Is it the end of The Final Boss in WWE?

Last week, a photo of a skinnier Rock (Dwayne Johnson) appeared on social media, and right away, wrestling fans and columnists started to get on his case for losing weight for his acting work. They accused him of steroid use over the years and claimed he needed to be more truthful about it. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t need to admit anything. If he took steroids to get as big as he did, that’s his prerogative, not yours, and he did it to entertain us.

But that’s not really what I want to talk about. I want to focus on the sudden change in Dwayne Johnson—specifically his mindset when it comes to acting—and how that will impact his wrestling career.

While promoting his new movie The Smashing Machine, The Rock pretty much said that he’s tired of being an action star and now wants to pursue more dramatic roles. That means his current look is here to stay for at least a while. It also means he can’t really be associated with WWE, not just behind the scenes but especially in front of the camera. Hollywood still looks down on pro wrestling as “lowbrow” entertainment, and for The Rock to be taken seriously as an actor, he can’t go back to WWE and wrestle or play a part on-screen.

On top of that, he’s getting rave reviews for his role in The Smashing Machine, and there’s already Oscar buzz surrounding him. That means the studio will likely invest heavily in pushing his campaign for a Best Actor nomination. So for fans hoping to see The Rock do something with Cena, Reigns, or Cody in the next seven months—forget about it. I’m sure his team, along with those backing his Oscar run, will forbid him from returning to WWE during that time.

As far as we know, The Rock’s appearance at Elimination Chamber was probably his last WWE appearance for a long while. He’s showing that he’s ready to take the next step in his movie career and see if he can truly make it as a serious actor. If the early reviews are accurate, he’s well on his way. So we’re going to see a lot more of Dwayne Johnson the actor in the next few years, and a lot less of The Rock—which I’m totally fine with. At his age, it’s now or never if he wants to become the first wrestler to win an Oscar.

So let’s say goodbye to “The Final Boss” for now, because he’s choosing Hollywood over WWE. Until he eventually returns to action and family films full-time, I don’t think we’ll be seeing him inside a WWE ring.