Rock revival part of master plan.

Nearly nine years after Dwayne Johnson left WWE and retired "the Rock" name to make movies, the former wrestler is bucking the conventional trajectory for thesps by returning to the ring just as his film career is hitting new heights.

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Johnson's co-starring role in last year's "Fast Five" helped make the actioner the top-grossing entry in Universal's "Fast and the Furious" franchise. He headlines New Line's "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," which has outgrossed "Journey to the Center of the Earth" since its release last month, opening doors for a third. This summer, Johnson takes over Paramount's "G.I. Joe." And he just signed to star in Brett Ratner's "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," which Johnson shoots after wrapping Michael Bay's comedy "Pain and Gain," Dito Montiel's heist pic "Empire State" and "Fast Six."

All of this comes as WWE is celebrating the return of the Rock, Johnson's grappler alter ego. Johnson headlines the main match at "WrestleMania 28," in Miami, on Sunday--a homecoming that both the company and Johnson have …