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Undid revision 287483023 by 93.97.130.84 (talk) doesn't belong in the film infobox. Already in the wrestling one
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{{Infobox Actor
{{Infobox Actor
|image= Dwayne Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
|image= The Rock at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
|caption= Johnson at the 2009 [[Tribeca Film Festival]]
|caption= Johnson at the 2009 [[Tribeca Film Festival]]
|alias=The Rock<br />Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
|alias=The Rock<br />Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
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'''Dwayne Johnson'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Johnson-Dwayne-The-Rock.html|title=Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Biography|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=Notable Biographies}}</ref> (born May 2, 1972)<ref name="filmreference">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/3/Dwayne-Johnson.html|title=Dwayne Johnson Biography (1972-)|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=Film Reference}}</ref> also known by his former [[ring name]] '''The Rock''' and occasionally credited as '''Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson''', is a [[Canadian-American]] [[actor]] and former [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]].<ref name="wwebio">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/therock/bio/|title=The Rock's WWE Alumni Profile|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-06-04}}</ref> Johnson was a [[College football|collegiate football]] player, and in 1991, he was part of the [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|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.<ref name="calgarystampeders">{{cite web|url=http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Football/2007/09/24/4521230-sun.html|title=Sticking to the Gameplan|accessdate=2007-09-27|last=Baines|first=Tim|publisher=The Calgary Sun}}</ref> This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler, like his grandfather, [[Peter Maivia]] and his father [[Rocky Johnson]].
'''The Rock'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Johnson-Dwayne-The-Rock.html|title=Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Biography|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=Notable Biographies}}</ref> (born May 2, 1972)<ref name="filmreference">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/3/Dwayne-Johnson.html|title=Dwayne Johnson Biography (1972-)|accessdate=2008-04-13|publisher=Film Reference}}</ref> also known by his former [[ring name]] '''The Rock''' and occasionally credited as '''Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson''', is a [[Canadian-American]] [[actor]] and former [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]].<ref name="wwebio">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/therock/bio/|title=The Rock's WWE Alumni Profile|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-06-04}}</ref> Johnson was a [[College football|collegiate football]] player, and in 1991, he was part of the [[1991 Miami Hurricanes football team|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.<ref name="calgarystampeders">{{cite web|url=http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Football/2007/09/24/4521230-sun.html|title=Sticking to the Gameplan|accessdate=2007-09-27|last=Baines|first=Tim|publisher=The Calgary Sun}}</ref> 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), then 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 [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]], and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company for his engaging interviews and [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|promos]]. Since 2001, he has focused on an acting career, though he still makes occasional WWE appearances.
He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] (WWE), then 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 [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]], and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company for his engaging interviews and [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|promos]]. Since 2001, he has focused on an acting career, though he still makes occasional WWE appearances.

Revision as of 13:12, 3 May 2009

Dwayne Johnson
File:The Rock at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Other namesThe Rock
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Years active1995–2004 (wrestler)
1999–present (actor)
SpouseDany Garcia (1997–2007)

The Rock[1] (born May 2, 1972)[2] also known by his former ring name The Rock and occasionally credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is a Canadian-American actor and former 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), then 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.

Johnson was a nine-time World Heavyweight Champion in his career, being a seven-time WWE Champion and two-time WCW Champion; his last reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion in 2002. He also won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and is a former five-time WWF Tag Team Champion. He also 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, The Game Plan, Gridiron Gang, Doom, Race to Witch Mountain and Get Smart.

Biography

Early life

Johnson, the son of Ata (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] He is of half Black Canadian, half Samoan heritage (his father is Black Canadian, more specifically Black Nova Scotian, and his mother is Samoan).[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 U.S. 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]

Personal life and politics

Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, a day after his 25th birthday.[9] His best man at the wedding was fellow wrestler and long-time family friend Tonga "Haku" Fifita. Johnson and his wife have a daughter, Simone Alexandra, born August 14, 2001.[9] On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage.[9] They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.[9]

In 2000, Johnson delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention.[3] Because his mother, Ata 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.[10] He is a supporter of the Samoan national rugby 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.[11]

Johnson is also a Canadian citizen since new citizenship laws came into effect in Canada on April 17, 2009, which automatically gave citizenship (retroactive to date of birth) to all individuals born outside of Canada in the first generation born abroad to a Canadian parent (This law applies to Johnson since he was born in the first generation abroad to a Canadian father).[12][13]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Training and Rocky Maivia (1996)

Dwayne Johnson
Born (1972-05-02) May 2, 1972 (age 52)[2]
Hayward, California[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Flex Kavana[14]
Rocky Maivia[14]
The Rock[14]
Billed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[3]
Billed weight260 lb (120 kg)[3]
Billed fromMiami, Florida[3]
Trained byRocky Johnson[15]
Pat Patterson[15]
Debut1995[15]
Retired2004

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,[17] and lost the others to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.[8] Impressed by his talent and charisma, Johnson was signed to a deal after a short stint for "seasoning" in Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association, where he wrestled under the ring name "Flex Kavana".[15] While there, he won the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996.[15]

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][18] 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,[19] and he won the Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Raw on February 13, 1997, after only three months in the company.[20][21] Fans, however, quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin.[14] As a result, a regular occurrence during Johnson's matches was the fans' angry chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!"[14][15][6]

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,[22] and returning from an injury, Johnson was allowed to turn 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 just "The Rock".[23] 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 February 1998.[23] The Rock also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says..."[23]

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 title.[24] The following night on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to forfeit the WWF Intercontinental Championship, which Austin handed over to The Rock before performing the Stone Cold Stunner on him.[25][26] Rock spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Austin and Ken Shamrock.[27][28]

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.[29] 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.[30] This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam where Rock lost the belt.[31] 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.[32][33]

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[34] for the vacant WWF Championship,[35] 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.[34][35]

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.[34] This was also a start of a double turn, as Mankind was kicked out of The Corporation and became a fan favorite.[36] 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.[36][37] 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.[38] The Rock captured his second WWF Championship in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble in early 1999,[39][40] 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.[41] 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.[42][43]

With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his WWF Championship at WrestleMania XV, but lost the belt to Austin.[44] Rock lost the title rematch to Austin at Backlash: In Your House.[45] WWF fans began to cheer The Rock despite him being a heel, 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 Undertaker at King of the Ring.[46][47] He continued his rivalry with Triple H, after losing to him in a number one contender's match at Fully Loaded.[48]

The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (1999)

Main article: Rock 'n' Sock Connection

Later on, still as a face, 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.[49] 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.[50] The Rock accepted, and they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship three times.[51][52][53] 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.[51][54]

Feuds for the WWF Championship (2000–2001)

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 dump 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.[55] 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.[56] 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.[57][58] 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.[58][59] 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.[59][60]

The Rock versus Rob Van Dam at ringside at an event in 2001.

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.[61][62][63] Later, at Judgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, that saw The Undertaker return.[64] The Rock got disqualified and lost the title, as a result of The Undertaker attacking Triple H.[64] 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.[65] 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.[66][67] He successfully defended the championship against superstars such as Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.[62][68][69]

The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October.[62][70] During this time, he feuded with Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series.[62][71] 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.[62][72] Around that same time, Rock held the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker and the duo exchanged the titles with Edge and Christian.[62][73]

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.[62][74][75] 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.[62][76] During a Steel Cage match with Austin in a rematch for the WWF title 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.[77] Austin and Triple H became a Tag Team and called themselves "The Two-Man Power Trip".[78] Rock went on to film the movie "The Mummy Returns" after a storyline suspension.[15]

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.[62] At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship.[62][79][80] He lost the WCW title to Chris Jericho, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time, at No Mercy.[81][82]

Johnson at a WWE event, 2002

Rock defeated Jericho on November 5 edition of Raw is War for his second WCW Championship.[83] 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.[62][84] The Rock closed out the year losing the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho at Vengeance as Jericho became the Undisputed WWF Champion.[85]

In early 2002, Rock feuded with Jericho and challenged him for the Undisputed Championship at Royal Rumble, but lost the match.[86] 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.[87][88] 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.[89] He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Angle.[89][90] 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.[91] Johnson finally dropped the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam, ending his final championship reign.[92]

Final heel turn (2003)

The Rock's last villainous turn began on SmackDown! in January 2003, where he publicly criticized Hulk Hogan.[93] Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and Sylvain Grenier.[62][73] The Rock later drafted himself to the Raw brand and started a feud with The Hurricane and other fan favorites.[94] 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 host city Sacramento because of the Sacramento Kings' inability to beat the Los Angeles Lakers.[95] After putting down the city of Sacramento and singing about how he intended to leave as soon as possible, he concluded the song with, "I'll be sure to come back when the Lakers beat the Kings in May!".[95]

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.[62][96] The Rock then had a feud with former World Championship Wrestling star Bill Goldberg, to whom Rock lost at Backlash.[62][97] The Rock then turned into a fan favorite once more by engaging in a one night feud against Chris Jericho and Christian.[98] 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."[98][99]

Sporadic appearances (2004–2008)

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.[62][100] Rock reunited with Foley after five years, as Rock 'n' Sock Connection and 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.[62][101] As of 2009, this was Rock's last match.[62]

He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene, making a cameo appearance in his home-town of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance.[14] He hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the Diva Search 2004 and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow.[14] After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with WWE.[14] 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.[102]

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.[103]

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 Santino Marella, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin.[104]

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.[105][106] That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[107] Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley appeared on the show.[3][108] According to Johnson, it was due to the success of that episode that he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.[109]

He 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 of The Mummy Returns.[3][107] 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.[110] 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.”[111] 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.[112][113] He appeared at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008 as a presenter for the Best Visual Effects award.[114] He was nominated for Favorite Movie Actor at Nickelodeon's 2008 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.[115][116]

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

Filmography

Year Movie Role Other 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 Beck
2004 Walking Tall Chris Vaughn
2005 Be Cool Elliot Wilhelm
Doom Sarge
2006 Gridiron Gang Sean Porter
2007 Cory in the House/Hannah Montana Himself Part of the Rock Block
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 Saturday Night Live (sketch comedy) Himself & various characters Episode: 653
Wizards of Waverly Place Himself Episode: "Art Teacher"
Race to Witch Mountain Jack Bruno
Planet 51 Capt. Charles 'Chuck' Baker Voice
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009 Host
2010 Tooth Fairy Derek Thompson / Tooth Fairy Completed

In wrestling

Relatives in wrestling

Main article: Anoa'i family

Championships and accomplishments

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

References

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