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It all began with a shared respectful nod between two powerful figures at a Santa Monica Gold’s Gym in the summer of 1997. Former Olympic wrestling hopeful Mark Kerr was preparing for his debut Ultimate Fighting Championship bout, after his commanding performance in a three-fight, one-night tournament in Brazil just two months earlier. Dwayne “Rocky Maivia” Johnson, a ex- NFL prospect benched with a knee injury sustained during his sophomore year with the WWE, came up to him.

“Can I take you to lunch?” Johnson inquired Kerr, who agreed to meet at the Firehouse restaurant in Santa Monica. Their conversation inevitably turned to mixed martial arts, as Johnson bombarded the 1992 NCAA champion with specific questions about the unregulated sport. MMA was growing in popularity in Japan, where several promotions hired pro wrestlers for “crossover” fights.

“How’s this organization to work for? Are the payments reliable and timely? What does the schedule look like? I sensed from his questions that he was deeply considering his options,” recalled Kerr, age 29 at the time. “I asked him why he’d depart from the WWE, which appeared far more of a secure choice than competing. When he informed me he was losing out financially on the road, traveling 250 days a year for $150,000, I got it.”

The pair swapped numbers and went their separate ways, two ships passing in the night. Kerr defected from the UFC to Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships the next year for paydays topping $200,000, while the babyface “Maivia” went back to the WWE and turned heel, thanks to Vince McMahon. “The Rock” appeared soon after and the eyebrow-raising Johnson’s career quickly fell into line.

The Rise and Fall of a Titleholder

Between 1997 and 2000, Kerr was the No 1 MMA heavyweight in the world. His record climbed to 11-0, but it was a feverish pace no athlete could maintain for long. Kerr was well-acquainted to drugs; a trainer had introduced him to steroids in his initial fights. Now, Kerr required relief from decades of cumulative pain to enhance his endurance for Pride’s grueling 10-minute rounds. Kerr had torn cartilage in his ribcage that pained him with every breath.

“There was always an abundance of doctors [in Arizona] who’d prescribe me opioids,” Kerr remarked, “and if one refused, I’d just find the next.”

Kerr was addicted to Vicodin in a short time, a missed dose creating anxiety, abdominal pain and fatigue. Being no novice to intravenous drugging, popping pills soon turned into shooting liquid directly into his veins. Kerr concealed his Nubain and morphine supply in the guest bathroom out of sight from his girlfriend, Dawn. He injected every morning, sometimes rousing hours later slumped over the toilet when he’d dosed too much.

Mark Kerr, on the right, fights Moti Horenstein during UFC 14 at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, on 27 July 1997.

A camera crew captured this period on film, which became the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine. By then, Kerr’s MMA career was over. When he met Johnson a second time in 2003, it was a reversal of fortune. “The Rock”, having been put over by Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania XVIII the year before, was a bona fide superstar with two feature films under his belt. Johnson raved to Kerr about the documentary, as the MMA fighter worried over his decision to reveal his troubled side. Kerr hadn’t been presented with a fight in over two years. He was not an intravenous user, but alcoholism had become Kerr’s constant struggle; he could consume four bottles of red wine in one session. By the time another Pride offer came around, Kerr was nowhere near fighting shape. On the sport’s biggest stage, he lost consciousness seconds into the contest with, ironically, an ill-timed takedown that sent his head driving into the canvas.

Life Challenges and Fresh Starts

Kerr wed Dawn and they had a son, Bryce, in 2004. Their marriage remained volatile for years, as Kerr juggled drinking and the occasional personal-training job between fights. After his final defeat in 2009, Kerr had little option but to call it a day. A damaged former champion was of little value to fight promoters. Kerr switched to car salesman, but dreaded getting recognized by potential buyers.

“I could always tell when someone noticed me, even if they didn’t mention it,” commented Kerr. “They consistently got the same look on their face, as if to say, ‘What happened to you?’”

Meanwhile, in 2009, Johnson landed yet another lead part in Return to Witch Mountain, his 11th film. Soon, Dwayne Johnson, minus “the Rock,” would become a household name.

As Johnson’s path ascended over the next decade, Kerr’s plummeted. There was frequent career changes and three stints in rehab. Dawn separated from him, but their unstable relationship continued as they tried to co-parent their son. Finally, it was the 14-year-old Bryce’s request that stopped Kerr’s downward spiral in September 2018.

“It was the anniversary of my mother’s death and Bryce said he knew today was a difficult day for me, but asked if I could quit drinking the day after,” explained Kerr. “How could I not heed his words?”

A Second Chance and Hollywood Attention

Kerr was 10 months clean when Brad Slater, Johnson’s long-term agent, rang about securing the MMA trailblazer’s life rights. The call was totally unexpected. Kerr and Johnson hadn’t spoken in 12 years, and Johnson, the movie star, now had more influence over the roles he chose. Johnson had always remembered about Kerr’s documentary and privately had wished he’d get to play the rugged, yet sensitive fighter.

Hiram Garcia, David Koplan, Mark Kerr, Dwayne Johnson, Benny Safdie, Emily Blunt and Andrea Romeo attend the red carpet of the movie The Smashing Machine at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Johnson announced the film at a UFC press conference in September 2019. His Seven Bucks Productions would be leading the project, with filmmaker Benny Safdie its rudder. Safdie set to work adapting the documentary into a screenplay, mining Kerr for extra scenes to develop Mark and Dawn’s relationship.

“When the pandemic struck in March 2020, I thought it was over for the film,” said Kerr, who’d resigned himself to a quiet Arizona life. “If it was destined, it would all fall into place.”

In recovery, Kerr reconnected with a gym friend named Franci. They began dating during the pandemic and would marry on New Year’s Eve 2023.

During the pandemic, Kerr didn’t hear a word from Johnson, Safdie or Seven Bucks, but sometime during the 57-day shoot for Oppenheimer, Safdie persuaded co-star Emily Blunt to watch the documentary. Blunt, a long-standing friend of Johnson’s, immediately called her Jungle Cruise co-star, telling him the time was now to get the film done. Blunt agreed to play Kerr’s girlfriend, Dawn, and the project gained momentum.

Kerr received another call from Slater in September 2023, but this time there was a starting date that spring. Kerr toured the Vancouver film set that April and filming began that May. Per Johnson’s request, Kerr didn’t visit the set during shooting.

“DJ had never played a living person before and I honored that approach,” said Kerr. “I’m glad I stayed away. When my son saw the film, he couldn’t believe how DJ got down my [softer] speech and mannerisms. My own son!”

Indeed, Johnson’s turn as Kerr is believable, especially for those that are familiar with the retired fighter. Johnson received a 16-minute applause for the film at the Venice Film Festival, while the creative Safdie took home its prestigious director’s prize.

For the 56-year-old Kerr, it’s a new opportunity at fame, however temporary that might be. Johnson has been insistent that Kerr be at his side for most of the film’s promotional tour.

“It’s amazing that a small decision I made decades ago, to keep the [documentary] cameras rolling while my life crashed and burned, grew into all this,” expressed Kerr, who plans to write a book next. “I couldn’t be more pleased with how this all concluded and I can honestly say that I’ve made friends for life from it.”