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Dwayne Johnson

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Born (1972-05-02) May 2, 1972 (age 52)
Hayward, California
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Flex Kavana
Pidlaoan Rock
Rocky Maivia
The Rock
Billed height6 ft 5 in (196 cm) [1]
Billed weight260 lb (118 kg) [1]
Billed fromMiami, Florida [1]
Trained byRocky Johnson
Pat Patterson
Debut1995
Retired2004

Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2 1972) is an American actor and former third-generation professional wrestler,[1] best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment as The Rock between 1996 and 2004. Originally known as Rocky Maivia, Johnson first gained mainstream fame as a standout in the then-World Wrestling Federation. He holds the record for most reigns as WWF/E Champion

Biography

Early life

The Rock was born in Hayward, California to African Canadian wrestler Rocky Johnson and Ata Maivia, a Samoan of royal Samoan lineage. His maternal grandfather was High Chief Peter Maivia[3] As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's rugged Lehigh Valley region. For Johnson, the Lehigh Valley proved a huge cultural shift from what he had known and seen in the San Francisco Bay Area in his early youth. But Johnson welcomed the change and assimilated quickly in the new area. In Bethlehem, Johnson began to cultivate an intense athleticism, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He began playing football at Bethlehem's Freedom High School, a member of what was then known as the East Penn Conference (recently renamed the Lehigh Valley Conference).[3] The conference was - and continues to be - one of the highest quality high school football and wrestling conferences in the United States. In football, the conference has produced a considerable amount of high-level Division I collegiate and NFL football talent.

Known for its blue collar ruggedness, the Lehigh Valley proved a hand-in-glove match for Johnson, who fit in well with the area's street toughness. That toughness carried to his football play, where Johnson began, for the first time, to face high quality players and began to excel amidst the area's extraordinary athletic competitiveness. He would later credit the high level of athletic competitiveness he encountered in the Lehigh Valley with building the foundation for his life-long passion for winning and embracing challenge. In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field team.

Education

Johnson received collegiate football scholarship offers from several universities and settled on the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, one of the top football programs in the nation. 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.[4] After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by Warren Sapp, who went on to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now with the Oakland Raiders.[3] Baltimore Ravens Linebacker and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis also played with Johnson on the Miami Hurricanes.

While a student at the University of Miami, Johnson met his future wife Dany Garcia, who also was a University of Miami student at the time. Garcia, who graduated from the University of Miami in 1992, is 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 for visiting alumni. Additionally, Dany is a member of the University of Miami's Board of Trustees.[5]

Johnson graduated from the University of Miami in 1995 with dual degrees in criminology and physiology.[3]

Professional football career

After his graduation from the University of Miami, Johnson was passed over in the NFL draft and signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, who assigned him to their practice squad. He was cut from the team within a year, without ever having played.[3]

Professional wrestling

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

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 Anoai), and cousins such as former WWF Champion Yokozuna, former WWF Tag Team Champion Rikishi and current wrestler Umaga (formerly known as Jamal). 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.[3] With help from former WWF executive and veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson secured a tryout with the WWF. Impressed by his talent and charisma, he was signed to a WWF deal after a short stint for "seasoning" in Jerry Lawler's USWA, where he wrestled under the ring names of Flex Kavana and Pidlaoan Rock.

1996-1997

Johnson first wrestled in the WWF as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names. The WWF played up his connection to his father and grandfather, calling him the company's first third-generation wrestler. He made his wrestling debut for the WWF at the Survivor Series 1996, becoming the sole survivor on his team. Johnson was first portrayed as a clean-cut babyface, and gained early success, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship after only three months. However, fans quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the exploded popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Despite often being loudly booed and jeered with chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks" from the crowd, Johnson was forced to go to the ring and smile, as if the crowd were cheering as they were "supposed to". After losing the Intercontinental title to Owen Hart and returning from an injury, Johnson was allowed to turn heel and joined the Nation of Domination. Johnson spewed venom at the fans in promos that were influenced by Johnson's real-life feelings toward the WWF audience.

1998

The Rock was a charismatic bully, eventually driving out the Nation's leader Faarooq. He spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ken Shamrock. At In Your House: D-Generation X, Austin, then reigning Intercontinental Champion, defeated the Rock in less than six minutes to retain the title. The following night, Austin was ordered by Vince McMahon to defend the title in a rematch. Austin refused to do so, and simply handed the title to The Rock before stunning him with the Stone Cold Stunner. At WrestleMania XIV, Gennifer Flowers was made a special guest interviewer, interviewing The Rock. The Rock was posed a question about how he would conduct affairs as the President of the United States. He responded by stating to her that the title “Ruler” would sound better than “President” and he would transform the White House into a palace.

In essence, his new character was a reversal of his Rocky Maivia character, where he was cheered instead of being booed as he was "supposed to be." The Rock also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says...," "Finally...The Rock has come back to..(city name)," and occasionally following up statements with "... or so The Rock has heard."

Johnson's popularity as The Rock propelled him to the WWF Championship at the 1998 Survivor Series at age 26, defeating Mankind in the finals and thus becoming the first World Champion of African-American descent in WWF history and at the time the youngest WWF World Champion. During the championship win, however, The Rock turned heel again and siding with Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their "Corporation" stable.

1999

The Rock began to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship in which the title changed back and forth between the two, first during the main event of the January 4 1999 episode of RAW, when Mankind pinned The Rock with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The Rock once again captured the WWF Title in an "I Quit" match at the 1999 Royal Rumble that saw The Rock hit Mankind in the head with a chair ten or eleven times as opposed to the agreed upon three times, knocking him unconscious and using a tape recording of Mankind saying "I quit" to trick the referee. 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 in a Empty Arena Match which saw the competitors use everything from bags of popcorn to fruit to punish each other. This feud lasted until the February 15 1999 edition of Raw, where The Rock regained the WWF Title in a Ladder Match after The Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off a ladder.

With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his World Wrestling Federation Championship at WrestleMania XV, against Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock lost the WWF Title to Austin at that event, and continued his feud with Austin until May 1999. WWF fans began to cheer The Rock despite being a bad guy, due to his comedic interviews and segments which mocked wrestlers and announcers. Johnson eventually made his second face turn after he betrayed Vince McMahon and established a feud with the, then heel, The Undertaker and the Corporate Ministry, and would sometimes find himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. His feud with Undertaker ended with a defeat at the King of the Ring.

The Rock, now a face, feuded with Mr. Ass over the summer of 1999, including an infamous "Kiss My Ass" match at that year's SummerSlam 1999. In the fall, the Rock found himself in several WWF Championship opportunities, both in singles and tag. He teamed with now former enemy Mankind to create the "Rock 'n' Sock Connection" and won the WWF Tag Team Titles. Aside from the championships, the team was regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in recent memory, where Mankind would imitate The Rock, while The Rock would mostly ignore Mankind. The team was also involved in a segment which occurred on RAW 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, the single highest rated segment in terms of viewership in RAW history.[6] As a singles competitor, The Rock participated in a six-pack challenge match at Unforgiven 1999.

2000

In January 2000, The Rock entered in the WWF's annual Royal Rumble match and lasted until he and The Big Show were the final two men. In a scripted move, the Big Show was going to seemingly dump the Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, and when they got to the apron, the Rock reversed it on the Big Show, sending the BigShow to the outside floor and then coming back up with the rest of his body. Those watching the event on PPV did not see The Rock's feet hit the floor. The Big Show attempted to prove to the audience and to others, like Triple H, that the Rock's feet, not his, touched the mat first. He did manage to prove it, by providing video footage showing that he was the rightful winner. The decision that The Rock had won the Rumble match could not be reversed, so a number one contendership match at No Way Out 2000 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 the Rock Bottom. The Rock later defeated The Big Show on March 13 2000 to regain the right to face the WWF Champion at WrestleMania 2000.

The Rock, The Big Show, Mick Foley and Triple H competed in a fatal four-way elimination match for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000. Each competitor had a McMahon in their corner--for Triple H, his on-screen wife (and off-screen then girlfriend) Stephanie McMahon; for Mick Foley, the matriarch Linda McMahon; for The Rock, Vince McMahon; and in Big Show's corner, Shane McMahon. Triple H retained the title when Vince turned on The Rock, giving him two vicious chair shots, allowing Triple H to pin The Rock for the three-count. A month later at Backlash 2000, The Rock captured the WWF Championship from Triple H after Stone Cold Steve Austin made a brief return and intervened on The Rock's behalf.

Over the next couple of months The Rock feuded with Triple H over the Championship, and going on to having several classic matches, such as an Iron Man match against The Game at WWF Judgment Day 2000, which starred Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee and saw the return of The Undertaker, The Rock would lose the title as a result of Undertaker's interference attacking Triple H. The following night on Raw, The Rock would get his revenge, and along with The Undertaker, took out the entire McMahon-Helmsley regime. The Rock would later win the WWF Championship again at King of The Ring 2000 against Triple H in a Tag Team matching pitting himself, Kane, and Undertaker versus Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H. The Rock would go on to defend the Championship against Superstars such as Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.

The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Kurt Angle at WWF No Mercy 2000 in October. During this time, he feuded with Rikishi (after he made accusations that The Rock called him to run over Steve Austin in November 1999) and defeated him at Survivor Series 2000. He also participated in the 6 Man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000 event for the WWF Championship, in which he was unsuccessful. It is also notable that The Rock was the only man not to climb to the top of the cell in this match.

2001

In 2001, The Rock feuded with Kurt Angle over the WWF Championship, and the feud was settled at No Way Out. In a battle that saw The Rock kick out of the Olympic Slam and Kurt kicking out of the Rock Bottom and The People's Elbow (at different times), The Rock finally came out on top, delivering a second Rock Bottom to regain the WWF Championship. Afterwards, The Rock feuded with the Royal Rumble winner Steve Austin. The Rock went into WrestleMania X-Seven as the WWF Champion, but he was defeated again by Austin, after a shocking turn from the rattlesnake, who used Vince McMahon to win the title. Jim Ross said of the turn, "Austin has sold his soul to the devil to get back to the top." After losing to Austin in a rematch on the following night's RAW, he went on hiatus to film the movie "The Scorpion King" after a storyline suspension from Mr. McMahon. The Rock would return in July 2001 and would decide which side of the WWF/Alliance wars he would align himself with. After Vince McMahon, on the WWF side, urged the Rock to "give the people what they want," the Rock delivered a Rock Bottom to Vince. The Rock seemed to have joined the Alliance, and smiled, shaking Shane McMahon's hand, but quickly drew him in for a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow. At SummerSlam 2001, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship. He would later lose the WCW title to Chris Jericho (with whom he would win the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time) at No Mercy of the same year, only to win it back a few weeks later on Raw. The Rock was also involved in a match at Survivor Series 2001 which saw him defeat Steve Austin in a Classic Survivor Series match to end The Alliance once and for all. The Rock closed out the year losing the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho at Vengeance, who would go on later to become the first WWF Undisputed Champion.

2002

As 2002 came along, Vince McMahon introduced the nWo, and The Rock began a feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan, which ended with a victory at WrestleMania X8.[1] This match, one of the most memorable matches of all time pitting "Icon vs. Icon," saw the Toronto fans audibly cheer for Hogan, who was the heel, after every move (including heelish moves like "the back rake of doom"). The fans also clearly booed The Rock, the supposed face in the match, despite the WWF's best efforts to make Hogan a despicable character before the match. On July 21 2002, The Rock would win his record-breaking seventh and final WWE Championship. He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Kurt Angle. He would lose it to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002, in a match that saw the fans turn on The Rock again and cheer for Lesnar. This was his last title reign, and it lasted for a month.

2003

The Rock's last heel turn began on SmackDown! in February 2003, where he publicly criticized Hulk Hogan. Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and Sylvain Grenier. It is widely speculated that this heel turn was due to The Rock's growing Hollywood stardom, giving the appearance of having "sold out" his wrestling roots.

The Rock later drafted himself to RAW and started a feud with The Hurricane and other babyfaces. 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" which 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. 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!" The crowd booed him vociferously. The Rock also slammed Canada in a song as well, saying "Canadians have no class/That's why they can kiss the People's Ass."

When Steve Austin returned, they once again feuded, with the Rock defeating Austin at WrestleMania XIX; this was the first time the Rock defeated Austin at WrestleMania, and Austin's last major appearance in a wrestling role. The Rock then had a feud with former WCW star Bill Goldberg, losing at Backlash in this match, both superstars received a mixed reaction from the fans. After that, The Rock turned face once more by betraying Chris Jericho and Christian. After The Rock declared Christian his favorite wrestler, Christian began calling himself the New People's champion and labeling his fans as "his peeps." As a culmination of the feud, The Rock and Booker T defeated Chris Jericho and Christian.

Sporadic appearances

The Rock made occasional wrestling appearances up to 2004's WrestleMania XX, with the storyline revolving around Mick Foley bringing him back to help in his feud with Evolution and Randy Orton.[1] One humorous bit involved Rock hosting his own version of "This is Your Life" for Foley on an edition of RAW. Rock and Foley went on to lose to Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista at WrestleMania when Orton pinned Foley in possibly The Rock's last match ever in the WWE. He made sporadic appearances in the WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene and helping Foley turn back La Résistance. His last appearance to date in WWE was hosting a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the Diva Search 2004. He ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a rock-bottom and People's Elbow. In several interviews, Dwayne Johnson had reported that he is no longer under contract with WWE and that his contract had expired in 2004. Johnson himself reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.

On March 12 2007, The Rock returned to World Wrestling Entertainment after a near three year absence when he appeared on RAW via Titantron and discussed his prediction for the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23. He was correct in his assumption, as Bobby Lashley and Donald Trump defeated Umaga and Vince McMahon.


Hollywood

File:Gridiron6.jpg
The Rock in Gridiron Gang.
File:Sarge.jpg
Johnson as "Sarge" in Doom

Johnson eventually crossed over into mainstream popularity, such as with a guest appearance on hip hop musician Wyclef Jean's track "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video. While still wrestling full-time, Johnson made an appearance as host of the popular sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live in 2000.[1] The episode was very popular, and it showcased Johnson's acting and comedic ability favorably.

After this, Johnson started to get offers from Hollywood for a multitude of different projects. He was a guest star on Star Trek: Voyager and That '70s Show. In the latter, he played the role of his father. The Rock's first role in a major film was a limited appearance as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns,[1] and his natural charisma translated well to the silver screen. The success of this movie, to which his performance contributed, led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up to The Mummy Returns, titled The Scorpion King.[1]

Since his last in-ring appearance in WWE in 2004, he has focused solely on acting, and starred in several popular movies such as The Rundown,[1] Walking Tall,[1] Be Cool and Gridiron Gang. The Game Plan will be The Rock's first appearance for Disney. He has stated several times, when asked on talk shows and in the media, that he is done with wrestling.[7]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Beyond the Mat Himself
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 The Scorpion King
2002 The Scorpion King Mathayus the Scorpion King Salary $5,500,000 USD
2003 The Rundown Beck Salary $12,500,000 USD
2004 Walking Tall Chris Vaughn Salary $15,000,000 USD
2005 Be Cool Elliot Wilhelm Salary $2,000,000 USD
Doom Sarge Salary $4,500,000 USD
2006 Gridiron Gang Sean Porter $3,000,000 September 15
2007 The Game Plan Joe Kingman in production
Reno 911!: Miami Rick Smith
Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run Alec Decker (pre-production)/Unknown if The Rock will portray Alec Decker
2008 Get Smart Agent 23 in production
Southland Tales Boxer Santaros

Wrestling facts

File:Rockbottom.jpg
The Rock hits the Rock Bottom on Randy Orton
  • Signature taunts
    • The People's Eyebrow (The Rock raises an eyebrow to the opponent/crowd)
    • Just Bring It (Hand motion telling the opponent to come)
    • Ready for the Rock Bottom/Stalking his opponent (Puts his hands on his knees and starts to wait until his opponent turns around, occasionally jumping around behind them)
  • Nicknames
    • The Brahma Bull
    • The Corporate Champ
    • The Great One
    • The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment [1]
    • The People's Champion [1]
    • Rocky
  • Quotes
    • "Finally, The Rock has come back to (city name)"
    • "Layeth the Smacketh Down!"
    • " The Rock will take your (object),shine it up real nice, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up your candy ass.
    • "If you smelllalalalaw... what The Rock is cooking!?"
    • "Just Bring It"
    • "(interrupting as someone answers a question) IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT.....
    • "Know your role, and Shut Your Mouth!"
    • "Bring your roody-poo CANDY ASS!" The term "rooty-poo" is derived from his father's former tag team partner Iceman King Parsons' phrase "Rooty Poot".
    • "Jabroni"
    • "This ain’t ‘Sing Along With The Rock’!"
    • "The Rock will take you down Know Your Role Boulevard which is on the corner of Jabroni Drive and check you directly into the Smackdown Hotel!"

Championships and accomplishments

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

Personal life

Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, 24 hours after his 25th birthday.[8] Johnson and Garcia originally met when both were students at the University of Miami. Garcia is founder and CEO of a wealth-management firm,[8] JDM Partners, in Miami. His best man at the wedding was fellow wrestler and longtime family friend Tonga "Haku" Fifita. However, on June 1, 2007, Dwayne and his wife Dany, after 17 years together, announced that they would be splitting up.[8]

He and Garcia have a daughter together, Simone Alexandra,[8] who was born August 14 ,2001 in Davie, Florida.

In 2002, Johnson delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention.[1]

In 2006, Johnson started up The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation that is known for its charitable work with at-risk and terminally ill children.[9]

The Rock is a skilled light tackle salt water fisherman.

He can currently be seen on the official home page of the Samoa national rugby union team, holding a Samoa team shirt emblazoned with "THE ROCK" on the back, below the caption "KNOW YOUR TEAM!", an obvious reference to his "Know your role!" catchphrase.

Relatives in wrestling

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "The Rock's WWE Alumni Profile". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  2. ^ "Celeb Heights - Dwayne Johnson". Retrieved December 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Morgan, Kaya. "Dwayne Johnson — How The Rock Transformed from Pro Wrestler to Bankable Movie Star". Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  4. ^ Morgan, Kaya. "University of Miami Famous Alumni". Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  5. ^ University of Miami. "University of Miami Receives $2 Million Gift from Alumni Power Couple". Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  6. ^ Christopher Robin Zimmerman. "Slashwrestling RAW report - with ratings". Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  7. ^ Reuters (September 14, 2006). "'The Rock' rules out return to wrestling". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Julie Jordan (June 1, 2007). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson & Wife Split Up". People.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  9. ^ "DJ Rock Foundation: Mission Statement". 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-04.

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/56520/411//s-Independent-Draft-Spectacular-07.01.07:-Ring-of-Honor-Presents-Brand-New-Day.htm

References

Books
  • Layden, Joe and The Rock (2000). The Rock Says... ReganBooks. p. 292. ISBN 0-06-039298-3.
Articles and interviews
Wikiquote has quotations related to Dwayne Johnson.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dwayne Johnson.
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