieSunshine]

The Rock's upcoming role as Hercules is arguably his biggest yet. He's the sole real headliner of the film that isn't part of a well known & established brand like GI Joe or The Fast & The Furious.

I RARELY disagree with you Jack, but I do here. Though not movies that were well received, nor did they do THAT well, he was the main headliner for Walking Tall, The Gameplan, Gridiron Gang, and The Rundown...the latter being his first REAL headlining movie.


As for Michael Bay's comments...whatever. Who is he to judge someone else. In that case, I couls say that he needs to grow up and start making REAL movies that don't involve explosions every 5 minutes or characters always yelling.

The Rock is doing two things he loves to do...wrestling and acting. He gave back to Vince and the fans for making him who he is. Getting injured is part of the job. Actors get injured on set all the time making movies. It's the nature of BOTH businesses. Dwayne could've been injured making "Fast 6" or G.I. Joe. But he probably twisted the wrong way in the ring and it happened there. As they say...$hit happens.

 

[Leveller]

As much as I agree with what Bay said the line "needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300 pound men" is a big insult to other wrestlers.

That one line suggests that acting is more mature than wrestling and it suggests that when Rocky leaves wrestling he will be on a higher level.

I respect that rock came back and gave the fans and Vince what they wanted but now I feel more than ever is his time to retire full time. At the end of the match with Cena at Mania 29 you could see that Rock was gassed and you could see that he was looking tired old and quite frankly in a lot of pain. The rock will always be a legend but its time to hang it up.

 

[justinsayne]

Keep in mind this quote is coming for a douche that makes pretend for a living with toy & cartoon licenses we all had as children, he's essentially doing they same thing we all did as a kid just on a much much much larger scale, & much much much less imagination.

This also shows how fucking incredibly stupid Bay is, as a good chunk of the audience that would actually go out & pay to see Pain & Gain would likely be wrestling fans, & a large reason for seeing the movie would be due to the Rock being in it, & he just manged to insult all of them.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Is there a video of these comments? I'm curious if he was just joking or not. I'm inclined to think he is since there's no reason to bash one of your top billed star in your latest film.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

In a way, Bay is right. If film companies have invested millions of dollars in Dwayne Johnson and part of that contract is that he has to promote the movie, then he SHOULD make it his priority, and not do anything physical that could prevent him from doing that.

If Rocky wants to wrestle, he should only perform in a match when he has no movie commitments at that time or in the near future, so any injury will not cause an issue for the producer/director.

It's a shame for wrestling fans as we all love seeing someone going ONE ON ONE WITH THE GREAT ONE, but I guess we just have to be grateful that we have had the pleasure of watching The Rock wrestle again, when I had pretty much given up hope of him ever getting back in the ring.

But, still...Michael Bay is an absolute bell end and needs to grow up himself and stop making films about robots.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Never knew John Cena or CM Punk weighed 300 pounds.

Michael Bay has made money off explosions and destroying franchises with potential such as Transformers and pretty soon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pain and Gain will make a ton of money but a couple hits doesn't make a great director. He has no business telling The Rock what he should and shouldn't be doing. As a director he has a stance but that's it, if it weren't for the WWE The Rock wouldn't even be starring in his little movie which I'm sure features outlandish and unneeded shit.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

Michael Bay handing out advice on maturity is like Ric Flair giving someone marriage advice.

It's just a real good encapsulation of the fact that Hollywood will never really understand, or fully embrace former pro wrestlers returning to their in ring craft. They see liability and they see potential lost time/money.

It does kind of make the case that Rock is probably going to get a lot of pressure from the film industry to stay out of the ring.

 

[fenderjapan]

The Rock is never going to be in good movies and Bay is never going to make good movies. They are a great match for each other.

He should have just made a CGI version of the Rock for the premier of their stupid movie.

 

[The Shining Wizard]

So... We're all just assuming and accepting that this was an honest comment by Bay? Not a joke? No hint of sarcasm? Not even giving it a tiny bit of a thought?

... Okay.

Honestly, though. Until there's a video of the comment, I'm just going with that it was a joke between friends. It was the premiere of Pain & Gain and one of the flick's main stars wasn't present. Interviewers were probably bringing it up every chance they got, so Bay gave them a joke of an answer to move right along. That's my take on it.

 

[Jesus]

Bay is correct. He and the studios pay Rock to be a "movie" star not a wrestler. If that hinders his job then Rock needs to decide which one he wants to do because he definitely has been terrible since returning...he's either in or out. Why all the IWC are up in arms because he called US out for being wrestling dork fans is his right, and when I read all of you cry about his comment I know he's correct. He's right, Rocks wrong, and you are all dorks...I guess I am too but I'm not crying so I win

 

[Bryan Is A God]

I completely agree. He needs to stick with acting, If he get's seriously injured both career's are over.

 

[PsychoBlack]

First of all, I like Michael Bay's movies. I also like quite a few of Rock's movies.

I don't know how Bay meant it when he said the things that he said. A lot of times once somebody quotes something it gets taken out of context. Bay could have meant that Wrestling was Rock's boyhood dream, he's been to the top of the mountain multiple times in the wrestling world. Now that he's 40 and has done everything their is to do in wrestling he should focus on his new career. I don't see anything wrong with that. How would your boss feel if you were playing Call of Duty on the job while you were supposed to be answering phones? If he did mean it as a shot at Pro Wrestling, who cares? He's entitled to an opinion, just like all of you who say that you don't like his movies are entitled to yours.

 

[DirtyD79]

So... We're all just assuming and accepting that this was an honest comment by Bay? Not a joke? No hint of sarcasm? Not even giving it a tiny bit of a thought?

... Okay.

Honestly, though. Until there's a video of the comment, I'm just going with that it was a joke between friends. It was the premiere of Pain & Gain and one of the flick's main stars wasn't present. Interviewers were probably bringing it up every chance they got, so Bay gave them a joke of an answer to move right along. That's my take on it.

The thing is even if he is joking, that is the way most of mainstream media sees pro wrestling. To them pro wrestling has always been a farce and no matter how much Sports Entertainment window dressing Vince McMahon wants to slap on it they will always see it as one. They view pro wrestling as lowbrow lowest common denominator entertainment for geeks, weirdos, and white trash rednecks. They see the wrestlers as overgrown manchildren.

 

[enviousdominous]

Pro-Wrestling is an acquired taste; if someone sees it as illegitimate for any reason, they will inevitably mock it if prompted for an opinion on it.

I agree that it is very stupid for a movie director to suggest that someone grow up in regard to their fascination with a realm of mostly fantasy. He was referring to the physical aspect of Pro-Wrestling when making that comment, which makes it even more stupid and unfounded. Does Michael Bay think that six year olds should be hitting each other with steel steps?


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[BretHitmanHart92]

Michael Bay is right. The Rock does need to grow up. But not stop wrestling, he needs to grow up and quit being in crappy movies. Yeah, they're box office successes. But I want to see The Rock grow up and work with some actual talented directors now. The Coens, Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Spielberg, Scorsese. I want to see The Rock actually try and act.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Bay already performed damage control saying his comments were taken out of context and were said in a joking manner.

And what this shows you is that Michael Bay is not funny. Like at all. And the majority of his movies sucked, and Pain & Gain will probably be a good movie.

Personally, I think Bay echoes what Hollywood thinks of The Rock continuing to wrestle. He's injured and can't promote a supposed blockbuster because he hurt himself wrestling. Fact is, he's going to catch heat for this and he'll more than likely be limited in wrestling from this point. Movie companies have huge budgets for promotion and Rocky promoting movies on Raw or on the WWE product don't matter as much as many think.

So even though Bay backtracked, I think he shares a lot of the same feelings as Hollywood does.

 

[HBsam31]

I am not a fan of Bay's movies, but you kinda have to look at it from his point of view. I think the grow up part was a bit much, but these guys invest a lot of money into their actors and I am sure they want them to be healthy. I live in Pittsburgh and when Ben Rothlisberger wrecked his motorcycle there was a big debate on if he should even be riding. He wasn't even wearing a helmet. I was on the side of he shouldn't be riding. The city and the team invests a lot of money into a qb and he should not put that in jeopardy. The dude makes 18 million a year and he should be more responsible off the field. It is the same with The Rock. I love seeing him in the ring, but if what he does ends up costing the movie makers money then they aren't going to like it. I hate to side with the director here, but I have to.