Before Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was famous for his professional wrestling career, and few would argue that his greatest skills came on the microphone. The Brahma Bull had a catalog of catchphrases that he would use to verbally layeth the smacketh down on his opponents before squaring off with them inside the squared circle. While some of those sayings stood the test of time, others proved to be one-offs.
Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, late night host Conan O’Brien laid claim to being the inspiration for one of The Rock’s odd phrases.
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“One of my proudest moments in comedy is I used to screw around with the writers a lot,” O’Brien said. “I’d come into the room and I’d be like, ‘Quiet down, you idiots!’ And I would go on these long rants. One of my put-downs that I came up with that was so stupid but I liked it was if a writer said something that I didn’t like, I’d say, ‘Why don’t you go have a nice tall glass of shut-up juice, alright?’”
It just so happened that someone in the room where it happened was Tommy Blacha, who worked as a WWE Creative Director in 1999.
“Tommy liked it, and Tommy said watch the match this weekend,” O’Brien continued. “And it was The Rock. The crowd went crazy. Then the next week, Tommy said check this out so I tune in that match, people are holding up signs that say drink some shut-up juice. Tommy was apologizing and I said, ‘What are you talking about? Dwayne The Rock Johnson just said it.’ I was in heaven.”
That “shut-up juice” proved to be a limited time beverage, as The Rock regularly opts to serve his opponents whatever he is cooking. Someone who could be in store for a People’s Champion-style meal is Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, as he has been rumored to go one on one with The Great One for years now.
Regardless of whether that match goes down or not, Rock stays watching his family in the WWE.
“I think those guys are doing a great job and I think, what an interesting shift that the company has gone through this year, unexpected in many ways,” The Rock said. “But when unexpectations happen in that kind of way, form, and fashion, especially in that business, you’ve got to have the ability and the agility to pivot, which they have. So with Roman, I think he’s doing a pretty good job and the boys, too, The Usos as well.”
