Who is Mark Kerr? What to know about the wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is playing in 'The Smashing Machine'

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is taking a break from singing and driving fast cars to portray Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Mark Kerr in the upcoming A24 movie The Smashing Machine.

The actor, 52, well known for his performances in franchises like Fast & Furious and Disney’s Moana, transformed into the legendary wrestler for the upcoming biopic, which will be released in theaters on Oct. 3.

Critics and fans are already fawning over Johnson’s surprising appearance, anticipating a groundbreaking performance from the fellow former wrestler. Here’s what we know about the role’s inspiration and the movie overall.

Who is Mark Kerr?

Kerr, 56, is a two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Tournament Champion and a World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner. His specific fighting style — head-butts and kneeing grounded opponents — and the speed at which he ended his matches are what earned him the nickname “the Smashing Machine.”

Throughout his 12-year fighting career, Kerr dealt with substance abuse and relationship issues with his then-wife, Dawn Staples. His UFC career is detailed in the 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.

Kerr retired from fighting in 2010. On a June 2019 GoFundMe page, Kerr shared he had been dealing with peripheral neuropathy since 2016. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which nerve damage affects the outside of the brain and the spinal cord, which can cause numbness and pain throughout the body. While there isn’t specific data on the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy among athletes, it is considered a common injury among those who participate in martial arts or wrestling.

What to know about A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’

Johnson’s performance in the movie has been described as a departure from his past work in superhero-based, action-oriented and musical-focused movies, where his characters more closely resemble Johnson himself.

"I'm at this point in my career where I want more," Johnson told Variety last year. "And I don't mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity. And that is why Benny Safdie is the perfect, collaborative, hungry partner for me."

Before his successful acting career, Johnson followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and signed as a professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), from 1996 to 2004. He won four WWE championships and has appeared in the ring on a part-time basis since then.

Johnson’s initial wrestling name was “Rocky Maivia,” a blend of his father's and grandfather’s wrestler names — “Rocky Johnson” and “Prince Peter Maivia” respectively — but Johnson later shortened it to “the Rock.”

Filmmaker Safdie wrote and directed the movie, which has been in production since 2019. Safdie is arguably best known for writing Uncut Gems (2019), starring Adam Sandler, and co-creating the Showtime series The Curse (2023), starring Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone.

In addition to Johnson’s role as Kerr, Emily Blunt will play Staples, Kerr’s now ex-wife.

The first trailer for The Smashing Machine dropped on April 29, and commenters seemed amazed at Johnson’s acting performance and physical look.

“I almost didn’t recognize his face,” one person wrote. “The transformation is amazing.”

“I really love how soft-spoken he sounds,” another added. “And the makeup artists did such an incredible job!”