Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, John Cena And Dave Bautista: How 'Off Cycle' Wrestlers Turned Actors Are Finally Living A Healthy Life

No one smelled what The Rock was cooking until he was snapped at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of his upcoming movie The Smashing Machine. Known for his large build, Johnson looked visibly slimmer, with obvious reduction in his once towering physique. Stunned social media users speculated that the Fast & Furious star is the latest one to get hooked onto ozempic, a drug which has emerged as celebs' new, go-to weight loss shortcut.

However, there is more to the story. Speaking about his 60 lbs (nearly 27 kg) muscle loss, Johnson said that it was something he was raring to do, given the acting opportunities he believes his new, slimmed down physique can offer him. Till now, Johnson has been largely typecast as the "big dude" in the movies. Hopefully, not anymore.

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Another narrative that has been circling widely within the fitness community attributes The Rock's transformation to his "off cycle" period. He enjoyed a highly successful professional wrestling career from 1996 to 2004. The industry is infamous for pro-wrestlers using anabolic steroids or Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for muscle definition, strength and vascularity. However, continued steroid use is accompanied by side effects like adverse toll on sexual and heart health, hypertension, depression and much more. Muscle loss is one of the first and foremost signs visible in a person who goes "off-cycle".

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Albeit steroid use is considered a mainstay among professional athletes, especially pro-wrestlers, many deny it due to the stigma attached and other professional reasons. The Rock, 53, too has continuously denied using steroids to build his insane physique and further maintain it. The Rock often shares workout videos alongside motivational messages for his followers, but there is no suggestion he is using PEDs. However, its largely believed he does and now, with his transformed look and muscle loss, people are certain that he not using the "juice" anymore and has opted for a healthy lifestyle.

Something similar happened with Dave Bautista. He enjoyed a successful career in sports entertainment, much like The Rock, from early 2000s to 2019. He is now a movie star. Known as The Animal among WWE fans, Bautista stunned everyone with his slim, almost sickly, look in 2024. Inside the ring, Bautista was one of the most physically intimidating pro-wrestlers. His athletic physique got him the role of bare-chested Drax in Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise. Images and public appearances from last year, however, displayed Bautista's considerably smaller frame.

Many speculated then that Bautista, 56, was finally off steroids use. It should be noted that while muscle loss is a natural phenomenon in the 50s, the reduced time period in which the likes of The Rock and Bautista witnessed a changed physique raises eyebrows.

 John Cena, whose WWE and subsequent acting career has been similar to The Rock and Bautista, also appeared comparatively smaller during his recent WWE appearances, sparking rumours that he was not using PEDs anymore. However, Cena's muscle loss was nowhere as drastic as The Rock's and Bautista's.

Unlike the two, Cena also hinted at using steroids during his wrestling career, when he said, “The profession calls for it. Yeah, you gotta lift folks and throw them.” When pressed further by Howard Stern about his natural status, Cena reiterated, “Still. Yeah, still.”

While The Rock, Cena and Bautista's appearances may look unhealthy or "sickly" to some, it signals somewhere that they have opted for a healthier and presumably drugs-free lifestyle.