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The Rock

 
Who2 Biography: The Rock, Wrestler / Athlete / Actor
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The Rock
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  • Born: 2 May 1972
  • Birthplace: Hayward, California
  • Best Known As: Professional wrestling heavyweight and star of Gridiron Gang

Name at birth: Dwayne Johnson

Burly, snarly and yet lovable, The Rock turned his pro wrestling popularity into a budding acting career with a starring role in The Scorpion King in 2002. The son of pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, he attended the University of Miami on a football scholarship. After a back injury cut short a career in the Canadian Football League, Johnson went into the family business. Early in his pro wrestling days he played off his Samoan heritage with stage names like Flex Kavana and Rocky Maivia, before settling on simply "The Rock." A giant of a man with chiseled features, he played both hero and heel before finally growing into a crowd favorite; by 2000 he had become the WWE's undisputed heavyweight star. He took the opportunity to jump into acting, where his Schwarzenegger-like physique won him a small part in The Mummy Returns (2001, with Brendan Fraser). He was rewarded with the lead in the spinoff film The Scorpion King the next year. A bona fide leading man and action hero, he has appeared in Walking Tall (2004), Doom (2005) and Gridiron Gang (2006). Johnson also turned in a terrific comedic performance in the John Travolta flop Be Cool (2005), and starred as a befuddled dad in the family comedy The Game Plan (2007, billed as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).

According to his official site, The Rock stands 6'5" and weighs 255 pounds... He played one year with the Calgary Stampede of the Canadian Football League... "If you smell what the Rock is cooking..." (i.e., "if you get my drift") is his signature interjection from the wrestling ring... His heritage is Samoan on his mother's side, African-American on his father's side... His maternal grandfather, Chief Peter Maivia, also was a professional wrestler.

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Black Biography: The Rock
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professional wrestler; actor

Personal Information

Born Dwayne Douglas Johnson on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, CA; son of Rocky Johnson and Ata (Maivia) Johnson; married Dany Garcia (a financial services executive), 1997.
Education: University of Miami.

Career

Professional wrestler, actor. Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders, practice team, 1995; signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), 1996, debuted Rocky Maivia, 1996, debuted as The Rock on August 11, 1997; television appearances: DAG, Star Trek: Voyager, That '70s Show; film roles: The Mummy Returns, 2001; The Scorpion King; autobiography, The Rock Says...The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, 2000.

Life's Work

Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, is the youngest champion in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) history. Johnson is of Samoan and African-American descent, and his exotic looks--and impressive physique--have helped make him one of the top-earning personalities in his field. His 2000 autobiography, The Rock Says...The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, spent five months on the New York Times best-seller list, and the following year, Johnson made his feature-film debut in The Mummy Returns.

Johnson was literally born into the world of professional wrestling. His mother, Ata, was the daughter of Peter "High Chief" Maivia, a professional wrestler of Samoan descent who wore traditional South Pacific garb in the ring, wrestled barefoot, and intimidated his opponents with his tribal tattoos. Johnson's parents met when Maivia invited a young black wrestler, Rocky Johnson, to stay overnight at his home after a match. A former boxer, The Rock's father was the first African-American to win wrestling championships in Georgia and Texas when it was still a regional sport with no nationally recognized stars. Rocky Johnson was a formidable opponent in the ring, but refused to participate in some of the racist antics that occurred during this era of the sport. Other black wrestlers perpetuated stereotypes, bragging about their abilities in exaggerated slang or even eating watermelon for the television cameras. "My father wouldn't do that," Johnson wrote in his autobiography, The Rock Says. "He was the first black wrestler to insist on being very intelligent in front of the camera."

Dreamed of NFL Career

Johnson was born in 1972 in Hayward, California, but moved several times during his youth because of his father's career. He attended schools in Hawaii, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, but was often teased by classmates because of his size and his father's career. Neither deterred him from an early passion for wrestling. "I was fascinated by the business," he recalled in his memoir. "I loved everything about it: the violence, the theatricality, the athleticism, the volume." Johnson began weight lifting as a teenager, and by his senior year was a standout football star at his Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, high school. He was even named to USA Today's All-American team during his senior year, and had his choice of college athletic scholarships. He chose the University of Miami, where he played defensive tackle. The team, however, had a reputation for both playing rough and openly deriding their opponents. Once, a notorious brawl at a game against San Diego State cleared the bench, and footage of Johnson tearing across the field after the opponent's mascot, a man in a giant Aztec warrior costume, was replayed on news broadcasts around the country that night. The incident led the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to impose heavy fines on players who leave the bench to participate in a fight.

Johnson hoped for a career in the National Football League (NFL), but injured his back and played poorly during his senior year. He was passed over in the NFL draft that year, but was offered an opportunity with the Canadian Football League (CFL) instead. In 1995, he became a practice player for the Calgary Stampeders franchise, and survived for months on a meager salary of $175 a week. At 6'4" and well over 250 pounds, Johnson had a hard time just keeping himself fed on his wages. As he recalled in his autobiography, he often showed up at Stampeder meetings when he knew submarine sandwiches would be served, though the practices players were not required to attend. This abysmal phase of his career came to an end when Stampeders management released him from his contract to make way for a former NFL player.

"Flex Kavana" Era

Johnson returned to Miami, where his college girlfriend, Dany Garcia, lived, and called his father, who also lived in Florida. He asked his father to begin training him for a career in professional wrestling, to which Rocky Johnson agreed, though not without some trepidation. For the next few months, as Johnson perfected the various locks, flips, and falls that make up professional wrestling's repertoire of moves, he earned money as a personal trainer at a fitness club. With help from a former colleague of his grandfather's, he secured a tryout match for the WWF in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was paired against Steve Lombardi, whose ring name was the Brooklyn Brawler, and won the eight-minute bout in a predetermined decision, along with a contract with the WWF. First, however, Johnson was sent to Memphis to compete in the WWF's second-tier system, the United States Wrestling Alliance. He wrestled in promotional matches under the name Flex Kavana, earning $40 a night during the summer of 1996.

In August of that year, Johnson was given another tryout, this time against a well-known wrestler--Owen Hart, whose accidental death in 1999 devastated Johnson--and two weeks later received a phone call summoning him to WWF headquarters and training facilities in Connecticut. Elated, Johnson packed his apartment and drove away within an hour of receiving the news. He made his official WWF debut, as Rocky Maivia, at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1996 in its "Survivor Series," entering the ring as a "babyface," or, in wrestling parlance, good guy. But this was a much different era compared to his grandfather's or even his father's day: the WWF had consolidated all the regional federations and, with live spectacles that attracted sellout crowds and savvy marketing strategies, had made pro wrestling a multimillion-dollar business. Moreover, wrestlers now admitted that their moves are choreographed, and the outcomes predetermined, a fact which had been a taboo topic before the 1980s.

The People's Champion

Johnson won his first WWF championship in February of 1997--making him, at 24, the youngest ever to win a belt. But his prowess did not make him a favorite with live audiences, who had become far more aggressive during the 1990s and liked to boo "Rocky." After a knee injury forced him to take a few months off, Johnson strategized with WWF writers to revamp his ring persona. The Rock debuted on August 11, 1997, in a Jackson, Mississippi event, and was introduced as an ally of the Nation of Domination, a coalition of "heel" (bad-guy) wrestlers which drew upon Black Panther history for inspiration. Through more plot twists, The Rock regained or lost the WWF title several more times.

The WWF writers devised storylines for The Rock and his foes such as Triple H, a wrestler named Paul Leveque, and pitted them in battles with WWF executives in the McMahon family as well. Johnson, responsible for fleshing out the character further through dialogue, kept a notebook with him in order to jot down ideas and new putdowns as they come to him. As a heel, The Rock arrogantly browbeat his opponents outside of the ring before the cameras. "The character of The Rock is perpetually defiant, perpetually talking or glaring," observed Miami Herald writer Peter Whoriskey, "and calls himself 'The People's Champion,' a moniker that has nearly unlimited spinoffs. There is 'The People's Eyebrow,' a trademark gesture in which he lifts one indignant and threatening eyebrow. 'The People's Elbow' is a basic flying elbow move that Johnson dresses up by tossing his elbow pad into the crowd, waving his arms dramatically, and bouncing off the ropes a few times before delivering the blow." Johnson himself believes The Rock's over-the-top persona appeals to many: "There are a lot of people who live vicariously through the WWF characters--like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin," he told the Miami Herald. "What I think some of them want is to be able to put people down--like their bosses--and then get away with it."

A Multimedia Star

Johnson's success and name recognition as a pro wrestler rivaled that of Hulk Hogan during the 1980s. He was only the second wrestler in the history of Saturday Night Live to host the show--Hogan was the first--and even appeared on the cover of Newsweek. He gained further fame with the success of his 2000 autobiography, coauthored with Joe Layden. The Rock Says spent 20 weeks on New York Times best-seller list, and attracted the attention of Hollywood producers. Johnson's performance as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001) led to an offer to reprise the role in a prequel, The Scorpion King.

In the summer of 2000, Johnson spoke before the Republican National Convention. He talked about the need for voter registration, noting that "fourteen million eligible voters watch The Rock every single week," according to the New York Times, and then introduced Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and former wrestling coach J. Dennis Hastert to the delegates. At the end of the year, Johnson was named one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2000." He asserted, however, that he harbored no desire to enter politics himself, as one former wrestler, Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, had done. As Johnson told St. Petersburg Times writer Jim Varsallone, his experience at the convention and the contested presidential election later that year made him far more interested in politics, but from a distance. "[Q]uite frankly I follow it closely now, but as far as running for any type of office, I think I'll leave that to the politicians," Johnson told the paper. "I think I'm too outspoken at times, and I might get myself in trouble."

Works

Selected writings

  • (With Joe Layden) The Rock Says...The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, Regan Books, 2000.

Further Reading

Periodicals

  • Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), March 23, 2000, p. 26.
  • Miami Herald, February 13, 2000, p. 1M; March 4, 2000, p. 1B.
  • New York Times, August 6, 2000.
  • People, November 15, 1999, p. 84; December 25, 2000, p. 94.
  • Scholastic Action, March 6, 2000, p. 4.
  • St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL), January 1, 2001, p. 4D.
  • Wrestling Digest, August 2000, p. 11; December 2000, p. 24.
Other
  • Additional material was obtained online at http://www.imdb.com.

— Carol Brennan

Actor: The Rock
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: May 02, 1972 in Hayward, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: 2000s
  • Major Genres: Sports & Recreation, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Gridiron Gang, The Rundown, The Game Plan
  • First Major Screen Credit: Saturday Night Live: The Rock (2000)

Biography

If you can smell what the Rock is cookin' then you're no doubt familiar with superstar wrestler Dwayne Johnson's swaggeringly cocky alter ego. With his trademark right eyebrow raised and a penchant for implementing the patented "People's Elbow" to unwary opponents, the self-proclaimed "Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment" slammed, crashed, and crushed his way to becoming the youngest Intercontinental Champion in WWF history at the age of 24 before winning the WWF title record six times. After conquering the world of sports-entertainment, Johnson next set his sights on conquering Hollywood.

Hailing from Miami, FL, Johnson became a third-generation wrestler after shifting from a career in professional football to professional wrestling when an injury sidelined his gridiron aspirations. After flexing his acting muscles on television in Saturday Night Live, That '70s Show (in which he played his own father), and The Net, the Rock made his feature debut with his role as the dreaded Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001). Returning as the same character the following year in the appropriately titled The Scorpion King, Johnson did little to enhance his reputation of a trained thespian, though he did get the summer film season off to a rousing start for audiences hungering for some energetic escapist fun. Recalling John Milius' 1982 hit Conan the Barbarian (another film that launched the cinematic action career of a then-little-known athlete named Arnold Schwarzenegger), the sword-and-sandal adventure raked in 36 million dollars on its opening weekend and stayed at the top of the box office in the weeks following its impressive debut.

Though he would return to the ring for the remainder of 2002, it didn't take The Rock long to soften on the prospect of a return to the silver screen -- and with the following year's The Rundown, he did just that. Cast as a bounty hunter who is sent to Brazil to retrieve the son of a well-known mob boss (American Pie's Seann William Scott), the film provided The Rock with the sort of opportunity to display his comic flair -- a notable talent that was mostly neglected in the special-effects-laden Scorpion King. By this point, his screen career had earned the wrestler-turned-actor a notable fan base that reached well beyond the WWE universe, and in 2004 he took the law into his own hands with the feature remake (in name and general concept only) Walking Tall. Based on the exploits of hard-case Southern sheriff Buford Pusser (played by Joe Don Baker in the original 1973 version) -- the film found The Rock cast as an honest, retired soldier who -- upon return to his small, rural Washington State hometown -- discovers his former high-school rival Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) has corrupted the once-prosperous town by introducing drugs and gambling and effectively shutting down the formerly successful lumber mill. Anyone who saw the original (and even those who didn't) could no doubt tell what follows -- and if there ever was a man to lay the smack down on the criminal element, few could doubt that The Rock would be up for the task.

With his role as a gay bodyguard in the 2005 Get Shorty sequel, Be Cool, The Rock showed once and for all that he wasn't above poking a little fun at his tough-guy persona, and though he would return to the action genre with the sci-fi video-game adaptation Doom, the next year found the increasingly prolific entertainer cast in the complex role of a sporadically amnesiac actor who begins to have trouble separating reality from fantasy in Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's apocalyptic sophomore effort, Southland Tales. Later that same year, The Rock turned his attention toward the sport of football to tell the inspirational true story of a detention-camp probation officer who teaches his troubled young charges the meaning of self-respect and social responsibility in Gridiron Gang -- a feature adaptation of the Emmy-winning 1993 documentary of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Dwayne Johnson
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"The People's Elbow" redirects here. For the Attack Attack! song, see Someday Came Suddenly.
Dwayne Johnson

Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born May 2, 1972 (1972-05-02) (age 37)
Hayward, California, U.S.
Other name(s) The Rock
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Occupation Wrestler/Actor
Years active 1995–2004 (wrestler)
2001–present (actor)
Spouse(s) Dany Garcia (1997–2007)

Dwayne Johnson[1] (born May 2, 1972)[2] also known by his former ring name The Rock, and occasionally credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is an actor and retired professional wrestler.[3] Johnson was a collegiate football player, and in 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, but was cut two months into the season.[4] This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler, like his grandfather, Peter Maivia and his father Rocky Johnson.

He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in wrestling history. Johnson was quickly given a push in WWE, first as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock", a member of the Nation of Domination. Two years after he joined the WWE, Johnson won the WWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company for his engaging interviews and promos. Since 2001, he has focused on an acting career, though he still makes occasional WWE appearances.

In professional wrestling, Johnson was a nine-time world champion, having won the WWF/E Championship seven times (with his last reign being the WWE Undisputed Champion) and the WCW Championship two times. In addition to these championships, Johnson has also won the WWF Intercontinental Championship two times and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. He is also the sixth WWF/E Triple Crown champion and was the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Johnson is also an actor, with his first leading role in 2001, in The Scorpion King. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million. He has since appeared in movies such as The Rundown, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, and Planet 51.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Dwayne Johnson, the son of Ata Johnson (née Maivia) and professional wrestler "Soulman" Rocky Johnson, was born in Hayward, California.[2] His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a professional wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, ran Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling from 1982 until 1988 following her husband's death, becoming one of wrestling's few female professional promoters.[5][6] Johnson inherited Canadian citizenship through his father, who is of Black Nova Scotian (Canadian) origin. He is of Samoan heritage on his mother's side.[7] For a brief period, Johnson lived in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family.[8] During this time his mother Ata ensured Johnson was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the Southern Hemisphere.[8] Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the United States with his parents.[8]

He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley region. He began playing football at Bethlehem's Freedom High School in the highly competitive Lehigh Valley Conference.[7] In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field and wrestling teams.[7]

Education, football and philanthropy

Dwayne Johnson greeting fans in 2006

Johnson received collegiate football scholarship offers from several universities and selected the University of Miami. While the University of Miami football program did not openly recruit Johnson, he entered try-outs as a walk-on for the program and made the team, playing defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team.[9] After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by fellow Hurricane and future National Football League (NFL) star Warren Sapp.[7]

Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia, who also was attending Miami at the time. Garcia, who graduated from the University of Miami in 1992, is a member of its Board of Trustees,[10] and the founder of a Miami-based wealth management firm. The two have remained close to their alma mater, giving a $2-million donation in 2006 to build a living room at the university's alumni center. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a degree in criminology and physiology.[7] On November 10, 2007 he returned to the Orange Bowl in Miami to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium.

Johnson continued his football career in 1995, joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League after being passed over by the NFL, but he was cut two months into the season.[4]

In 2006, Johnson began "The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation", which is known for its charitable work with at-risk and terminally ill children.[11] On October 2, 2007, Johnson and his wife donated an additional $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.[12]

Personal life and politics

Dany Garcia and Johnson at the 2009 premiere of Racing Dreams.

Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, a day after his 25th birthday.[13] His best man at the wedding was fellow wrestler and long-time family friend Tonga Fifita, better known as Haku. Johnson and his wife have a daughter, Simone Alexandra, born August 14, 2001.[13] On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage.[13] They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.[13]

In 2000, Johnson attended both the 2000 Republican National Convention[3] and the 2000 Democratic National Convention,[14] giving a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown your Vote" campaign which aims to increase voting among young people without endorsing any candidate or party.[15]

Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, had royal blood, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed Johnson with the noble title of Seiuli during his visit to Samoa in July 2004 in recognition of his service to the Samoan people. He is therefore known in Samoan circles as Seiuli Dwayne Johnson.[16] He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team, as the team's website during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup showed him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back.[17]

Johnson is good friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger[18] and X-Men star, Hugh Jackman.[19] Michael Clarke Duncan and Johnson are also very close, as he stated in his 1999 book The Rock Says.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Training and Rocky Maivia (1996)

Dwayne Johnson
Ring name(s) Flex Kavana[20]
Rocky Maivia[20]
The Rock[20]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[21]
Weight 260 lb (120 kg)[21]
Billed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[3]
Billed weight 275 lb (125 kg)[3]
Born May 2, 1972 (1972-05-02) (age 37)[2]
Hayward, California[2]
Resides Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Billed from Miami, Florida[3]
Trained by Rocky Johnson[22]
Pat Patterson[22]
Debut 1995[22]
Retired 2004

Along with his father and grandfather, several members of Johnson's family are current and former professional wrestlers, including his uncles, the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika Anoa'i) and cousins, such as Manu, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Rosey, and Umaga.[8] When he declared his intention to join the family business, his father resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him.[7] With help from veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson had several tryout matches with WWE in 1996; he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show under his real name, Dwayne Johnson,[23] and lost the others to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.[8] Impressed by his talent and charisma, Johnson was signed to a contract after wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association, where he wrestled under the ring name "Flex Kavana".[22] While there, he won the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996.

Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, which combined his father and grandfather's ring names; Johnson was initially reluctant to the idea, but was persuaded to go ahead with the name by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross.[6][24] In addition to taking on the nickname "The Blue Chipper," the WWF played up his connection to his father and grandfather, calling him the company's first third-generation wrestler.[3]

Johnson, who was first portrayed as a clean-cut fan favorite, was pushed heavily from the start despite his lack of in-ring experience. He debuted at Survivor Series in November 1996 and was the sole survivor,[25] and he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Raw on February 13, 1997, after only three months in the company.[26][27] Fans, however, quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin.[20] As a result, a regular occurrence during Johnson's matches was the fans' angry chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!"[6][20][22]

Nation of Domination and feuding with DX (1997–1998)

Main article: Nation of Domination

After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 edition of Raw is War,[28] and returning from an injury, Johnson turned into a villain. He joined the Nation of Domination with Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, and Kama, using the ring name "The Rock" Rocky Maivia, which was quickly shortened to simply "The Rock".[29] During that time, Johnson attacked and insulted the fans in his promos. In sharp contrast to the overly positive persona of Rocky Maivia, The Rock was a charismatic bully, eventually driving out the group leader, Faarooq in March 1998.[29] The Rock also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says..."[29]

Johnson was soon recognized for cutting arguably the best promos in the industry. In his 2000 autobiography, Johnson attributed this skill to his exceptional performance in speech communications classes at Miami, in which he earned "A" grades. At In Your House: D-Generation X, Austin defeated The Rock in less than six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship.[30] The following night on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to forfeit the Intercontinental Championship, which Austin handed over to The Rock before performing the Stone Cold Stunner on him.[31][32] Rock spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Austin and Ken Shamrock.[33][34]

The Rock next feuded with Faarooq, who was angry at the Rock for usurping his position. The two had a title match at Over the Edge, where Rock retained the Intercontinental Championship.[35] The Rock then moved into a feud with Triple H and D-Generation X. Nation members fought DX while The Rock fought Triple H over the Intercontinental Championship. They first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded for Rock's title, where the Rock retained the title in controversial fashion.[36] This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam where Rock lost the belt.[37] At Breakdown, the Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship before feuding with fellow Nation member Mark Henry, effectively disbanding the Nation.[38][39]

The Corporation (1998–1999)

Main article: The Corporation

Johnson's popularity as The Rock propelled him to the WWF Championship. The Rock began to conduct many entertaining interviews, and thus he got over with the fans. Fan reaction effectively turned him into a fan favorite, and he began to feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he has a "problem with the people" and thus he should target the "People's Champion" (as The Rock claimed himself to be). A double turn occurred at Survivor Series, when The Rock defeated the then-villain Mankind in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament[40] for the vacant WWF Championship,[41] to become the first world heavyweight champion of African American descent in WWF history and the youngest WWF Champion at the time. At the end of the match, The Rock applied a Sharpshooter on Mankind. As he did this, McMahon called for the bell to be rung and then ordered for The Rock to be declared the winner.[40][41] This was a parody of the Montreal Screwjob, which happened only a year earlier.

With the plan coming to fruition, The Rock turned into a villain again and sided with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of The Corporation stable.[40] This was also a start of a double turn, as Mankind was kicked out of The Corporation and became a fan favorite.[42] Later, The Rock had his own pay-per view, Rock Bottom: In Your House, where he had a rematch against Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind won by submission but Mr. McMahon said that The Rock did not tap out and therefore The Rock would retain his title.[42][43] The Rock began a feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, during which the title changed hands back and forth between the two, first during the main event of the January 4, 1999 edition of Raw is War, when Mankind defeated The Rock with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin.[44] The Rock captured his second WWF Championship in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble in early 1999,[45][46] when a pre-recorded sample of Mankind saying "I quit" from an interview segment was played over the sound system. This latest reign did not last long, however. In a match that counter-programmed the Super Bowl halftime show on January 31, 1999, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an Empty Arena Match where the competitors used everything from bags of popcorn to garbage to punish each other.[47] This feud lasted until February 15 edition of Raw is War, where The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after The Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off a ladder.[48][49]

With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his WWF Championship at WrestleMania XV, but lost the belt to Austin.[50] Rock lost the title rematch to Austin at Backlash: In Your House.[51] WWF fans began to cheer The Rock despite him being a villain, due to his comedic interviews, promos and segments which mocked wrestlers and announcers and made him popular to the fans. Rock eventually transitioned into a fan favorite again after being betrayed by Shane McMahon and established a feud with The Undertaker, Triple H and the Corporate Ministry. During this feud, he sometimes found himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. Rock defeated Triple H at Over the Edge before losing to WWF Champion The Undertaker at King of the Ring.[52][53] He continued his rivalry with Triple H, after losing to him in a number one contender's match at Fully Loaded.[54]

The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (1999)

Main article: Rock 'n' Sock Connection

Later on, besides feuding with Triple H, The Rock also feuded with Mr. Ass throughout the summer of 1999, including a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam.[55] In the fall of the same year, The Rock found himself in several singles and tag team championship opportunities. He teamed with former enemy Mankind to create the Rock 'n' Sock Connection, after The Rock challenged the team of The Undertaker and The Big Show, which led to Mankind offering his help.[56] The Rock accepted, and they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship three times.[57][58][59] Aside from the championships, the team was regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in history, as Mankind imitated The Rock, who ignored Mankind, with both wrestlers having support from the crowd. The team was also involved in a segment which occurred on Raw is War called "This Is Your Life", in which Mankind brought out people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and gym teacher. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating and is, to this day, one of the single highest rated segments in terms of viewership in Raw history.[57][60]

Feuds for the WWF Championship (2000–2001)

The Rock making his entrance at WrestleMania X-Seven, Houston.

At Royal Rumble in early 2000, The Rock entered in the Royal Rumble match and lasted until he and The Big Show were the final two men. In the final moment of the match, The Big Show was seemingly going to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, but when they got to the apron The Rock reversed the throw, sending The Big Show to the outside floor and then came back up.[61] The Rock's feet, however, hit the floor first, although those watching the event did not see that. The Big Show attempted to prove that The Rock's feet, not his, touched the ground first. He provided video footage showing that he was the rightful winner. Despite that, the decision that The Rock had won the Rumble match could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship at No Way Out was held, which saw The Big Show come out on top after Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to finish off his opponent with a People's Elbow.[62] The Rock later defeated The Big Show on March 13, 2000 edition of Raw is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match where The Big Show and Mick Foley competed, as well.[63][64] Each competitor had a McMahon in their corner; for Triple H, his on-screen wife and then off-screen girlfriend Stephanie McMahon; for Mick Foley, the matriarch Linda McMahon; for The Rock, Vince McMahon; and in Big Show's corner, Shane McMahon.[64][65] Triple H retained the title when Vince betrayed The Rock, giving him two chair shots, allowing Triple H to pin The Rock for the three-count.[65][66]

The Rock taunts Rob Van Dam at ringside.

Over the next couple of months The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship. A month after the match at WrestleMania 2000, The Rock had a rematch with Triple H at Backlash in which The Rock won his fourth WWF Championship, after Stone Cold Steve Austin made a brief return and intervened on The Rock's behalf.[67][68][69] Later, at Judgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, that saw The Undertaker return.[70] The Rock got disqualified and lost the title, as a result of The Undertaker attacking Triple H.[70] The following night on Raw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction with the help of The Undertaker.[71] He later won his fifth WWF Championship at King of the Ring in a tag team match, which saw him team up with Kane and The Undertaker to fight Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H.[72][73] He successfully defended the championship against superstars such as Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.[68][74][75]

The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October.[68][76] During this time, he feuded with Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series.[68][77] He also participated in a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon for the WWF Championship, in which Kurt Angle retained the title.[68][78] Around that same time, Rock held the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker and the duo exchanged the titles with Edge and Christian.[68][79]

In 2001, The Rock continued his feud with Angle over the WWF Championship and eventually settled it at No Way Out. After a battle that saw both wrestlers kick out of each other's finishers, The Rock finally came out on top and regained the WWF Championship.[68][80][81] Afterwards, he feuded with the Royal Rumble winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock went into WrestleMania X-Seven as the WWF Champion, but he was defeated after Austin turned into a villain and used Mr. McMahon to win the title.[68][82] During a Steel Cage match with Austin in a rematch for the WWF Championship on the following night's Raw is War, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. Many thought he was coming to aid The Rock, due to the hatred between Austin and Triple H (and an argument with Vince earlier in the night), but it transpired that he had joined the Austin/McMahon partnership by hitting The Rock instead.[83] Austin and Triple H became a tag team and called themselves "The Two-Man Power Trip".[84] Rock went on to film the movie "The Mummy Returns" after a storyline suspension.[22]

The Invasion and the return back from Hollywood (2001–2002)

Main article: The Invasion

He returned in late July 2001 and had to decide if he wanted to join the WWF or The Alliance during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF.[68] At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship.[68][85][86] He lost the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time, at No Mercy.[87][88]

Johnson at a WWE event, 2002

Rock defeated Jericho on November 5 edition of Raw is War for his second WCW Championship.[89] The Rock ultimately decided to join the WWF in its battle against The Alliance and was involved in a "Winner Takes All" match at Survivor Series, which saw him end up one on one with Steve Austin. The Rock seemed to be superior to Austin, until Chris Jericho, who was also a member of team WWF and was eliminated a few minutes before that point, came inside the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin took advantage of that and tried to defeat The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a supposed teammate of Austin, proved out to be a mole planted by Vince McMahon and hit Austin in the head with a title belt, allowing The Rock to eliminate him, destroying The Alliance once and for all.[68][90] The Rock closed out the year losing the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho at Vengeance as Jericho became the first Undisputed WWF Champion.[91]

In early 2002, Rock feuded with Jericho and challenged him for the Undisputed Championship at Royal Rumble, but lost the match.[92] After losing to Jericho, Rock engaged in feuds and wrestled the likes of The Undertaker at No Way Out and Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8.[93][94] On July 21, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh and final WWE Championship, which was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship at the time.[95] He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Angle.[95][96] The Rock successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H, who then saved The Rock after Lesnar tried to ambush him after the match.[97] Johnson finally dropped the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam, ending his final championship reign, and making Lesnar the youngest WWE Champion in history, a record previously held by The Rock.[98]

Final villain turn (2003)

The Rock's last villainous turn began on SmackDown! in January 2003, where he publicly criticized Hulk Hogan.[99] Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and Sylvain Grenier.[68][79] The Rock later drafted himself to the Raw brand and started a feud with The Hurricane and other fan favorites.[100] He also had a comical gimmick, where he played the guitar and sang songs mocking the host city for the event, which culminated in a "Rock concert" that took place during the main event of the March 24, 2003 edition of Raw, where The Rock mocked the host city, Sacramento, California, because of the Sacramento Kings' inability to beat the Los Angeles Lakers.[101]

When Stone Cold Steve Austin returned, they once again feuded, and The Rock defeated Austin at WrestleMania XIX, which was Austin's last major appearance in a wrestling role.[68][102] The Rock then had a feud with Bill Goldberg, to whom Rock lost at Backlash.[68][103] The Rock then turned into a fan favorite once more by engaging in a one night feud against Chris Jericho and Christian.[104] During his previous villainous turn, he had declared Christian as his favorite wrestler, leading Christian to begin calling himself the "new people's champion" and referring to his fans as "his peeps."[104][105]

Retirement and part–time WWE appearances (2004–present)

The Rock made occasional wrestling appearances up to 2004's WrestleMania XX, when the storyline revolving around Mick Foley had him brought back to help in his feud with Evolution (Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Triple H and Batista).[3] One humorous in-ring segment involved The Rock hosting his own version of "This Is Your Life" for Foley on the March 8, 2004 edition of Raw.[68][106] Rock reunited with Foley after five years, as the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. The duo went on to lose to Orton, Flair and Batista at WrestleMania XX in a handicap match when Orton pinned Foley with an RKO.[68][107] As of 2009, this was Rock's last match.[68]

He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene, making a cameo appearance in his hometown of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance.[20] In 2004, he hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the WWE Diva Search and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow.[20] After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with WWE.[20] He also reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.[108]

On March 12, 2007, The Rock made an appearance on WWE after a near three year absence, appearing on Raw via a pre-taped segment on the titantron. He correctly "predicted" that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match.[109]

On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. During his induction speech he roasted WWE superstars such as John Cena, Santino Marella, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin.[110] In September 2009, Johnson appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling show in order to support longtime friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka's daughters debut in professional wrestling.[111]

On October 2, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of SmackDown, The Rock made a special appearance in a pre-recorded video where he talked about SmackDown's anniversary. He also said that he would be "guest hosting" Raw in the near future. He will be guest hosting January 4th, 2010.

Television and movie career

Dwayne Johnson photographed by Jerry Avenaim for Vanity Fair in 2001.

The success of Johnson's in-ring character allowed him to cross over into mainstream popularity, and he appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video.[112][113] That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[114] Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley appeared on the show.[3][115] According to Johnson, it was due to the success of that episode that he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.[116]

Johnson filmed guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager and That '70s Show, where he played his father, Rocky Johnson. His motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening and climax of The Mummy Returns.[3][114] The film's financial success led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up, The Scorpion King.[3] He was considered for the lead in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.[8]

Since his last WWE match in 2004, he has quit wrestling and focused solely on acting.[117] He also continued to make television appearances, including Disney Channel's hit show Cory in the House, in the episode entitled “Never the Dwayne Shall Meet.”[118] Though Johnson is no longer active with WWE, the company continues to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and Johnson continues to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television programming.[8] The Rock has continued to show a multitude of his acting/talent skills including movie roles like the cocky famous football player Joe Kingman in The Game Plan, and in Get Smart where he played Agent 23.

Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest salary as an actor in his first starring role, receiving $5.5 million.[119][120] He appeared at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008 as a presenter for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[121] He was nominated for Favorite Movie Actor at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp, who won for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[122][123]

On March 20, 2009, Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. Johnson also appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode "Art Teacher" as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1999 Beyond the Mat Himself Non-fiction documentary
That '70s Show (TV series) Rocky Johnson Episode: "That Wrestling Show"
The Net (TV series) Brody Episode: "Last Man Standing"
2000 Longshot The Mugger
Star Trek: Voyager (TV series) The Champion Episode: "Tsunkatse"
2001 The Mummy Returns Mathayus the Scorpion King
2002 The Scorpion King Mathayus the Scorpion King
2003 The Rundown (Known as 'Welcome to the Jungle' Outside US) Beck
2004 Walking Tall Chris Vaughn
2005 Be Cool Elliot Wilhelm
Doom Sarge
2006 Gridiron Gang Sean Porter
2007 Reno 911!: Miami Agent Rick Smith Cameo
The Game Plan Joe Kingman Last movie to use ring name "The Rock"
Southland Tales Boxer Santaros
2008 Get Smart Agent 23
2009 Race to Witch Mountain Jack Bruno
Planet 51 Capt. Charles 'Chuck' Baker Voice
2010 Tooth Fairy Derek Thompson / Tooth Fairy Completed
The Other Guys Filming
Faster Pre-Production
Jonny Quest Race Bannon Pre-production
2012 City of Angels

In wrestling

Relatives in wrestling

Main article: Anoa'i family

Championships and accomplishments

1Won during The Invasion.
2Final reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion.

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