The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson, hit theaters on October 3. Despite earning praise from critics during premieres at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, the biographical sports drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr seems to have fallen flat commercially. Despite that, Johnson has been all over the headlines for his portrayal of Kerr. However, this time, it’s not because of the movie.

Johnson recently appeared in an interview with former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. Although the entire interview hasn’t been published at the time of writing, Happy Punch somehow got its hands on the opening portion of the interview, featuring Johnson and du Plessis. This clip quickly went viral on social media, thanks to the WWE star’s hilarious reaction to realizing who was on the opposite end of the questions. 

Dwayne Johnson recognizes Dricus du Plessis

Earlier today, Happy Punch shared the clip with the caption, “The Rock’s face when he realized he was being interviewed by Dricus du Plessis 🤣.” The video begins with ‘The Rock’ greeting du Plessis, seemingly unaware of who he was. “Hey, buddy, how are you?” Johnson said warmly. Unaware of the mix-up, du Plessis enthusiastically replied, “I’m great, an absolute pleasure. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the man, the myth, the legend.”

He continued, “So amazing to meet you and to be able to do this with you. This is a first for me, but I’m very excited for this.” As the interview began, du Plessis mentioned, “As you know, I fight in the UFC…” before Dwayne Johnson suddenly paused, realizing the situation. “Hold on a second,” Johnson said, raising his hand. “Holy s—t, I didn’t know it was you. I thought for a second. Wait, is that the champ?”

“Wait, what? Oh, okay. No, I was like god damn he looks just like the — and then it’s like s—t, no…,” Johnson, still in shock, turned to his team for explanation. “Such a tremendous job, man, all of your fights…” Johnson continued as the clip ended. Despite the wholesome exchange, many fans weren’t convinced Johnson actually knew du Plessis’ name, even after recognizing him from the UFC.

Does ‘The Rock’ know du Plessis’ name?

As one might guess, the clip quickly drew reactions from thousands of people. One user wasn’t convinced Johnson knew du Plessis’ name. “Rock still doesn’t know his name, and he thought he was being slick, but he didn’t cover it well at all 😂,” the user commented. The South African is coming off a tough loss to Khamzat Chimaev at a major event (UFC 319), likely the last time Johnson may have seen him in action.

Even the next user felt the same way. “The look he gave his team after he found out 😭😭😭 & he still didn’t know his name,” the user wrote. Johnson not mentioning du Plessis’ name during the interview, even after realizing who he was, didn’t exactly help his case.

Another user dared Johnson to say du Plessis’ name. “‘Is that the champ???’ Say his name if u acc know it 🤣🤣 bro does not know DDP 🥀,” the user commented. Well, fans will have to wait for the interview to come out to know whether ‘The Rock’ really knows du Plessis’ name. 

Someone else continued accusing Johnson of the same thing. “Bro doesn’t know who tf he is 😭😭😭,” the user commented. This is especially a bad look for Johnson because he just got done making a movie about an MMA fighter. 

Meanwhile, this user suggested the South African fighter should capitalize on the moment and change his nickname. “Dricus ‘remember the name’ Plessis,” the user wrote in a clear reference to former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. This wouldn’t be the worst idea, considering du Plessis will have to start from the ground up after his loss to Khamzat Chimaev. 

So, did Dwayne Johnson remember Dricus du Plessis’ name? Well, you be the judge of that. These fans don’t seem to think so. What did you make of their exchange?