I liked The Smashing Machine. Now, I plan to watch these 10 Dwayne Johnson movies next

By Dan Girolamo Published October 4, 2025

When Dwayne Johnson left WWE for Hollywood at the beginning of the 21st century, it was deemed a huge risk due to his inexperience in acting. 25 years later, the gamble clearly paid off, as Johnson is a certified A-list star.

After years of blockbusters and franchise IP, Johnson is making an awards play in The Smashing Machine, a sports biopic about the life of MMA legend Mark Kerr. Johnson has received rave reviews for his performance, with many believing he can receive an Oscar nomination. If you liked The Smashing Machine, revisit Johnson’s filmography and watch these 10 movies.

This is the movie that changed Johnson’s career. On the run from the authorities, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) flee to Rio de Janeiro. After a job goes haywire, Dom recruits his crew to Brazil and plans to steal $100 million from drug lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).

Planning a robbery is easy compared to avoiding Luke Hobbs (Johnson), the DSS agent sent to Rio to arrest Dom. Fast Five changed the trajectory of the Fast & Furious franchise. Instead of stealing electronics, the Torettos are now pulling off international heists.

Buy or rent Fast Five on Amazon.

Because of his size and strength, The Rock is the perfect person to survive an earthquake in San Andreas. When the San Andreas fault shifts, it triggers massive earthquakes with deadly consequences. Every city on the fault will experience mass casualties. LAFD helicopter pilot Ray Gaines (Johnson) receives word that his daughter (Alexandra Daddario) is trapped in San Francisco.

Accompanied by his estranged wife (Carla Gugino), Ray embarks on a dangerous trek to find his daughter. With the fault ready to shift at any moment, one wrong move from Ray could result in failure and potentially lead to death.

Stream San Andreas on Netflix.

Before Johnson became a professional wrestler, he played defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes. In 2006, Johnson returned to the football field as a coach in Gridiron Gang. Sean Porter (Johnson) is a counselor at a juvenile detention center.

To keep kids away from drugs and gangs, he creates a football team in hopes it will give them discipline and camaraderie. The team faces significant blowback from other teams. Plus, the team isn’t any good at first. Through hard work and determination, Porter shapes his team into winners on and off the field.

Buy or rent Gridiron Gang on Amazon.

Johnson ventured into acting for the first time in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. One year later, Johnson reprised the same role one year later in The Scorpion King, his first opportunity as a lead. The prequel is set 5000 years ago in the city of Gomorrah, where the villainous Memnon (Steven Brand) rules over the local tribes. Memnon’s secret to his reign is a powerful sorceress (Kelly Hu) who can see impending attacks.

Mathayus of Akkad (Johnson) and his two allies are hired to kill the sorceress to free the tribes from persecution. While not a perfect movie, it set the stage for Johnson’s ascension in Hollywood.

Buy or rent The Scorpion King on Apple.

One of the most underrated comedies of the last 15 years is The Other Guys. Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) and Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) are two pariahs in the NYPD. Hoitz was demoted after shooting Derek Jeter. Meanwhile, Gamble enjoys life behind a desk.

When Hoitz and Gamble investigate a minor case, the duo uncovers a conspiracy with enormous consequences. It’s time for these unlikely coworkers to step up. The Other Guys is legitimately hilarious, and the early scenes with Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson are a riot.

Stream The Other Guys on Netflix.

It’s not hyperbole to say that Moana is Johnson’s most impactful role. Think about how many families have seen Moana and sung tunes like You’re Welcome. In many households, Johnson is Maui, not The Rock. The animated musical adventure follows Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho), a brave teenager who sails across the ocean in search of a mystical relic that can save her village.

Along the way, Moana encounters Maui (Johnson), a demigod who accompanies the young teen on her journey. Backed by an infectious soundtrack, Moana is a thrilling journey with a heartwarming message about identity.

Stream Moana on Disney+.

The Rundown will go down as one of Johnson’s best performances. Beck (Johnson) is a debt collector who takes one last job: find Travis Walker (Seann William Scott), the son of Beck’s employer, who is in Brazil. Beck manages to find Travis in the mining city of El Dorado.

Cornelius Hatcher (Christopher Walken), who runs the town, won’t let Travis leave because he knows the location of a priceless artifact. Now on the run from Hatcher, Beck and Travis form an unlikely alliance to find the artifact and survive the elements in this underrated buddy comedy.

Buy or rent The Rundown on Apple.

The Rock is one of the largest leading men in Hollywood. So when Johnson has to put on even more weight and muscle mass, it’s noticeable. Johnson gained over 15 pounds of muscle to play a bodybuilder in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain.

In the ’90s, Miami-based gym owner Daniel Lupo (Mark Wahlberg) recruits bodybuilder Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and ex-con Doyle (Johnson) to extort a wealthy client, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub). The trio collects Kershaw’s assets and stages his death. When Kershaw survives, the musclemen embark on more criminal activities to cover their tracks. You and I both know this can’t end well.

Buy or rent Pain & Gain on Prime Video.

Johnson combines the charisma of Bruce Willis with the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Naturally, Johnson wants to make ’80s action movies in the present. Skyscraper is a technologically advanced version of Die Hard.

After losing his leg in the Marines, Will Sawyer transitions into private security. His latest assignment is to assess the safety of “The Pearl,” a 3,500-foot skyscraper in Hong Kong. Will lives there with his family to get a better feel for the building. When terrorists hijack the building, it’s up to Will to save his family by doing the unthinkable: climbing higher, not lower, to safety.

Stream Skyscraper on Tubi.

Frankly, there could have been four Fast & Furious movies on this list. We’ll spread the wealth and only pick two. The second Fast & Furious entry to spotlight is Hobbs & Shaw, a spinoff starring Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw. Hobbs and Shaw are the odd couple — they hate each other and prefer to work alone.

When a super soldier (Idris Elba) threatens to unleash a deadly pathogen on the population, Hobbs and Shaw must swallow their pride and work together to prevent global destruction. Be prepared for a lot of insults and punches.

Stream Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw on Netflix.