[256][257] His return in 2001 did a 7.1 rating which was the highest rated segment of the entire year. Freedom High School football coach Jody Cwik, however, saw athletic potential in Johnson, and recruited him to join Freedom's football team, where he played defensive tackle. He opted to accept a full athletic scholarship offer from the University of Miami, whose football program was then one of the best in the nation. That was . In 2000, the Rock took time off from WWE to film his appearance in The Mummy Returns (2001). [336], In 2016, Johnson started his YouTube channel. The Rock won the WWF Championship for the first time in 1998 (the same year as fellow wrestling legends Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mick Foley). [120] With the score tied at five falls each, and with seconds left on the time limit, the Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H, thus giving Triple H the 65 win and the title. This led to a match with Triple H, at Over the Edge on May 23, 1999, which the Rock won,[98] and a match for the WWF Championship against The Undertaker, at King of the Ring, which the Rock lost. Dwayne Johnson, byname The Rock, (born May 2, 1972, Hayward, California, U.S.), American professional wrestler and actor whose charisma and athleticism made him a success in both fields. His maternal grandfather was wrestler "High Chief" Peter Maivia, and . : Miami (2007), and Southland Tales (2006). Dwayne is a skilled light tackle salt water fisherman. [89] Then at the Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999, the Rock regained the title in an "I Quit" match, a type of submission match that only ends if one of the combatants says "I quit" on a microphone. In 2003, Johnson got a large tattoo that covers much of his chest and left arm. During his main career he was in the main event at WrestleMania three different years (1999, 2000, 2001). Intended to show a vicious streak in the Rock's character, the Rock hit Mankind in the head with a steel chair 11 times instead of the scripted five, five shots already being a risky amount (most wrestling matches in the Attitude Era involving steel chairs had at most 2 or 3 shots to the head). Mankind to become new WWE Champion", "The Rock's second WWE Championship reign", "WWE Looks Back At Super Bowl 'Halftime Heat' With The Rock vs. Mankind", "The Rock's third WWE Championship reign", "Stone Cold vs. [22], Though originally attached as producer and star, Johnson will now serve solely as the former on a film adaptation of The Janson Directive. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning the Rock, but Kurt Angle revealed his true allegiance by attacking Austin. [317][318], Johnson will co-produce and star in The King, a film about king Kamehameha Knuikea, founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. [154] After SummerSlam ended, the Rock was visibly angry at the crowd reaction. The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following WrestleMania XX. [319] Johnson is also attached to produce/star in a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China,[320][321] as well as project under development with Shane Black focusing on a new interpretation of Doc Savage. After the match, the Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom. and was bullied by a punk and waited for him after school and punched him in the face. [356], Johnson first met fellow University of Miami student Dany Garcia in the early 1990s. He returned in 2001 during the WCW/ECW invasion where he joined a team of WWE wrestlers at The Scorpion King (2002), a prequel to The Mummy Returns (2001).Dwayne has a daughter, Simone Alexandra Johnson, born in 2001, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and daughters, Jasmine, born in 2015, and Tiana Gia, born in 2018, with his wife, singer and songwriter Lauren Hashian. Trademark move: Charging Double Leg Spinebuster, Trademark Phrase: "Lay a smack down on your candy ass", Trademark phrase: "Do you smell what The Rock is cookin'?". Cast in the role in August 2015, the film was based on the theme-park ride of the same name. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.He made his wrestling debut in the USWA under the name Flex Kavanah where he won the tag team championship with Brett Sawyer. [288][289] In 2018, he starred in the action films Rampage and Skyscraper. Had a long reign as WWF Intercontinental champion for 9 months between December 1997 and August '98. First movie experience at 8-years-old was. [206], The Rock appeared at the 2015 Royal Rumble event on January 25, 2015, during the main event match, where he helped his relative Roman Reigns fend off Big Show and Kane after Reigns eliminated them from the match. When one talks of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's name is bound to pop up during the conversation. Johnson left WWE in 2004 and returned in 2011 as a part-time performer until 2013, making sporadic appearances until retiring in 2019. The match was billed as "icon versus icon", with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling; ultimately the Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8. He was majoring in criminology. " The birth story of the Rock is, before I did what I do now, many moons ago, I used to throw around 300-pound men for a . taping. He was assigned to Calgary's practice roster, but was cut two months into Calgary's 1995 season. [162], After failing to win a number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock went into another program with Stone Cold Steve Austin. When the classic Universal Orlando ride Earthquake: The Big One was redesigned in 2007, its new iteration, called Disaster!, featured Johnson in a prominent role. He also starred in the action comedy films Get Smart (2008), Central Intelligence (2016), Baywatch (2017), and Red Notice (2021). He was a member of Team WWF along with Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show. Olympia. Before he was called "The Rock," his football teammates at the University of Miami called him "Dewey" Johnson. [184] The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when the Rock pinned The Miz. Henry defeated him at Judgment Day: In Your House on October 18, 1998, after interference from Brown, effectively breaking up the stable. [171] On March 29, 2008, Johnson appeared to induct his father Rocky Johnson and grandfather Peter Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. College football recruiters ranked Johnson as one of the top ten high school defensive tackles in the nation. The title was renamed the World Championship during his second reign. Signed an endorsement deal with Under Armour. Like the school's football team, its track and field and wrestling teams competed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC), a high school athletic conference known for being among the nation's best. Reed has called Johnson the "realest" and most "down to earth, humble and talented" guy he knows. [132] Austin and Triple H then formed a tag team called The Power Trip,[133] while the Rock was indefinitely suspended in storyline. Johnsons enormous popularity extends far beyond the wrestling world, with the California native having become one of Hollywoods most successful superstars, and widely popular across the world. [271][272][273][274] He began his acting career on television while wrestling. [287] In 2016, Johnson co-starred with Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Central Intelligence and had a lead voice role in the Disney animated film Moana, in which he voiced the Polynesian demigod Maui. Since 2016, every movie Johnson has starred in has been produced by Seven Bucks Productions, which is his own company. He was a member of the Miami Hurricanes football team during his freshman year in 1991, and won that year's national championship. But at night when he steps into the ring, he becomes the chair-flinging, wisecracking wrestler known as The Rock. The Rock and his wife. [87][88], In the main event of the January 4, 1999, episode of Raw Is War, Mankind defeated the Rock for the championship after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock's popularity was fueled by his charisma and speaking abilities, which led to many catchphrases and merchandising opportunities. The Rock had another successful title defense against Benoit, Kane and The Undertaker, on September 24, at Unforgiven.[124]. I love the business. Results January 30, 2003", "WWE Ruthless Aggression Review: Hollywood Rock TJR Wrestling", "Ranking Every Steve Austin vs The Rock Match At Wrestlemania (Worst To Best)", "Be a part of the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony", "John Cena's Fruity Pebbles, Cookie Puss and Other Unflattering WWE Nicknames", "Raw: Finally, The Rock has returned to WWE", "The Rock costs Cena retained the championship at WrestleMania XXVII", "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 4/4: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live Raw The Rock & Austin live, fall-out from WrestleMania 27, Sin Cara debut", "The Rock to appear in Survivor Series tag team match", "WWE Survivor Series: The Rock and John Cena vs. In 2012 and '13 he came out of retirement to wrestle John Cena at 'Mania twice, both matches were also the main event. "My thought process started to change. Following his graduation, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders but was cut from the team in his first season. [57], Following his graduation, Johnson was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. She is a businesswoman, IFBB professional bodybuilder, and producer. He presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards. The donation was announced at the Miami premiere of, In an interview with "Entertainment Magazine", he no longer wants to be known as "The Rock". [111] However, the Rock's feet accidentally hit the floor during the reversal attempt although those watching the event on television did not see that. The Rock For President: Dwayne Johnson Reveals His Thoughts On Trump And The Muslim Ban. Dany Garcia is the ex-wife of American film star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. He posts about his hobby on social media from time to time, filling those posts with fishing lingo like "spinnerbaits" and "soft plastics." The next month, the Rock defeated Booker T, at SummerSlam, to win the WCW Championship for the first time. [335] Since then, they have released sneakers, headphones, and other apparel. [149][150] The Rock successfully defended the title at the Global Warning event against Triple H and Brock Lesnar after pinning Triple H.[151] On August 25, at SummerSlam, after interference from Lesnar's manager Paul Heyman, the Rock lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar along with the record for the youngest WWE Champion, which he had set in 1998. He then successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at Over the Edge: In Your House on May 31. [158][159] The Rock defeated Hogan at No Way Out before moving to the Raw brand. [306][307] A sequel to the box-office hit San Andreas was announced to be in the pre-production stage with the director of the first film, Brad Peyton, returning as director along with the main cast (marking the fourth collaboration between the two following Journey 2, San Andreas, and Rampage). In the late 1990s the charismatic Johnson, with his exotic good looks and signature eyebrow arch, helped make World Wrestling Smackdowns a part of must-see TV. [32] After wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association under the name Flex Kavana and winning the USWA tag team championship twice with his partner Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson was signed to a WWF contract. [99] The Rock then lost a number one contender's match to Triple H, at Fully Loaded, after interference from "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn. The event also saw the WWF debut of the famed WCW faction New World Order, which at the time consisted of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. [261] The term "smackdown" was instituted in Merriam-Webster dictionaries since 2007. Johnson grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova Scotian descent), and his mother is of Samoan background (her own father was Peter Fanene Maivia, also a professional wrestler). [279][329] In 2014, he hosted another TNT reality series entitled Wake Up Call. [269], At the 2021 Survivor Series, WWE held a 25-man Battle Royal to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Rock's WWE debut. [371], He got a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo on his left side in 2003. WWF fans started to reject his character and push from the company. This culminated in the Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship. The Rock's WCW Championship was renamed the unbranded "World Championship" following the Alliance's loss. Reigns then won the match and the Rock endorsed him in the ring. He debuted on Monday Night Raw as a member of Marc Mero's entourage on November 4, 1996. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time,[6][7] he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 5 on Entertainment Weekly's Top 12 Entertainers of the Year. Ata Johnson was born Ata Fitisemanu. Because of his retirement from the wrestling business, he now considers himself an actor: "I no longer am a wrestler, I am now pursuing a future as an actor and someday as a director. Aside from his accomplishments, one thing that has always intrigued Johnson's fans is his ethnicity. [97] The next night on Raw is War he was fired from the Corporation after he was betrayed by Shane McMahon, turning him face again and starting a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker and The Corporate Ministry. Audiences became increasingly hostile toward Maivia, with chants of "die, Rocky, die" and "Rocky sucks" being heard during his matches. [51][52][30], By his senior year at Freedom High School, Johnson had only played two years of high school football but the fact that he had excelled on a team in an elite high school athletic division known nationally for producing a long list of professional and Olympic-level athletes, including future NFL stars Andre Reed, Saquon Barkley, Kyzir White, and others, drew the attention of NCAA Division I collegiate programs. Debut", "10/04 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of The Rock's return, Kofi Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon in a career vs. career ladder match, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley", "WWE Legend The Rock Makes a Special Appearance on Impact Wrestling", "The Rock Comments On Inducting Ken Shamrock Into The Impact Hall Of Fame", "Wyclef, The Rock Shoot "It Doesn't Matter" Video", "AmIAnnoying.com Entertainment Weekly's Top 12 Entertainers of the Year [1999]", "AmIAnnoying.com Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power Ranking [2000]", "AmIAnnoying.com People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People [2000]", "AmIAnnoying.com Entertainment Weekly's 101 Most Influential People [2001]", "AmIAnnoying.com E! [141] The Rock then unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for the now Undisputed WWF Championship at Royal Rumble on January 20, 2002. 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