Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson praised for delivering passionate opening speech at Super Bowl LVI

vt-author-image

By Carina Murphy

Article saved!Article saved!

Sunday night's Super Bowl LVI was full of dramatic moments and iconic surprises.

One of the most talked-about moments from the sporting event happened before kick-off, when Dwayne Johnson electrified California's SoFi arena with a booming opening speech.

Putting on the voice and personality of his legendary wrestling alter ego The Rock, Johnson stood on the 50-yard line and introduced the showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.

"Finally, the Super Bowl has come back to Los Angeles!" the 49-year-old star announced to cheering from the audience.

Johnson then introduced the hometown team, saying: "It is time, time for a team to unleash a soul-crushing, unrelenting defense, a head-spinning onslaught of an offense, and take care of unfinished business."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the champions of the NFC, your Los Angeles Rams!" he cried as the crowd cheered.

He then moved on to introduce the Bengals as "a team that has risen from the ashes to become one of the most feared, dominant electrifying teams in the NFL," adding it was "time to give their city their first Super Bowl win in franchise history."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the champions of the AFC, your Cincinnati Bengals!" Johnson announced to more cheers.

The Rock then concluded his dramatic speech, saying: "It is time for all of us here and millions around the world to bear witness to these incredible players who will leave every ounce of sweat, guts and pride and legacy on this hallowed field because that is what champions do - ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to say, finally, it is time for the Super Bowl!"

Before his days as a wrestler, the Red Notice star played college football at the University of Miami and dreamed of a career in the NFL, Daily Mail reports.

But despite injuries forcing him to go in a different direction, the actor has still received enormous praise for his performance on the pitch on Super Bowl Sunday.

"The most electrifying man in entertainment," one person tweeted about Johnson, alongside clapping hand emojis.

"You can’t match Rock’s sauce. What a Super-Star," added another.

"If you like the NFL or not, there is no way this doesn’t give you goosebumps. What a man," a third wrote.

Featured Image Credit:  UPI / Alamy