Big thanks to KD_Mad for submitting this..

In a similar temporary end of a relationship that took place in April, World Wrestling Entertainment and one of its three biggest stars in modern history, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, have quietly ended their business relationship after eight years. Johnson?s contract with WWE expired on 12/31, quietly. “The company and I are at an odd crossroad,” said Johnson. “It was an oddly quiet ending, without any interaction or communication from the front office or the old man (Vince). Surprising to say the least, especially after eight years.”

Johnson turned down participating in Wrestlemania this year in Los Angeles on 4/3. It is not clear whether the company came to him with the planned idea for a match with JBL for the title or not. Johnson, while on the set of the movie “Doom” in Prague the best several months, had brought with him a collection of VHS wrestling tapes to pass the time of late 70s and early 80s U.S. territorial wrestling, which had renewed his juices and made him excited to come back. He had various ideas, including an interest in doing a singles match against Sting, or be involved in some sort of new scenario.
Johnson’s deal expired roughly the same time McMahon entered back into business relationship with one of his other two biggest stars, Steve Austin, and had met with the third member of that group, Hulk Hogan, in Tampa last week at a Smackdown show. Austin’s contract expired at the end of March, and wasn’t renewed because, largely, neither man was willing to give up on a contractual point regarding McMahon giving Austin the rights to use the name “Stone Cold” in non-company endeavors that he wouldn’t have to clear with the company. Ironically, Austin point in attempting to gain usage of the name for himself was McMahon allowing Johnson to use the name “The Rock” in avenues that were not cleared through WWE. Johnson spent a few weeks back home in Florida, but is back in Prague shooting the final scenes of “Doom”, and in his free time, has still been watching his old tapes of people like the Four Horsemen, The Von Erichs as well as Austin Idol promos.