New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on Career Changes, Jason at WrestleMania, Girl Dads & Jabronis | Ep 159

Episode Date: October 13, 2025

92%ers, welcome to another episode of New Heights brought to you by Peloton! On today’s guest episode, we are joined by the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Dwayne and the guys talk all about how he left his comfort zone for his new movie "The Smashing Machine," what his life was like playing with Hall of Famers at The U, why his dad didn't want him to step into the ring, his favorite memories from WWE's Attitude Era, what he thought of Jason's appearance at WrestleMania, if Travis is allowed to call people jabronis, life as a girl dad, and more! Watch and listen to new episodes of New Heights every Wednesday during the NFL season and follow us on Social Media for all the best moments from the show: https://lnk.to/newheightshowYou can also listen to new episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ...Download the full podcast here:Wondery: https://wondery.app.link/s9hHTgtXpMbApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-heights/id1643745036Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1y3SUbFMUSESC1N43tBleK?si=LsuQ4a5MRN6wGMcfVcuynwCheck out New Heights on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2MJWYS?ref=blogShop all the New Heights merch at https://homage.com/newheights Support the show: PELOTON: Introducing the Peloton Cross Training Tread+ Powered by Peloton IQ. The Tread+ is our most elevated equipment with personalized guidance and a variety of workouts—Like cardio, strength training, yoga, and more. Learn more about the Cross-Training Tread+ athttps://onepeloton.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He was like, hey, good luck to you, DJ, great working with you. And I said, thank you, coach. And then I hang the phone up, and my dad's listened to the call. I said, I don't want to do that. I'm closing that chapter in my life. He goes, well, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to be a wrestler. He hated the idea.

No. Yes. Welcome back to New York. New Heights, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls for a very, very special episode. A one-dry show brought to you by Peloton. We're your host. I'm Travis Kelsey. It's my big brother, Jason

Kelsey, out of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Shout out to the Heights, man. Yeah, baby. I miss everybody back in the Heights, man. Subscribe on YouTube, 100 plus wherever you get your podcast and follow the show on all social media at New Heights Show with 1S for fun clips throughout the week. Jason, tell the

people how special this episode is. Oh, we got an absolutely incredible special guest episode for you guys. If you smell, la la la la la la la la la la la la la what new heights is cooking. Without further ado,

let's get right into it. I guess we're going to do the intro. First of all, should we call you Dwayne, the Rock, the final boss? What are we going by these days? Whenever comes out, brother.

Oh, good. It doesn't matter what your name is. That's right. My guest today is 64 podcast from the University of Miami. He was a member of the 91 in Huron Gaines National Championship team. You might know him as the 10-time WWE Heavyweight Champion,

born from his hit films such as the Fast and Furious franchise Jumagi, Moana, among others, and upcoming The Smashing Machine. 92 percenters, please welcome Duane the Rock Johnson. Let's go, boy. Good to see you. Dude. Could not resist. You got me, man.

You got me. Good to see you. dude well he said thank you so much for coming on man this is this you're one of our like icon guests we've always wanted to have you on this show man to shoot the shit with you brother and this is uh this is so cool because this movie is unbelievable the smashing machine um the the story of mark cur the thank you the legendary ufc fighter in the beginning days of the of the ufc right yeah in the beginning days yeah i'm very interested what was it about mark Kerr that really like made you, like, did you know of him before the, before the like script or

before the movie came to you or the opportunity came to you or how it all came about and just what you knew about Mark Kerr and the, and the UFC at that time. Yeah, absolutely. Before I get into that, let me just take a moment and give you guys your flowers. Congratulations on the podcast, man. And not only that on the podcast, but also just congratulations on your careers, man. Just really incredible careers. And for you to, for you guys like you, guys.

in the league who have become world champions like you. I always say, that's my dream, man. You guys are living my dream. Like, that's what I thought. That was the goal. So anyway, so thank you for having me on. Good to see you. With Mark Kerr, he was one of the pioneers of MMA, one of the founding fathers of

MMA of UFC two-time heavyweight tournament winner. And back then, when you fought in the tournament, it was, you know, you fought and if you won, you didn't go home and fight the next week. you fought that night. And, you know, his career started out in Vallitudo down in Brazil, won everything that night. So he became a legend. And his ascension, man, was like a rocket.

And I actually met Mark back in the late 90s, back in, you know, back then, MMA, UFC wasn't as big, a global as it is today. So the big organization was Pride in Japan. And a lot of those guys would come over from Pride. And we'd be, WWE guys, we'd all be in L.A. working out at the same gym, the gold's gym in Venice, and we're in the same arenas too as well. So I met Mark back then, and the guy was a legend.

And, you know, he was always this walking contradiction of a human being where he was just insanely jacked. He was at one time the greatest fighter on the planet. He was like Tyson, undefeated, dominant, and feared. But with Mark, what was interesting about Mark was he's so kind-hearted. and tender and soft-spoken and he would wreck these dudes and afterwards he'd go back in the locker room and check on him hey okay are you all right which makes a dude even scarier right he's doing that crazy so in in 2000 in the mid-2000s he had a documentary out called the smashing

machine and that documentary was so it was so heartbreaking because the guy at one time was the greatest in the world and then he lost he lost in Japan and you never quite got over the that loss. And then like a lot of athletes who we know, he succumbed to pressure. And he he, he battled his demons and he became addicted to drugs. He overdosed twice. He's lucky to be alive. So back then when I saw that documentary, I felt, this is an incredible story. But now years later in 2019, I take this documentary to Benny Safdi. And I just watched uncut gems. And I said, Man, Benny, I love your filmmaking style. I have a movie here.

It's not the big blockbuster movie. It's small and it's intimate, but it's also moving. I showed him in the documentary and he said, I'm 100% in. But the cool part about the story that I know you guys will appreciate is there was a Mark Kerr back then who was, he was the man, dominant and feared, battled his demons, and he lost everything. Then there's a Mark Kerr today who is so grateful to be alive and so present. in every moment and here's a reflection of what happens when you get knocked down you get

knocked on your ass especially if you battle addiction you get sober you stand back up man and you become this you become this beacon of hope to a lot of people out there who are struggling it's awesome fuck yeah mark amen brother and it's an amazing film and i mean movies about fighters in general there's a lot of that relatability of getting knocked down having to fight your way back up and I always just love them across the board. That's right. You've had so many unbelievable films as an action star, comedian, like, all these genres. The raids is crazy, man.

What caused this film now? Like, why the biopic? And like, this was such a different light where you absolutely killed it, brother. Like, can I hats off, like, really got into the character and did a great job. What really made you want to go into this kind of genre? So there was two things. That's a great question. And number one was, man, you know, for a long time, I've had this blessed career that I'm so fortunate and grateful for that I've been able to have this blessed career and make these films where it allowed me to work my ass off, continue to build, continue to grow.

But I was in this position where I was chasing box office. And it's great. And there's something motivating about that. But I wanted to chase the challenge. And I felt like it was time to make that switch. And to be honest with you, I wanted to challenge myself. And while these movies are big and they're hard to do and they're fun and a lot of people like them when you win and then you have some movies that flop and tank and that's okay,

you've got to move on. But I was really looking to challenge myself and get out of the comfort zone and rip myself open and then see what the fuck is going to happen. I don't know, but I'm going to give this thing a shot and you've got to go for it. And so it was that combined with. to the voice. I had a little voice right in here, man, behind my rip cage. In between my ears, that was like, hey, you don't want to wake up one morning and go, man, I should have, I should have done that thing. I should have taken that risk and taken that chance. So it was

that voice. And I finally, after all these years, listen to that voice. There's a great George, there's a great George Strait song that I love. Wait, you haven't been listening to that voice? No, I've been listening to the voice. It's, you know what happens? It's like, I, you listen to the brain. And the brain is saying, hey, listen, don't fuck this up. You're in a comfort zone. It's good. There's a lot of people who depend on you. You're making a lot of money.

These movies make money. They do well or they don't do well. But then the heart is its own boss, as you guys know. And the heart will ultimately be the one to say, no, no, no, no. We're going to override the brain and go take this risk. And you know what? There's something, I tell you what. And I want to know from you guys being elite athletes and champions is it's

good to be scared. Yeah. It's good. It's good. Like to be scared of some shit. I like to face that fear, man. Yes. It's real.

There's a great quote by Customata, Mike Tyson's former trainer. Yeah. The hero and the coward both feel the same emotion. They both feel fear. The difference is the reaction to that emotion. And I just love that. I've carried with it forever. That's another fighter quote.

I mean, there's so many fighting culture in general. That's one of the reason I love this film. Yes. For me and Travis, really, we got into UFC. probably at the tail end of Mark's career. It was more like Chuck Liddell. Yeah. Tito, those guys, yeah.

Yeah, exactly. And I remember Mark Coleman. I remember Mark Kerr, but they didn't know it as much as I did after coming out of this thing. And just so much respect for these guys that grew the sport, right? Yes. And when they got legend boss rooting in there in the corner, I mean, that was amazing. So go, man. We had boss root.

We had Alexander Usick. We had a lot of guys, man. But you're right about these guys who paved, who paved the way. And back then, those guys weren't making a lot of money at all. Right. You know, they were banging their bodies up, man, a lot. So doing a biopic like this, how much did you have to be around Mark? Like, I feel like what you have to find, because, I mean, the mannerisms, the style of fighting and stuff like that.

Like, how much was he on set helping you with all this stuff? Or did they're like, was there a reference in terms of like a fight coach? Last year, I started my, my prep for a smashing machine. And we started shooting, I think, in August. My prep started in January because what I started in January was really got to know Mark, spent a lot of time with Mark. But the crazy thing is, again, so, you know, we're all a little fucking crazy sometimes is I. Yeah, you got to be a little crazy.

You got to keep you from going insane. No sane person makes it in this world. You know, you're not going to get to the top of anything, being a nice, cozy. Yeah, exactly. Whalen Jennings says, I'm happy to be crazy. It keeps me from going insane. There we go. That's a badger.

was also training for WrestleMania. And that's when I saw you, Jason, there in Philadelphia. So I was training for that. Once I got out of WrestleMania, then I shipped my focus to the training camp for MMA, spent a lot of time with Mark. And you guys will appreciate this, is I had to gain 30 pounds for the roll. But as you guys know, Mark Kerr's muscle had a certain quality to it. It was that fast twitch.

Yes. It was explosive. And I still had to move. And he had this tiny waist. And I was like, God, man, that's a lot of weight to carry. But I did my best, worked out with Mark, worked out with MMA coaches, MMA fighters as well. I had a 12-week training camp. That was a whole other education for me because I grew up in the world of pro wrestling.

Love the pro wrestling. I knew my way around a wrestling ring. But MMA is a whole different beast and a whole different monster. So I spent a lot of time with Mark. But you know, the thing that moved me most that I didn't realize. until I got into this with Mark was that there's Mark the the physical specimen, how he walked, how he talked. So there was a physical transformation for me, a vocal transformation.

Yes. But the biggest transformation was his emotional transformation. And you realize you guys know fight culture. You respect fight culture. It's like these fighters, there's a unique mentality that they have. And you realize right away, it's not about the wins or the losses. it's about the pressure and the pressure that these guys go through man and there's there's that there's that idea of i can't remember who said it floyd patterson may have said this but he's the

the only thing you're left with when you lose is yourself and so i wanted to find out for mark there was one of these fights in japan which you guys saw the movie where he's fighting for jita at the end he's on all floors for jita is rocking him but mark's with it his eyes are open and he's just taking a beating. I said to Mark, Mark, what was going through your mind? Were you numb from some of the stuff you might have been taking? What was it? Because you were with it.

And he said, DJ, man, he goes, there's 40,000 Japanese fans. And he said, I couldn't fucking move my body, but I'm not going to tap and I'm not going to quit. So I just waited. Either the referee is going to call it or this guy's going to knock my lights out. I was just waiting for either one to happen. Happen. Holy cow. Just that mentality.

Dude. That's crazy. So that's the thing that really became my anchor. You know, that kind of mentality. Yeah. Well, again, you killed it. Thank you, brother. It was an absolute blast to watch.

It was so crazy seeing like probably the most charismatic, like energetic guy I've ever seen on film or like in a WWE ring. Walk into this like just like stone cold zero motion at times kind of killer. That's kind of how it moves through the movie. and then you see the highs and lows throughout it, but you did a phenomenal job. Thank you, Jason. Thank you so much. This is what meant a lot to me. And I've been saying this as we've been promoting the movie because I really mean

it is, smash machine changed my life in ways that I've never imagined. And as this thing continues to go on and we continue to have conversations about it, people continue to see the movie. It's been the experience of a lifetime, of a lifetime, you know. Awesome. I tell you. I'm happy as hell for you. Thank you, brother.

I do have a question, though, about the MMA and the wrestling world. I mean, obviously, you're very understanding of being in a ring and having $40,000 cheering you on. Would you, was there ever a moment where you were like, you know what? I want to give that a shot. Oh. I want to go into the MMA ring. I want to go into UFC. Was there ever a thought or like an opportunity?

Maybe somebody put a contract on the table. It's like, it's there if you want it. Listen, me right now, it's like. As you're training in MMA camp, it's like, okay, you know how ego will start knocking at your door and be like, hey, oh, yeah, I'm out. I could be a bad motherfucker doing this ring. I think so. You know, but then the reality, what happens, and, you know, he's not an MMA fighter, but

he's arguably going to be one of the greatest of all time is Ussick. We were in the ring, and the moment I locked up with him, that was very sobering. And again, it's just, he's that fighter mentality, and you could feel it. And man, you feel it right away. I'll tell you what, when I was years ago, though, when those guys were going to Japan and in the mid to late 90s, we weren't making a lot of money because we were on the lower, you know, we're opening match in WWA. So there was a time where me and my buddies started, hey, do you think we could go over to Japan?

I think we might be okay. Like, we might be able to do well. Those guys are making, you know, a lot of money. And then you realize, no, wait. those guys will take my jaw and not get into another area code man i'm not doing that i don't like to get hit in the face sometimes just got to be real man that's so good i love it i love it well can't wait everybody check out the smashing machine you're not going to regret it you're not going to regret it let's uh let's flash back if that's all right with you yeah you talked

about football was always kind of like the dream growing up dream your time at the you what was that like i mean give it the tackle 91 hurricanes team You're behind Warren Sapp. Take us back to that time. That was crazy, man. When I came in, I came in as a freshman in 1990. And I was kicking ass, man. I was balling.

And I was actually number two as a true freshman behind Russell Maryland. Russell Maryland, right, was number one draft pick for the Cowboys. And I was bawling. I get hurt the last day of training camp. An offensive guard runs me into the ground. My entire shoulder pops out. It's hanging out. The doctor had to come back and put it in.

You guys have been there. Yeah, you're, yeah. I had to have complete reconstruction on my shoulder, tore everything, went into depression, uh, had a miserable, uh, freshman year. I got a point, fucking seven. Point seven. Yeah. That's like, that's like, that's hard to do.

That's hard. You're going to try to get a point seven. That's like, yeah. I was the other way, though. I was, I was having so much fun I had a point seven. You were, you weren't having fun. I wasn't having fun. I got a point seven.

But anyway, so. just a miserable freshman year. But the dude who ran me into the ground, that's Mario Cristobal, who's now the head coach of my name. Oh, heck kicking ass, man. How about it? That's my boy. I'm so proud of those guys down there.

But to you at that time in the early 90s, late 80s, early 90s, they rewrote the game on in terms of swagger, in terms of how to play. And we had a mentality down at Miami, which was speed kills, bottom line. You guys know that. Yeah. So Warren, our freshman year, they bring in Warren Sapp, who's a tight end. Yeah. And he's coming in, freshman, he's running routes, hands like butter, just like you.

He's fucking around and he's in practice. He's catching punts with one hand. I mean, he already looks like, man, you can put this guy anywhere. Right. We come in to training camp and he's in the defensive line room. I sit down. I said, what are you doing here? He looks at me.

True story. You got to ask him this. He goes, I've come to take your job. No way. I said, you ain't taking my job. He said, I come to take your job. I said, well, we'll see. We'll see.

Cut to me on the bench. Me like, hey, good job. Lord, you're doing it. He called it. He called it. He called it. Oh, you ready for me? Not yet.

All right. But, man, that team back then, we had Warren. We had Ray Lewis, Rohan Marley. We had just our defense, man. So insane. Insane. Insane. Yeah.

Did you guys play at the same time at Cincinnati? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. We crossed over for a couple years. Trav, long story short, Trave was ineligible for my senior year, so we never really played that much.

I know. I always bring it up because I still harbor resentment around that. But we did cross over. We had a lot of success, not as good as the hurricanes, but Cincinnati had some, we went to two BCS bowl games, including the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl.

That was the, the old, orange bowl down there. Yeah. Yes. Oh, yeah, baby. That's why I was like, I was like, man, I spent one week down there in Miami and when I was a freshman in college. I can only imagine what four years down in that place was a bad night. I wouldn't survive. Brother, let me tell you something. That's why. That's why I was actually during the time at the you. Are you kidding me? Back then? You guys are the superstars of the world. Yeah. Where it was like, you know, the dolphins were good at that time. But the canes,

you know, they were the talk of the town. So I was for sure. I was smart to get locked down. my freshman year. There we go. I'm not getting in trouble. No. That's very smart. It's so crazy to think about what NIL and the transfer portal has done. Like for a team like the U, you guys had every single year had five stars coming in and just waiting for their opportunity to get into the game.

It's so mind blowing to me that, you know, that isn't happening anymore. If kids aren't starting, they're getting playing time as a freshman, they're in the portal going somewhere else. And I think that's, it might have leveled out the playing field and things like that. But I feel like the U is like kind of like, I don't know, historically like it'll never happen again. Like how talented they were. Like they were so stacked across the board like kids would have left. They wouldn't have had that big of a deep of a team. Is that what you're saying, Tram?

That's what I'm assuming. I don't know. Look, we were deep. Our second and third teams and I was all ended up being first round draft. It was crazy, man, back then. It's crazy back then. How do you think you guys would have done back then if NIL was there? Like, would you have been thinking searching for that?

I don't know. I started as a sophomore and junior was really top player almost was thinking about coming out as a junior. Yeah. So maybe I would have transferred. I don't know. Like it's hard to think, offense linemen still aren't getting that kind of money. Like really, most of the money is going to the money is going to the the quarterbacks and the receivers and the big positions any money when you're in college is

good money good money the nil the stuff they were talking about we were doing some stuff at tight in you and guys were talking about over the course of their three year three or four years that they were getting n i'll they got they got over like a hundred grand 200 grand i was like in my mind i'm like i was kidding anything we're just looking for the pell grant or something anything exactly exactly you sacked uh charlie ward in 93 Is that correct? I did, yeah. Yeah, I got a sack.

What was the Rock's go-to move? What was, what kind of detack were, were you a big power guy, arm over, swim, dip and rip? Yeah. You know what I do? I get my hands on the dude right away. Yeah. So if it were, you were, you a guard, right? I'm assuming what were you to send me?

Well, I play guard in college, but I play center at the NFL. Okay. So say it's me and you. Yeah. We line out. I'm already afraid, to be honest with you. I'm already terrified. You're being very kind to me, man.

I try to do my hands on. on you before you got your hands on me. I give you a little shiver. That's good strategy. And I just, I do that little boom. I pull you down and right over. Push pull.

Push pull, man. That's a dangerous one. My coach who you guys, you guys know, Ed Ogeron for a mom. Oh yeah. Crazy Ed. Coach O.

He was our coach down in Miami. And he said, he said, Dewee, you got great upper body violence. I said, look, I don't even know what the fuck that means, but that sounds going to be made that good.

You got great upper body violence. But if you think about it, right, as you guys know, as players, like if a player has upper body violence and you can control the game, right? Violent hands, maybe. I'll tell you what I say. I know exactly what Gojo is talking about. You got the violence where it's not just power, but it's like another level of like twitchiness with the strike.

Yes. Where it like jolts you. And there's guys that have that and there's guys that don't really have that jolt. And then the ability to push and pull with that, yeah, man. That's a dangerous combo. Like that kind of, like a piston, yes. Yes. Yeah.

Where did Dewey come from? Why Dewey? It was a nickname that my mom gave me. So when I was a baby, my godmother took my mom, took me and gave me to my mom. She goes, is he wet? And she goes, oh, he's just a little Dewey. Okay. And then it's stuck.

Right. But then, okay, which is fine. Because, you know, we like to keep our parents' nicknames at the house. So my mom and dad came to watch me play. came to my first practice at Miami. My mom was like, hey, Dewey, come here for a second. And I was like, oh, no, no, no. And, you know, if you give a nickname like that around the boys, you're done.

They're running with it. They're running with it. So it was, everybody was like, Dewey. What the fuck? And then it's just stuck. That was it. That's great. Holy cow.

Thanks for bringing that up, Jason. I appreciate it. You said Dewey. I was like, what is this? He's two for two right now. Bring it up the good stuff. with Doug Flutie and Calgary? Is that, you playing the CFL?

I didn't know this coming into this, to be honest with you, doing a little research. When I came out in 95, I had a dismal senior year. I got hurt. I blew out, ruptured two discs in my back. You guys know what that's like. And when that happens at the beginning of the season, and you're just chasing. You're chasing pain. You're trying to chase relief, trying to, you're getting your injections.

Opportunities. And that's it. So that was really the thing, you're right. that was the thing that really messed me up because I knew right away, blow out two discs in my back, the doctor said, you can have surgery or just ride the season out. I said, I don't want to have surgery. It's your senior year, you know, I ain't coming back. So it's not like, you know, no, this is it. And so I'm just, who knows what's going to happen? Maybe I could get a rep here or a rep there, just shitty senior year. And I didn't get drafted. But I got a call from Calgary.

And I went up there to Calgary. Yeah. I played up there for a little while, and then I didn't make the team. I was on the practice squad. And we were making maybe about $300 Canadian a week, which wasn't a lot to live on, man. But I was still, you know, you're living a dream. And you're hoping that, hey, I can parlay this into, I can get on an NFL squad next year and make that practice roster. And those guys are making $100 grand or whatever it is. So you keep the dream alive, keep the dream alive.

And then I got cut from the CFL mid-October. forget it. And I got sent back home. And so I got sent back home. Wally Blono, who's a legend up in the CFL, he wound up becoming my mentor. He said, listen, we're going to let you go. But man, you're a great player. Love to call you back next year. I said, okay, thank you for the opportunity. I get sent home. You know how when you leave home and you go to college, you guys go to Cincinnati, you leave it home. You don't plan on going back home with your parents. Like, this is it.

Yeah. Afterwards, you're hoping to make it to the league and do what you guys did. So I got cut from Canada. I go back home and I don't have a place to go now. I got to move back in my mom and dad in their little apartment in Tampa, Florida. And that was so sobering for me because it's like, there's a dream. It all goes away. And then, yeah, and then I was down there.

And then I get the call from Wally Bono after the season again. ended. And he goes, hey, our season just ended. I think they either competed for or they won the Grey Cup. And he goes, we just had a big year. Jeff Garcia was up there, by the way, too, as well. He was their quarterback. And he goes, I'd love to have you back. And I said, coach, I appreciate it. And in this moment, you know how you guys know that there's a defining moment in your life when you look back. Like, man, had I not made that decision, I'd have been on a different road. So in this moment when he said, hey, I'm calling. I got great news. I've got to bring you. you back next training camp and we'll start all over again and I said coach I appreciate it but

I'm going to have to close this chapter of my life there and he was like hey good luck to you DJ great working with you and I said thank you coach so and then I and then I hang the phone up and my dad's listened to the call and my dad goes who was that and I was like oh that was the coach from you know Canada and he goes what do you say I said oh you offer me a job to come back. He goes, oh, that's great. I say, yeah, I'm not going to take it. He goes, what are you talking about? And I said to my dad, who was a pro wrestler. Yes. I said to him, yeah, yeah, yeah. I said, he goes, what do you mean? I said, I don't want to do that. I'm closing that chapter in my life. He goes, well, what are you going to do? I said,

I'm going to be a wrestler. He hated the idea. No. He was like, worst decision. He hated it. Oh, we got to a huge fight that night. So I played up there in Canada for a little while. And that, that, that became very defining for me, man. Yeah. Because by the way, the thing I wanted most in my life and I told you guys this is I wanted, I wanted your life. I wanted to be in the NFL. That was my goal. And it wound up being the best thing that actually never happened for me. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Did you know on that call, like when you were saying no that you? were going to, did you know, like, previously before it that you were going to go into wrestling? Or was it like, literally at that moment where you're like, now, man, I'm going to go do this other thing? It was at that moment.

God, that's crazy. It was at that moment. Because I was down there in Tampa and I was working at Bally's gym and I was selling memberships. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. But then I just in that moment when he said, hey, you got a shot. And right then I went, I'm out. Thank you anyway.

Something's crazy. something's calling and it's that voice I'll tell you what and and what was calling down the road that you had no idea was the fact that you own a pro football team now there we go about it baby Could you have ever imagined it after a call like that that you'd be sitting there as the owner of a U.S. Yeah, UFL team? No, there's no way. I mean, that's the beauty, I think. It's so humbling that life can come full circle in that way because while I never got that shot to live the dream that you guys have the privilege of living, years later, I have the opportunity to be the owner of this league and owner of the league with my own.

myself, Danny Garcia, Mike Rapoli, and Fox, Jerry Cardinald too as well. And that, this full circle moment, man, to be able to create opportunities for players is the greatest feeling in the world. I mean, all this other stuff is wonderful, but to create these opportunities for players just to play the game that we all love and to take care of the families, put food on the table, pay the bills and let them ball out. It's just, has been amazing, man. And by the way, like this opening day of this season, we had 46

UFO players on NFL teams, man. Hell yeah. Oh, no. It's getting, it's doing exactly that. It's getting, giving guys opportunities to, you know, put the film out there, show that they can make plays, show that they can get developed under a scheme. It's, I love to go. And I was down in Texas, and I just loved the atmosphere.

I loved, I love seeing, you know, Wade Phillips coached that football team, and I believe they were going in to try and win the championship that week, or at least in the playoffs that week. So, um, congrats on all the success. Thank you, man. And, and you already know it. You might not have had that, that privilege to live in this life, but it seems that you, you live life with the privilege to live life, no matter what it is that you're doing. You're so humble about it. And, and, uh, you create your own path, man. You create your own path. And it's so cool to it to hear the story behind it all. Thank you. You got to. That's what we got to do is work hard.

and create our own path, even if we don't know what it is. You got to have faith and, you know, the work in the process. Oh, you knew what it was. You knew it was the WWE, baby. The attitude era. That's it. We got to get into it, man. We got to talk some wrestling.

Iconic, man. Where do you even come up with this? How does it even come together? Like, please. Well, back then in the attitude era, that would keep in mind. That was before WWE was public. traded. It was, you know, well before owned by TKO, obviously. So we flew under the radar. And there was a point where when I turned heel in the late 90s and I was mixing it up with Stone Cold

Steve Austin and we were going back and forth and having our matches, that shit was bananas because it was a golden days because you could fly under the radar. And it reached a point. And I remember telling a guy who's a good friend of ours mind today. And he helped run a division of seven bucks. His name is Brian Goertz. And he was one of the first writers ever for WWE. And we used to write my stuff all the time together. And I said, you know what, man, you know how lucky we are right now? He said, what? I said, we could say anything tonight to this crowd. We could sing. We could talk shit. I could talk in another language. I could, whatever it is. I said, it's whatever we want. And I said, there's a whiteboard. Let's write it. So the stuff

about, you know, whether it's, if you smell. You're getting me so fired up right there, dude, I'm telling you. It's like, oh, my God. Jason, do you remember that time, right, in the attitude area? Oh, my gosh. That was going to get a hard, dude. You got your ass back. You know, I was going to bring that back.

That was good. That was good. But it was a special time, man. I love it back. That time was a very cool time. And that was also a cool time where they were just characters. that were larger than life. You know, and everything evolves and everything in ebbs and flows.

And I get it and I love pro wrestling. I will always love pro wrestling. Back then, I was special time. You guys made it what it is today, no doubt. Damn, man. That was a fun time. What was life like as a WWE superstar? Like, we always talk about life as an NFL player.

Oh, yeah. How is it different in wrestling? And I want to hear from you guys on this one. This is where you're on the road, 365 days. There's no season. You know, it's hard. It's not apples to apples. It's when you compare an NFL to WWE, but there is no season.

You're in a different city every night. Our goal was to put on a good show. Send the fans home happy. Don't get hurt. Protect each other's bodies. I'll see you down the road. I'll see you at the next town, right? Yeah.

It's like, Travis, Jason, I'll see you in Arlington. And then the next night we're in Dallas and next night we're in Austin. Let's not get hurt. Let's take care of ourselves and send everybody. home happy and injury-free. But the problem is in that world, and it's just the way that it is, but you guys know this, you're always injured and you're always working through your injuries and you're always letting pain be your guide and you always try to protect yourself.

So while it was incredible and the world of pro wrestling is incredible and I love it and what an opportunity it is because you get to connect every night with a different, a different crowd. And, you know, and the crowd in Dallas, that's a different energy than, New York. As you guys know, you go to these different cities. It's a different vibe, right? A different world, baby. That's fun, though. Kansas City is different than Miami. You name it. Philly is different. So, and it is fun. Did you have any favorites? What were your favorite cities? Before, I didn't want to cut you off. No, no, no, it's all good. It's all good. Chicago, New York, nothing like the garden, right? Yeah. Down in Texas, amazing, too, as well. Philly.

Philly, what I loved about Philly, that's a heel town. Dude, there's a lot of support. I know you know this, but for the Rock in Philadelphia, like he is like beloved, like no other. Man, I, Philly's my tent. That's why I came back last year, man, at that WrestleMania, there was nothing like it. So I think compared to the league to the NFL is there's no seasons.

And also it's, it's incredible. And it's dreams come true. for all of us, but also it's tough, man. It's tough being on the road every night because what that means is then it's tough on your body. You're getting banged up every night. You're working hurt every night and you're trying to keep up. And also it takes its toll on marriages and on relationships.

It's harsh. There's no season. I mean, you're all season. But how does that compare like to you guys when you guys are on the road every week? You're banged up. You're trying to. We're actually not on the road every week. We're only on the road half of the street.

season. That was one thing that was eye opening to me, even just going into media. I travel more as a media member going to games than I did as a player because every week you're going to a new stadium. But I think it's a big commitment in season. You get one off day a week. So it's the same thing. You know, there's a there's a really intensely busy time period. Yes. Which is six months, seven months. And then after that's over, you get a lot of off season to, you know, reaffirm all of relationships and spend time with your families. That's right. Loved ones.

So it's, that's where it's different. The season is shorter. It's not 365 days. But for that shortened season, you're, you're at the building every single day or the one day when you're pretty much. Yeah. It sounds like the similarities are amongst the, the routines of it. You know, you want to have that professionalism to always, always make sure that you're

at your peak. Yes. On the, on the night, on the game night, on wrestling night, or on, when, when the TV's live, like, you just want to make sure you're being that for the organization, for the people around you. So I guess there is that, that similarity of like, kind of just like the gruesome strain that you got to go through to have fun when the lights are on. I got two questions for you guys.

Let's hear. Let's go. Jason, when you retired, you know, and you go out on top, it's like, again, it's It's the dream. It's my dream. I was watching that from afar. I was like, man, it's amazing. You give this impassioned speech, you know, you just, it's incredible. The next camp. Yeah. And you weren't there. Yeah. Was that hard for you? I've always wondered that, like. Absolutely. A hundred percent. Was it, did, did you fall into, like, many depression? Like, did you work through that? Like, what happened? I don't know how to label it, to be honest with you.

there's definitely part of it I would say would be you know you're you really miss being there with the guys and there's a there's was there a void that you had to fill for sure for sure and for every day for 13 years I was a regimented person even in the off season we talked about the season's only a certain short period of time to be the best at anything you're putting in work 365 days a year so that's right you get used to this you know okay Monday Monday I'm doing this Tuesday I'm doing this Wednesday and you get into that repetition And then you build all these relationships with people. And then training camp is the most heightened state of like, hey, football is getting ready to get going.

That's right. And I'm very fortunate. I still live in Philadelphia so I can still go to the building and get a little bit of it. But you're not in it. You're not going through the grind with your teammates. And you're not, you know, I miss going out and busting my ass, you know, being hurt and tired after a practice. And then going into the cafeteria and bitching about it with my buddies. and trying to, like, hey, you get at the same time, this fucking bullshit.

Like, I miss all that so much. And with every successive year, and I've talked to a lot of guys that have retired, you've missed less and less of it. The one time I still, like, get goosebumps before every game. When the national anthem plays, and that kickoff's about to happen, there's, like, a very visceral connection that comes to you, and you, like, you start smelling the grass if it's a natural. field that I don't I don't know it's hard to think that that'll ever kind of go away but how did you

answer your question absolutely that's when you that's when you flip that switch man that's when you flip that switch but what what's your flip switch these days is it well I got a lot of things that so my flip switch is um man's a good question trying to uh well I do the well let me see but probably I would assume going on the road right and it's a different Well, yeah, I mean, it's a different, there's no more physicality thing that I had when I played the game. Like the tactile thing where you can grab something and, yeah, and that was a different switch where it's like, okay, I'm going to try and can't use violent hands out here.

Violent hands no longer help me. He's got four little girls. Can't use violent hands. Girl dad, I know. You soft hands. You get fired up to either offer players help. I still go to the building and I still offer young guys support and to be able to help them in their careers or wherever I can in some type of like mentorship level. You get fired up to be the best at whatever you're doing.

Like now I get to operate in a more creative space than I really ever got to in the field of football, which has been fun and different. And I feel and I felt last year in a lot of ways you're almost like a rookie again. where you're going into a new field and instead of being a veteran where you kind of have all these things set in place, you know how to do everything, you know what works. You feel that fear? You feel that. I was just going to ask them to. Are you scared?

You feel that. And you're trying to figure out, you know, how can I be the best at this new thing? What can I do? How do I study? How do I prepare? How do I, you know, bring something new that other people aren't doing? So it's, that's kind of what is probably the new. switch. It's a little bit different than when you played. It's more of a creative kind of

thinking about things from, you know, what can I do that's different and unique than what everybody else has been doing. But it's still fulfilling for you. Yeah. It is. It's fulfilling in a different way. I mean, I don't know that anything, quite frankly, is going to replace playing football in front of hundreds of thousands of people and millions of people on TV. But, you know, I think, you know, I got the privilege to do that for a long time. And at some point that, time ends and my time was over and I get fulfilled in different ways now and I don't know that it's the same type of fulfillment as playing but it's still pretty damn good I'm still pretty damn fortunate to uh you know have a good time I still get to talk about football a game that I love

um I get fulfilled at home being with my kids and my family um dude I'm telling you when I finally when I finally retire down the road yeah um me and jason are just going to be in the back putting the pads on for old time's sake. Getting out of film it back one time. Just a violent hands, baby. Violet hands. You know, look, but think about this is, and Trabb, I have a question for you too as well, is, is while nothing will ever take the place of putting on the pads and strapping up that chin strap, putting on the helmet and there's 100,000 people, nothing will ever take

that place. But think about everything that you're doing now and how you've applied all of your mastery skills to become one of the greatest of all time champions, et cetera, to what you're doing now, but also thinking about all the guys who maybe are on the cusp, hey, I got about another year or two left in me, but look how he's doing it, right? Look how Jason's doing it.

I want to do it like that. So you're creating, I think, and already a really cool blueprint for athletes. Yeah, who are like thinking about, like, what's my next step the way he does it? I want to do it like that. It's funny you mention that because I've been following this big bears footsteps my entire life, man.

I went to Cincinnati. I followed him into the football world, then went to Cincinnati. Then we both got drafted by Andy Ree. I just been following his footsteps everywhere I go. Everywhere, man. He's paved the way from me to make it live in my own life. You passed me a long time ago, Tray. Paving the way.

Paving the way for so many. Trave, I got one question for you. And the question I was thinking about this earlier, the question about pressure. Mm-hmm. Right? You will go down as one of the greatest of all time. and everything you got going on. By the way, congrats to your girl on the weekend or the crushing weekend she has.

It's awesome. Life of a showgirl. Life of a showgirl. My daughters are listening to the album now. It's very cool. Pressure, not only pressure as a professional athlete, especially once you become the greatest on the planet and the pressure to go back to because now there's no, if you don't win that, become the greatest and you don't become Super Bowl champion.

then it's like us at Miami. If we didn't win the national championship, all right, that's our season's failure, really. It doesn't matter what our record is. How do you handle that kind of pressure? Because you have the pressure of a pro athlete, which is fucking insane. But then the pressure of being in the spotlight

in another kind of spotlight that's so big. Is there a thing? Did you notice a shift? Did you feel a shift? I definitely notice a shift, but I'm not going to lie, man. I've been so blessed, so fortunate. My love for this game and my like attention to detail and the scrutiny I have on myself

has been more pressure than anybody could put on me. And I've just always loved to find that answer. Find the reason why I'm not having success. Find the reason why I lost on this rep. So the year in, year out, I feel like the only thing that I really got to like channel is just my energy for that day, you know, the attention to detail, the focus, the professionalism, that's always going to be there. But how am I coming into work? Am I coming into work enjoying what I'm doing? Is that infectious? Is that going to make the guy next to me want it just as bad

as I do? Is it going to make the guy next to me, you know, go that extra mile when he sees me going the extra mile? You know, how can I make this team better from the inside out? And I think that's one of the biggest things that that's how you kind of handle pressure of the outside world is to just grind your fucking tail off inside. And I was saying, I've been blessed in terms of all the other pressure, the worldwide pressure and everything is I've been so blessed to have the love. I look at it as a blessing, but I look at how I look at the life that I have as a blessing

because of the people that I have in it. Having a support system as my family, having a support system like my brother and Taylor and all my friends that I've known since I was in fucking preschool. And we were rock bottoming each other on the fucking recess. Do you have any idea how many times we got called to the principal's office, rock bottoming people in their figure wood chips? Jason Kelsey in the principal's office.

Jason Kelsey has the principal's office. But I feel like when you got that ecosystem and I've been so fortunate to have that ecosystem my entire life, you know, my family has been there for me every step of the way. My friends have been there for me every step of the way. And that pressure, that outside pressure doesn't. feel as you know tough when you have all that at the house exactly it's not as it's not as scary I don't have to think about the how the world's viewing me because the people around me and the loved ones around me know exactly what's real and and you got it you always got to separate that

reality from the tabloids and the worldwide media that's has to talk about it and there's going to find something to say about it more than what's real and and how you're living your life man so the noise you've you've it's it's it's the home anchor that allows you to block out all the noise yeah and the fact that i get to do something i love you know that that always kind of i think i'll i'll have to find that uh that fulfillment that you guys uh were just talking about i actually want to ask you that same question yeah i was about to say just go right back at it i mean you're stepping away from the w w e full time like that was such a huge part of like your life It was at the height of, like, wrestling, like, worldwide.

I felt like the attitude area was just peaking, and you step away and go into acting. What was that like? Did you find fulfillment right there in the same way? No, not in the same way. Thank you. That's such a great, good question, man. There's nothing, just like you guys with the football field. You line up, you put your hands in the dirt.

There's nothing like it. There's nothing like getting in the ring, and there's 20, 30, 40, 50, 100,000 people. You could connect with them. You could tell a physical story from beginning to end. There's nothing like that. I love it and I miss it. Yeah.

But, you know, I had the voice. It was just, hey, there's more. You could stay here and do what you love or you could get out of this zone, which is comfortable. And by the way, I get it. We know that. Like, when you're in a comfort zone, it's called comfort zone for a reason. It feels good.

Yeah. Especially if everything is. going well and everything is the line and you're paying bills and everything is going well but there was I wanted to grow that's it I really wanted to grow and I wanted to do more and I wanted to challenge myself in ways that I hadn't been challenged I'd not been to Hollywood I didn't know shit about Hollywood other than well I love movies and I'd love to make movies I'd love to test myself and so in 2004 was my last WrestleMania and I quietly tried to as much as I could just quietly transition and step away. And that was scary because, as you were saying, like,

I was lucky enough to, I was on top. It was like Jim Brown. Like, yeah, that's a great reference. Like Jim Brown, you know, he's like leading the league in, you know, yards. And he's like, hey, I'm going to go to this other thing and challenge myself. The face of it. Yeah. He was the face of the league. And that's what I did. So it was, it was scary at first. But ultimately, you know, I realized like it's scary and it's okay. You know what also helped and I was really lucky about this is I was doing okay in terms of money and I wasn't chasing the dollar and I wasn't like, hey, I'm fucking starving here and I need, I have seven bucks like those days were behind me.

So it's like, I don't have to worry about that. And then I could just concentrate on acting and acting coaches and and my first role in in Hollywood, as a leading man, wasn't, hey, here's a small little independent role. This is Scorpion King franchise. We're going straight to Blockbuster, baby. Go ahead and sink or swim, you know, your baptism by fire. So I was really fortunate that, you know, I kept out my career in that way. Well, you built up a legacy ready for that to kick off.

And that's, that's, hats off to you. That would have to be a daunting decision. But you nailed it, brother. I asked you, as you said earlier, your dad did not encourage your wrestling career. Very much was mad at you. Your daughter recently now with NXT as the on-screen GM. Have you supportive of this? Where do we stand as dad this time?

You know what happens is like, you know, we're in control of where the dominoes stop falling. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So in my world, you know, while my dad didn't approve at first or we got to a massive fight, And we had a complicated relationship with my old man. But, you know, I was in control of where that domino was going to stop falling. And with my daughter, Simone, she's my oldest daughter's.

Like you, I'm a girl dad. I have three daughters, 24, 9, and 7, all different agees. You'll get there at TRAB soon. You'll see the blessings. That's right. And but with my daughter, man, I was so proud. But here's a cool thing. When she came to me and she came to me at six.

16 and said, I want to do what you do. I love this business just like you do. And I want to do it at 16. So she became the youngest WWE signee at 16. Whoa. She was going to NYU. She gave me a call, me and her mom. And she said, I want to pivot a little bit.

I'd like to go directly into WWNXT and start training down there in Orlando. And you don't have to ask me twice. I'm like, okay, hey, I got you. But here's a great thing. The most beautiful thing about this is I never got that call from her. I never got the call like, hey, dad, I want to do what you do. Can you call WWE? Can you call Vince McMahon at that time?

Could you call Nick Kahn? Could you call somebody? Never once did she ask me. Could you make that call? She was just like, I want to do what you do. I want to blaze my own path. I want to call myself Ava Rain, not, you know, know the rock something or anything like that she's like I just want to do it on my own I love

you I respect you and I was like baby listen I wanted to do the same thing I wanted to make it on my own my grandfather was a wrestler I was like your great grandfather and your grandfather were wrestlers so I love that you want to do it on your own and I'm here I got your back and so she's been doing a great job and I keep tabs on her and you know I had she was born when I was 29. And if you think about it at that time, we know as dudes in our 20s, we think we know what we're doing. We don't know shit. We're trying to keep up and we're trying to make it look like, hey, we're good. We got, you know, under control. So it was almost like her and I grew up together. And, you know, these days, her being in the wrestling business has actually bought us

closer together. And that to me is the biggest joy, man, because my, my babies, just like, like, you know, you, Jason and like one day you'll know, Trabb, babies are everything. That's it. It is. 100%. You know? 100%. It takes it.

The moment, the first one pops out, it's like, okay, my entire, like, hierarchy of priorities is completely shifted. Just like that. Seriously, it's crazy. You'll see, Tram. It's crazy. We're putting that boo-du on to you and Taylor right now. That's right.

That's right. That's right. Peloton is changing the game and fitness with the new Peloton cross-training Tread Plus, powered by Peloton IQ. And let me tell you, this thing is like having your own elite training camp at home. Oh, okay, Jason. How have you liked working out with your Peloton? It's right there. It's always where I need it. Sitting in the corner, sitting back there. I got the bike, do it on the tread. I'm a big tread guy. I like the tread. And then you can watch shows. You can watch instructors. It's just a great product.

And something else that's really cool. The screen swivels now. So you can easily go from running to strength training or stretching. There's so many classes that Peloton has that you can click on. And moving the screen around just makes it see. You don't have to move that heavy old bike or tread. It's like having a whole training facility right there, one place, one equipment. It is nice.

And having the trainer access is good. Oh, and Peloton IQ actually counts your reps and corrects your form. with intelligent strength coaching, which we definitely need when working out at home. And get this, it tracks your progress and can even suggest weights to help you level up your strength game. The rep counter's nice.

I also heard that Peloton IQ creates personalized workout plans based on your goals. In each class, you're coached by instructors who bring that energy you need, and that's what Peloton's all about. Matching your energy and elevating your game to help you get to the next level. Whether you're just starting out

or you're, I don't know, like a vet like Jason is. Let yourself run, lift, flex, push, go more. Explore the new Peloton cross-training tread plus at one peloton.com. I appreciate your time up to this point. We got one last segment for you. Big dog is called We Gotta Ask, but you don't have to answer. You can tell us you just fuck off if you don't want to answer this. I'll answer it all.

But we got to ask, man. Look, I've been drinking tequila at all the time. It's five o'clock summer. You got some of the best tequila around? Come on, brother, no doubt. All right, so we almost used Gibroni as a nickname for fans of this show. Do you own the word gibroni?

I do not own the word gibroni. I think it's just out there. I own the name the rock, not gibroni. Oh, no, but wait. I might own that because I own everything. You might own it. Associated with the rock. Like, it doesn't matter if you smell.

So I might. I know that, let me give them props. The Iron Sheik. was he made that word he made it he made that word famous so he used to especially in the locker room oh this gibroni is that this gibroni is that so he would call people gibroni so that's where i got it from i always got to give him flowers but it's really cool it's actually in the webster's dictionary and i get the credit for it but it's it's really the iron sheet it's really the iron sheet yeah a lot of people were asking me because i i said it on uh after we won one of the afc championships

I got on the mic and called the Cincinnati Marrior Jibroni for calling us out. Oh, I know you did. I know you did. I was like, yeah. Let's go. Wait my whole life to get this mic, you jabroney. A lot of the like by like mom's friends or dad's friends or just like people in the building where I'm like, what's what's a jabroney exactly? If you don't know, you're probably a jabroney.

You don't want to be called a jabroney. What is the greatest. Rock insult of all time. The greatest rock insult of all time is, okay, what's your opinion? Who's going to win the Super Bowl this year? It's got to be the Kansas City Chiefs. All right. Got to be the Kansas City Chiefs.

Well, the Rock, now I'm speaking as a Rock. Well, the Rock says you take your opinion that it's got to be the Kansas City Chiefs. You take your opinion, you roll it up. That's right. You know what's coming. You roll that thumb and you turn it sideways and stick it straight up your candy ass. That's. That was a crazy insult.

I remember those guys at WW at that time, there was like, your candy ass. They were like, where did this come from? And I remember saying, well, you know,

telling somebody to stick something up their asses, you know, that's an insult. But when you turn it sideways, when you turn your opinion sideways, it's a whole different thing. It's so good. God,

that's good. How did you feel the first time you walked into an arena and you saw little kids like quoting the rock like what was that first feeling like when you saw it because you already know that the the wrestling world is wide range of everyone just like a lot of the sports world but there's something when you get the kids behind you that it's just it's it's some of the most fulfilling stuff and just see them going crazy but when when you started seeing them quote some of the things you were saying like how how was that feeling oh there was nothing like it because you realize if the kids

kids are quoting what you're saying, then they're saying that on the playground. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And if they're saying that on the playground, then it's awesome for you. You know they're getting in trouble. They're getting called. It was amazing. You used to post ridiculous cheat meals on your social.

We got a few of them here. Pancakes stacked mile high. Did you actually eat these or these just like kind of like messing around, having fun on Instagram? No, I'd take a shot at it. I try to eat. everything I can, man. But that's, you know, the cheat meals, I feel like, well, let me ask you guys this.

Do you guys have a cheat day? Like, is it Sunday or maybe. Today's it. Yeah. Oh, so it's a day before you. You play. So it's two days before. So it's Friday.

Fat guy Friday. Yeah. Fat guy Friday. Yeah. But he's playing Monday. You weigh in on Friday morning. Yeah. So we would call Fat Guy Fridays.

And that's your day to just unload. Okay. So wait, I got a question, man. So, Jace, give me your, give me your fat day Friday. What's your, what's your, what's your, cheat day look like? My cheat day is, I'm going in there after practice, the fast Fridays. You're going in there right afterwards into the cafeteria.

I'm getting wings, as many as I can put on a plate, blue cheese, each and every different flavor, pizza, and then I'm going to finish it off with some ice cream. That's my, like, stereotypical. That's what I had every Friday. He inherited that from his father. Wing's a pizza. So playing on a Sunday, so you have 48 hours approximately, you're 36 somewhere in there to bring that off.

So wings, wings and pizza and beer. Not beer, but you got it. Okay. Well, that too. And then try. Chlor can take. Chloric intake. I'm going, so mine starts as soon as, as soon as I weigh it in the mornings.

Gosh, I'm still playing. So I don't even know if I should be telling everybody. I forgot about the donuts. I forgot about the donuts Friday morning. I was about to say, as soon as so, every Friday, the QB is going to get donuts. And shout out to Lamar's donuts. It's a historical donut shop. in Kansas City.

And I see that yellow box, man, and I just go in and I get too nice, fluffy glazed donuts. Fluffy glazed. And that's just where I start, like, before practice. And then once practice ends, I usually grab some barbecue and just enjoy it. But I, uh, throughout the week, I'm pretty, like, I'm pretty sensitive. Yeah, you're strict also. Yes. But also, you're the goat.

So you don't want to give away what you're eating right now. Right. Yeah. And I will say it has gone up a level since Taylor. has has come into the picture because she loves to bake. Sourdough, those pop tarts, sourdough pot tarts, sourdough cookies. I mean, it goes on and all. She loves to make cinnamon rolls.

So I'm not going to lie. I used to look at your cheat meals. It's like, man, at least I'm not cheating that crazy. Dude. Well, wait, what's interesting is, so you guys don't have cheat days after your games? I mean, after the game, you're usually pretty free eating. at least I was yeah yeah like right after the game I'm gonna eat whatever I want now that I just put but was it was that as ceremonial as your fat day fat guy Friday or

not usually because usually the day like right after the game was never always going to the same spot whereas like fat guy Friday you always are in the building yeah so like you and your teammates like kind of try that routine of it I forgot to say like we would always I think it's Baylor's donuts in Philadelphia and then the calf would always have certain food there so that was more the ritual of the fast of the cheap meal and then after games you're going out with family if they're in town you're you're doing whatever but yeah you're usually pretty loose with what your intake is as well let me ask you that now i'm just curious really quickly after games do you ever require a quiet moment maybe it's your locker i mean what do you think trav yeah

not at home games or when it felt really quiet actually was when we lost because even when you lose you're going to go out with your family but you're thinking of like all the plays that didn't go right like you're not even mentally there and present because you're still in that game and the moment i would get back to my house i would get my uh iPad and i would rewatch the game like with nothing happening everybody else is asleep and i'm up at two three in the morning especially if it's a night game and you're going through all the plays and that was when it really was like the quiet moment in victory not so much for whatever reason i was you know you're party and you're having fun yeah it's hard to win the NFL man i'm not enjoying this no need no need to be quiet now no i um

i think i i have a lot of moments of reflection i have a lot of moments of um those quiet moments where you're kind of just appreciating either where you are or you're dreaming about being somewhere bigger you know i think i've always had those moments um i'll never not have those moments and they they kind of come more sporadically than they do just after a game. But I think I'm with Jason on that one. When it's one that hurts, you kind of, you need to have that voice or reason. You have to watch the film. You have to sit there and figure things out on your own before you can attack it the next workday.

But I'm so fortunate. I was telling you, man, win or lose, I've always got somebody at the game or a bunch of people watching, you know, especially at the home games or the big games in the playoffs. there's always somebody there to enjoy it with. If we're winning, we're having a blast and there's no, there's no, there's not much quiet going around. But when you're losing, you know, it's so nice to have that support, but also, you're also left really with yourself, you know, that's what I was wondering.

It's like, and I'm just curious for the both of you, in the losses, when you're watching film that night, are you watching broadcasts or are you watching the silent game film? Silent. Silent game film. You're watching, they called the All-22. It's basically you get a sideline view and you get a behind, like line of scrimmage view. Yeah. Like looking at it like from the back side of it.

Yeah. Game 10. And that gets, that usually gets uploaded if it's a home game right quickly. If it's in a way game, those are even worse. You want to talk about quiet, be on an airplane after a loss going back across the country. You get three to four hours at a quiet time. John Cena recently announced you'll be retiring from WWE. Who should his last, his final match be against?

Ooh, that's a good one. Just saying. That says it all. Two of my favorites, man. That's, you know, I have a tiny bit of influence in the booking of it, but it really is just it's whoever John wants. Really, that's what it comes down to. Whoever he wants, that should he, right?

It's not. or Nick Carl, Triple H. It's just, it's whoever John wants. That guy has earned it. And you know what? The best part about John is he comes as advertised. So who you think he is, that's who he is. And he's a good dude.

And I love that guy. It feels like it, man. And everything that guy does, he is like so authentic. And like, you never see him being somebody there. That's a great, well put, well put. No, it's good dude, man. And kind. He's really cool.

And, you know, that stuff matters to me these days, you know, any day. But like, it's somebody's kind and cool. All right. As a dad, do you know how many times I've seen Moana? It is, it is such a great film. You killed it. Like, I don't know, man. What was that like putting, you guys just came out with Moana 2 not too long ago.

Yeah, with the Mwana 2 at the end of last year. And it's amazing that, that, you know, you make a, you never know in our business. What's going to hit, what's not. Just like you got, you know, you prepare for your season. You never know where you're going to go. You guys could be, you just come off a Super Bowl win? They never know what happens. Every season brings a different alchemy and a different energy.

Every movie is different. That was amazing. The most gratifying part about Moana is just this global, I think, embrace of Polynesia culture. You beat me to it. And that's what I love about the thing. You're teaching everybody, man. All of the Disney movies that I like the most are the films that really do a great job of highlighting the cultures.

that they represent, whether it's Moana, Coco. Yeah. They're like Princess and the Frog in Louisiana. I think that's an older one that, but, um, Moana is just such a fantastic film and it really doesn't capture Polynesian culture. You might be the most well suited to perform a live action of Maui. We're doing any voice actor, right? We're doing it.

We're doing live action. Oh, really? Yeah, so live action, Moana, I have to actually feel, I have five more days of filming, live action, Moana, and it's all. the song. Let's go. You're welcome. Yes.

Yeah. Hell yeah. And so we'll do that. And live action, we want to come out next summer. We can't wait. Hell yeah. And the director of Tommy Cale is the director of Hamilton.

You know, that little play that maybe a few people have seen. Just a few people seen it. I don't know who else has it. That's a good one. It was awesome, man. Yeah. Can't wait for that.

Awesome. Of all your acting co-stars, who would make the best WWE tag team partner? Oh, easy. Easy. Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart! I knew it! Philadelphia board. Philadelphia board.

Listen, every time you guys team up, it's iconic, man. Promos would be incredible. It would be the most epic. Dude, I called him one time. I called him. As a matter of fact, we're getting ready to shoot Jumanji 3 in about a month. Congratulations. Thank you. Jamm Jamm Jans have been some of my favorites.

Can't wait to work with Kev again. But, man, his nickname, I always joke. about this. His rest, Kevin Hart's wrestling nickname will be Honky Pete. Honky Pete. You gotta give us some death. How did you get honky Pete? You don't want to know, but he's just...

We did read, you're going to be working with Friends of the Show, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Martin Sarskazy on your next film. What are you guys working on? Yeah, can you tell us anything or... I can. Yeah, I'm having... Oh, yeah. I'm happy to. So it's going to be Martin Scorsese and Leo.

He was on the show. It's an amazing show, by the way. Emily Blunt as well, who will produce it with me. So this story is based off of a man by the name of Nappy Pulava. And that name won't mean much to you guys now, but Nappy Pulava, just so you guys know, is a man who lived, who's still alive. He just turned 90. He was the godfather. of all of the islands of Hawaii.

Oh, wow. So imagine, imagine Casino and Goodfellas wrapped up in Hawaii and he ruled the islands and he was, he was that guy. And I will play in that. I didn't even know that that took place on the islands. Okay. It's incredible. And the story's incredible.

Nick Bilton is writing it. He's writing it now. Scorsese has a script. We should connect with him next week. But also, I mean, for me, to work with Leo, to work again with one of my favorites, Emily, but also to work with, you know, one of the goats in Scorsese. Yeah, Scorsese. Yeah, so I'm honored to play this role, honored to work with Scorsese.

Oh, yeah, that's awesome. Hell you. I'm looking forward to that. Man, I'm already looking forward. You said, Emily, I thought when you said former co-star you thought would make a great wrestler, I thought you were going to go, Emily Blunt. That's where I thought you were going to go. She'd make a great one, too.

She's a badass. She's a force. That's right. That's right. On a scale of 1 to 10, what did you think of Jason's WrestleMania appearance? My laughing is an indication.

Very brief. It's not. It's not. You know what? I'll give it a 9.9. How about it? This guy, he's a generous man. He's a generous man.

It was cool. Out of 100. Out of 100. But you know what? Here's what I love about that. Understand that, like, in all world of pro wrestling, even though pro wrestling is global and it's publicly traded these days, the idea that a celebrity and someone who is at the top of their game, who's made it, who's just the greatest, like you, anytime anyone comes

into the world of pro wrestling, it is the greatest thing to us. It doesn't matter how big the wrestling world has become and these superstars, how big that doesn't matter. You, you, anybody. So it's always a big deal, man. And again, I grew up in the business. So it's like any kind of celebrity or champion or anybody who comes in is a special thing. You did great. Yeah.

Well, it was a complete honor for me and Lane. We actually, during the week, we didn't know what we were going to get asked to do. They were like, all right, well, we've never wrestled. We went to the monster factory down in South Jersey. got some pointers and, like, saw wrestling on that kind of tier, which was incredible. That's a classic, that's a iconic place you went. Yeah, no, we saw all the pictures on the wall, like all the wrestlers that had been through. It was special, man.

It was awesome. Did you have fun? Very honored. Oh, my God, I had a blast. I mean, they made it. They made it pretty easy. They were like, you're going to jump at this point, throw this, and then boom, boom, we're out of here. Just bring the energy.

That's all. That's it. You did. You did. That was all. What about you, Trav? What are you kind of come in? Oh, man, listen, when the opportunity presents itself, you know, I'll dive in there.

I've been dreaming about this, been working on my moves in the, in the living room for, for years, trying to, trying to get my chance. I think I'm more of an aerial act, though. I'm, I'm off, I'm off, I'm off the ropes, six five aerial, baby. That's scary. You're going to break your neck on that last, Matt, I'm telling you right now. That thing is not as, I love this shit. I'll die for this. It's like the final boss

and Travis. We've got to figure that out. Here we go here. All right. We do got to ask this last question. We ask you to all our guests, usually in whatever field. Don't really know which field to go for from here, but we'll ask you for Hollywood, I guess.

Do you have a welcome to Hollywood moment? Ooh. Oh, man. It can be good, can be bad. Yeah. Yeah. You'd be like, holy shit, I'm actually doing this. Or like, well, that was.

Yeah. Sure. Yeah. It would be, okay, the very first movie I ever did was a movie called Mummy Returns. And that was, Brendan Frazier was one of the biggest stars in the world, as he is today's legend. And I was so excited to be cast in the film, small part called The Scorpion King. Brendan, by the way. At that time, it turned into something.

Oh, okay, okay. No, it turned into, but for that, it was just in the beginning. of the movie and at the end of the movie, five minutes total in the movie. I was just so excited at the opportunity. Brendan Fraser, by the way, I always want to make mention of this. He was one of the biggest stars in the world. That was his franchise. I'm coming in.

Like, just, I've never acted before. I'm excited. He could have easily said, I don't know if I want this wrestler. He embraced me. I love that man for that. And he helped kick off my career. So, I go to, we're in the Sahara Desert, right outside of Morocco. I'm shooting the movie.

I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't shot anything, but this is before the first take. I'm in the Scorpon King outfit. I'm sick, by the way. I got like a 100 degree fever. I'm freezing. It's 110 degrees in the Sahara Desert. I'm like, my brain is spinning.

I'm wobbly. Shit. It's not the way I wanted to kick off. my acting career. Right, yeah. The director, Stephen Summers, he calls action. We do the scene. It's an action sequence.

A lot of guys, stunt guys are running and flying and doing all this stuff for me, really taking care of me. He yells, cut. Boys, when he yelled cut, I knew in that moment, I got, you know how you hear that acting bug? Oh, the acting bug. I thought that was bullshit. I didn't know what acting bug was.

He yelled cut. I went. this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Oh, my gosh. That's amazing. Holy cow. I love that. Got the acting bug right there in the middle of the desert.

Yeah, it was very cool. That's awesome story, man. Listen, we can't thank you enough. Thank you so much for coming to us. DJ, thank you so much for your time. For just you being you, man. All the, all the, you know, you are even cooler of a person than what your persona and And everything has, as you've shown the world, you're such a humble guy, such a real guy.

And I just can't say thanks enough for everything you've done for, you know, a young jabroney like myself throughout my career, man. I still remember the day I got introduced into the Super Bowl by you. And I got to see you work in that moment. And I was so just engulfed in you as a professional and you as a person. And you said, what's up to me? Like, you had known me my whole life, man. and it just made my fucking life, dude.

So thank you for doing that. And thank you for coming on and telling some stories and having some fun with us. And congrats again on the smashing machine, man. You fucking rock. Hell yeah, man. Well, look, thank you both. I appreciate it.

Jason, Trav. Thank you. Jason, I met you last year. It was an honor to meet you in Philadelphia and Trav. I think we're down in Miami, right? Yeah. When we met. So when I was doing the big intros for that game,

I remember dapping up Trab as my man. I remember thinking. This is a big motherfucker. Holy shit. Yeah, right? I was like, man. But listen, thank you guys so much. I had a blast.

And I don't get a chance to do this a lot. So, you know, just hang out and just with my boys. So thank you so much. I appreciate it. You're the man, dude. Whenever you want to do it again, dude, please. You're always welcome back anytime, man. We'll do it again.

We'll do it in person and we'll have some tequila. Be good. Hey, yo. I'm good on that. You got to throw me with a good time. All right now. Hey there, wraps up another episode of New Heights. Thank you so much to Dwayne the Rock Johnson for joining us.

Boy, is he such a good dude. I know, I mean, it's probably because he's charming, handsome, chacked. Fucking great actor. Really good at what he does. Yeah, what the fuck. Driven, motivated, and appreciative, man. He's just so humble. He's so humble and appreciative, man.

Make sure you're subscribed to the New Heights channel on YouTube and follow New Heights on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to new episodes of New Heights ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Once again,

New Heights of Wonders Show brought to you by Pelot Time. Get that exercise right there in your house, your room, your gym, your garage right there, right there whenever you need it. All the show and all social media

at New Heights Show with 1S for fun clips throughout the week. As always, thanks to our New Heights production team for putting this one together and thank you to all the 92% centers for tuning in. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we do it. Always shout out to the rock baby. DJ, you're the best, brother.