The Rock Brought Back His Most Iconic WWE Look for GQ’s Men of the Year Party 2024
StyleOn the most electrifying red carpet of the year, the GQ cover star let his biceps do the talking.By Yang-Yi GohNovember 15, 2024Olivia WongSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.FINALLY… the ROCK… has COME BACK… to GQ’s MEN OF THE YEAR PARTY.Perhaps you’ve heard: Dwayne Johnson is back on the cover of GQ for the first time since 2017. That honor also meant that the Most Electrifying Man in Alllll of Entertainment made his long-awaited return to the Most Electrifying Red Carpet in Alllll of Men’s Fashion at our annual Men of the Year bash in Los Angeles last night. The last time Johnson swung by a MOTY party, all the way back in 2005, he pulled up in a very smart, GQ-approved blazer-and-jeans combo. But the 2024 edition’s American Rodeo theme allowed The Rock to indulge in a look familiar to anyone who’s ever seen him dominating the squared circle in WWE.The Rock in his WWE prime at the 2000 MTV VMAs. Steve Azzara/Getty ImagesThe Great One's vests were so iconic, one even made an appearance on his Madame Tussauds wax figure. Arnaldo Magnani/Getty ImagesBack in his full-time rasslin’ days, in addition to his oversized shades and that awe-inspiring raised eyebrow, the People’s Champ was never far from a brash, badass, bicep-enhancing vest. There were plenty of slick leather versions, similar to the one he sported last night, of course—a longtime wrestling staple, favored by stars from Razor Ramon to Rock’s all-time nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin to present-day torchbearer LA Knight. But Johnson was perhaps best known for vests of a freakier flavor: cowhide spins and gold lamé joints that, in addition to his wide array of silky Versace blouses, helped establish him as the most bombastic, exhilarating, jabroni-destroying force of his generation. It’s no surprise that when The Rock returned to WWE as the villainous “Final Boss” ahead of Wrestlemania 40 earlier this year, he did so in a series of increasingly nutty Versace-esque vests, smashing together his two most iconic looks.Back in the ring—and in a vest—on Monday Night Raw in April. WWE/Getty ImagesAt MOTY last night, Johnson kept things a teensy bit more restrained to meet the evening’s Hollywood Western dress code: wide-brimmed black cowboy hat, those familiar tinted sunglasses, a couple of flashy necklaces and an even flashier watch, black jeans and boots, and the aforementioned leather vest (rather demurely buttoned all the way up, for once). He looked as ready to lay the smackdown as ever. The vest, jeans, and boots all came courtesy of the Western wear brand Cody James, according to Johnson's stylist Ilaria Urbinati.On the carpet at GQ's 2024 Men of the Year party. Variety/Getty Images“You’re not wearing sleeves,” co-host Chris Black noted to Johnson during GQ’s Men of the Year livestream. “Was that a big decision? I feel like you don’t wear sleeves that often.”“I do wear sleeves, but I figured the lighting was going to be good,” the Red One star quipped. That’s charming, Dwayne, but we both know there’s no lighting on earth that could ever make those marble columns you call arms look bad.Read MoreDwayne Johnson Became the World’s Biggest Movie Star. Now He’s Trying to Disappear.It’s hard for Dwayne Johnson to hide. Wherever he goes, there he is—as conspicuous out in the world as he is on the silver screen. But after two decades of playing a version of himself in huge movies, suddenly he is ready to do something entirely new: vanish.By Zach Baron
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
FINALLY… the ROCK… has COME BACK… to GQ’s MEN OF THE YEAR PARTY.
Perhaps you’ve heard: Dwayne Johnson is back on the cover of GQ for the first time since 2017. That honor also meant that the Most Electrifying Man in Alllll of Entertainment made his long-awaited return to the Most Electrifying Red Carpet in Alllll of Men’s Fashion at our annual Men of the Year bash in Los Angeles last night. The last time Johnson swung by a MOTY party, all the way back in 2005, he pulled up in a very smart, GQ-approved blazer-and-jeans combo. But the 2024 edition’s American Rodeo theme allowed The Rock to indulge in a look familiar to anyone who’s ever seen him dominating the squared circle in WWE.
Back in his full-time rasslin’ days, in addition to his oversized shades and that awe-inspiring raised eyebrow, the People’s Champ was never far from a brash, badass, bicep-enhancing vest. There were plenty of slick leather versions, similar to the one he sported last night, of course—a longtime wrestling staple, favored by stars from Razor Ramon to Rock’s all-time nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin to present-day torchbearer LA Knight. But Johnson was perhaps best known for vests of a freakier flavor: cowhide spins and gold lamé joints that, in addition to his wide array of silky Versace blouses, helped establish him as the most bombastic, exhilarating, jabroni-destroying force of his generation. It’s no surprise that when The Rock returned to WWE as the villainous “Final Boss” ahead of Wrestlemania 40 earlier this year, he did so in a series of increasingly nutty Versace-esque vests, smashing together his two most iconic looks.
At MOTY last night, Johnson kept things a teensy bit more restrained to meet the evening’s Hollywood Western dress code: wide-brimmed black cowboy hat, those familiar tinted sunglasses, a couple of flashy necklaces and an even flashier watch, black jeans and boots, and the aforementioned leather vest (rather demurely buttoned all the way up, for once). He looked as ready to lay the smackdown as ever. The vest, jeans, and boots all came courtesy of the Western wear brand Cody James, according to Johnson's stylist Ilaria Urbinati.
“You’re not wearing sleeves,” co-host Chris Black noted to Johnson during GQ’s Men of the Year livestream. “Was that a big decision? I feel like you don’t wear sleeves that often.”
“I do wear sleeves, but I figured the lighting was going to be good,” the Red One star quipped. That’s charming, Dwayne, but we both know there’s no lighting on earth that could ever make those marble columns you call arms look bad.
It’s hard for Dwayne Johnson to hide. Wherever he goes, there he is—as conspicuous out in the world as he is on the silver screen. But after two decades of playing a version of himself in huge movies, suddenly he is ready to do something entirely new: vanish.
