Dwayne Johnson Gets Candid About Returning to the Wrestling Ring at 52: ‘It’s Incredibly Hard’ (Exclusive)

Dwayne Johnson headed back to a WWE wrestling ring for the first time in 11 years for WrestleMania 40 this past April — but his body doesn’t quite respond the same way it did a decade ago.

“It’s incredibly hard,” Johnson, 52, tells PEOPLE on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the opening of Cirque du Soleil ‘Auana in Honolulu. “The training becomes really extensive, and the training camp becomes extensive.”

“So, I went [to] training camp for WrestleMania, which was about an eight- to nine-week training camp,” he adds. “It’s really fast, and fortunately, I was able to get through it all.”

There’s speculation, often times fueled by Johnson, that he may return to the ring again — likely for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas next year.

On Tuesday, Johnson was celebrating Polynesian and Hawaiian culture while attending the premiere of Cirque du Soleil ‘Auana at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel in Hawaii, the state in which he lived during high school.

The actor attended the opening with his 9-year-old daughter Jasmine. He is also dad to daughters Simone Johnson, 23, and Tiana, 6.

“I think this particular Cirque du Soleil, we’ll call it the aloha, the mana style Cirque du Soleil, is going to be special,” he says. “It’s good to be back home during this time and bring the little one here, too.”

Moana 2 is in theaters now, while Red One is streaming on Prime Video.