Chael Sonnen has made up for Dwayne Johnson and John Cera not being part of his grappling event next week by filming a recreation of their famous rivalry in his garage gym, featuring his son acrobatically taking down The Rock.
Within months of his son being able to walk, MMA veteran Sonnen had jokingly challenged former nemesis Anderson Silva to help arrange a fight between their two boys.
Now four-year-old Thero has accompanied his famous father in a recreation of the fierce rivalry between wrestling icons The Rock and John Cena, who traded the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania events during an epic two-year feud that effectively ended The Rock’s regular appearances as a wrestler.
Ahead of his Submission Underground grappling show later this month, which stands alongside WWE as one of the few sporting spectacles continuing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonnen can be seen acting as the ring announcer, holding an inflated miniature version of The Rock in one hand.
Rock Vs Cena may not be Willamina for SUG next week, but they are in my garage right now.
Roaring a version of the superstar’s catchphrase, “If you smell what The Rock is cooking,” Sonnen is interrupted by his son, acting as Cena and leaping into a soft pit to take down the blow-up imitation of Johnson in mid-air.
Cena and The Rock took part in the highest-grossing pay-per-view event in professional wrestling history at the time when they met at WrestleMania XXVIII in April 2012.
While both have increasingly branched out into other pursuits in recent years, including appearances in The Fast and the Furious films, The Rock was in the ring as recently as last year and Cena took part in Wrestlemania XXXVI earlier this month.
Sonnen’s promotion of his stacked event in the city of Willamina next Sunday, which has so far escaped the succession of withdrawals and logistical barriers that saw UFC 249 canceled last week, has continued unabated as the show date approaches.
Austin Vanderford, whose naked photoshoots with wife and fellow UFC star Paige VanZant have entertained and irritated fans in equal measure during the lockdown imposed across the US, is among the fighters taking part, following on from a card that went ahead without fans on March 29.
Submission Underground’s social media has frequently poked fun at the quarantine measures that have seen almost all other sporting events in the US canceled in recent weeks, posting memes and spoof images featuring President Donald Trump and UFC President Dana White.
Once again, April 26th! #SUG13 on @ufcfightpass Reposted from @mma.storytime Chael Sonnen for President 2024!! – #regrann
“I keep hearing there are no sports in the world,” Sonnen announced in another film with his son on April Fool’s Day, before showing Thero racing toy cars along a makeshift track inside their home.
One follower called the clip inside the garage “the most wholesome clickbait I’ve ever seen”, although fans have continued to question the decision to keep hosting events at a time when thousands are dying during a public health crisis.
“You guys are being very irresponsible and history will show you made a bad move,” wrote one, while others were grateful to see the action going ahead, arguing that Sonnen would ensure the necessary precautions were taken.
Speaking ahead of his March show, a determined Sonnen told UFC.com: “A deal is a deal. We said we were moving forward and there are a lot of people involved with this.
“People who have trained, people who have goals, people who, in all fairness, need to make a living.
“Not just the athletes, either; we’re talking production and everything. There are just a lot of dominoes and if you say you’re going to do something in this space, you do it.”
