About Dwayne Douglas Johnson

Dwayne Douglas Johnson (May 2, 1972), also known—and sometimes credited—by his ring name The Rock, is an Americanactor and occasional professional wrestler who works for WWE, where in his return year in 2012, won the WWE Championship for an eighth time.

Johnson was a college football player. In 1991, he was on the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company's history. He was quickly pushed as a face in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", then as "The Rock". He turned heel as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, he won the WWF Championship and became one of the most popular wrestlers ever, primarily for his charismatic interviews and promos.

Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He has had 17 championship reigns in WWE, including 10 as a world heavyweight champion (the WWF/E Championship eight times and the WCW/World Championshiptwice), the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and theWWF Tag Team Championship five times. He is the sixth WWF/E Triple Crown Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Johnson's autobiography The Rock Says... (co-written with Joe Layden) was published in 2000. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks. Johnson's first leading film role was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this role, he was paid US$5.5 million, a world record for an actor in his first starring role. He has since appeared in several successful movies, including The Mummy Returns, The Rundown,Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart,Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, The Other Guys, Faster, Fast Five, G.I. Joe and Fast & Furious 6.


High school and college
High school in the Lehigh Valley

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). 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 lifelong 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.

Johnson has said one of his most enduring athletic memories was his participation on the Freedom High School football team when they beat cross-town rival Liberty High School in his senior year, saying: "I can still remember holding that trophy up in the air, running a lap with it. We had an awful year my senior year, but as long as we beat Liberty, nothing else mattered".
University of Miami

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. 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. Baltimore Ravens Linebacker and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis also played with Johnson on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes.

After his graduation from the University of Miami, Johnson, who was drafted by the NFL, signed a three-year contract with the Denver Broncos of the NFL, but was cut from the team 3 months later, without playing a game. (Note: some sources indicate he may have dressed for a CFL regular season game.)

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.

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

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. 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, becoming the sole survivor on his team. Johnson was first portrayed as a clean-cut babyface, and gained early success, winning the 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 join 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. Contrary to Rocky Maivia's super-nice guy personality, Johnson described his new character, The Rock, as himself with "the volume turned way up".
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 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. AtWrestleMania 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.

The Rock became wildly popular, establishing several much-quoted catchphrases including "If/Do you smell what The Rock is cookin'", "Lay the Smackdown", "Take that (object) shine it up real nice, turn that sum-bitch sideways, and stick it straight up your candy ass!", "It doesn't matter what you think!" (immediately after asking for the interviewer's opinion), "It doesn't matter what your name is!" (immediately after asking for the persons name), "Know your role, and shut your mouth!", "Don't give me all that monkey crap!, "Who is this roody pooh", ", "Jabroni" and "Just bring it!" (After which titles #2 through #4 of the five Sony PlayStation SmackDown! video games have been subtitled (WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, and WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth). In essence, it 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 became famous for referring 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, thus becoming the first World Champion of African-American descent in WWF history and at the time the youngest WWF world champion ever. 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 Steve Austin.

The Rock once again captured the WWF Title in a bloody "I Quit" match at the 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 atWrestleMania XV, against 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 Undertakerand the Corporate Ministry, and would sometimes find himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. His feud with the 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. 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 is to this day the single highest rated segment in terms of viewership in RAWhistory. As a singles competitor, The Rock participated in a six-pack challenge match at Unforgiven.
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 Big Show 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 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, The Rock captured the WWF Championship from Triple H after Steve Austinmade 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, which starredShawn 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 No Mercy 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. He also participated in the 6 Man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddonevent 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 was defeated again by Austin, after a shocking turn from the rattlesnake, who used Vince McMahon to win the title. Jim Ross is famously quoted as saying "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 kayfabe 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. AtSummerSlam, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship. He would later lose the WCW title to Chris Jericho 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 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. 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 defeatedKurt Angle and The Undertaker in a classic match at Vengeance, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Kurt Angle. He would lose it to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, in a match that saw the fans turn on The Rock again and cheer for Lesnar. This was his last title reign, 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 betrayingChris 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 in to help in his war with Evolution and Randy Orton. 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. This was his last appearance in a wrestling role. He made sporadic appearances in the WWE following Wrestlemania, including standing up for Eugene and helping Foley turn back La Resistance. His last appearance to date in WWE was hosting a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the 2004 WWE Diva Search. 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 predicted Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga in the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23.

On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia into theWWE Hall of Fame.

Return to WWE
Feud with John Cena (2011–2012)

On the February 14, 2011 episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans,Michael Cole, The Miz and John Cena, calling Cena a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", as a response to a shoot interview Cena did on The Rock a couple of years ago. The Rock claimed to love wrestling, having has been born into the business, a claim Cena argued. After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena, with whom he had been feuding with through Twitter. He made fun of Cena's clothing, calling him a "homeless Power Ranger" and "Vanilla Ice". After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock. He fended off Miz and Riley, then Cena blindsided him with the Attitude Adjustment.

On April 3, at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for the Attitude Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, The Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. He then hit The Miz with the People's Elbow. The next night on Raw, Cena challenged The Rock to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012. The Rock accepted the challenge. They then worked together to fend off an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater,Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson. The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, to celebrate his 39th birthday.

On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series on November 20. On the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead asked for The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth). The next week, The Rock granted Cena's request. On the November 14 episode of Raw, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to both members of Awesome Truth and Mick Foley. Foley had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena. At Survivor Series, despite their rivalry, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth when The Rock pinned The Miz after the People's Elbow. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.

Leading up to Wrestlemania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw. On the March 12 episode, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. He opined that, having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at previous Wrestlemanias, beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time. At WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock faced Cena in a main event hyped for a year and billed with the tagline "Once in a Lifetime". When an overconfident Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The Rock, he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin. The next night on Raw, The Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.
WWE Champion (2012–2013)

On July 23, 2012, at Raw 1000, The Rock announced he would face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble. During the show, he encountered WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. He later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk. On the January 7, 2013 Raw, The Rock returned to WWE to confront his Rumble opponent, the reigning champion CM Punk. He also made his first SmackDown appearance in ten years on the January 9 episode, attacking Team Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes. The Rock closed out the 20th anniversary episode of Raw on January 14 with one of his famous "Rock concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk. The following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship. On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield interfered. McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request, he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship, a win which marked The Rock's first WWE Championship reign in over ten years. Punk received a title rematch with The Rock at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship. The following night on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration, with an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates. The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his loss to The Rock the previous year. On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days.

Despite being advertised for the Raw after WrestleMania, where it was stated by then SmackDown General Manager Booker T that The Rock was still entitled a re-match for the WWE Championship, The Rock did not appear due to a legitimate injury sustained during WrestleMania, in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore from his pelvis. In August 2013, The Rock said that "if [he would] never wrestle again, [he would] be very content with that", but ultimately did not rule out a return.

Return to Wrestlemania XXX
The Rock returned at WrestleMania XXX along with Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He had said thatJohn Cena would fight in the name of Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, unless someone 29 years ago, vowed to eat their vitamins and say their prayers, referring to Hulk Hogan's motto. He had also said that Daniel Bryan would rise against the authority, but that wouldn't happen unless a certain bald-headed SOB had the guts to not only cross the boss but whip his candy ass, referring to Stone Cold's legendary rivalry with Mr. McMahon. The three then said their catchphrases, Hogan and Rock hugged, and to end their conversation, they celebrated with Stone Cold's trademark beer toast to Wrestlemania.

Hollywood
Fueled by the star power of The Rock and other stars such as Steve Austin, Mankind, Triple H, The Undertakerand Kane, the WWE experienced a massive surge in popularity not seen since Hulk Hogan's reign in the '80s. In particular, Johnson's well-liked interviews and storylines made WWF programming a popular person for wrestling fans.

From 1998 to 2002, The Rock feuded against the WWF's top stars, winning the WWE Championship seven times during his career, and 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. 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, 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.

Since his last in-ring appearance in the WWE in 2004, he has focused solely on acting, and starred in several popular movies such as The Rundown, Be Cool and Gridiron Gang. He has stated several times, when asked on talk shows and in the media, that he is done with wrestling.

Personal life

Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, a day after his 25th birthday. Their daughter, Simone Alexandra, was born August 14, 2001. On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably and intended to spend the rest of their lives together as best friends. Johnson co-wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden, titled The Rock Says.... It was published in 2000, debuting at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks.

Johnson is a good friend of actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Public activities

Johnson attended the 2000 Republican National Convention and the 2000 Democratic National Convention, and gave a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote.

Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, has royal blood, and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of Seiuli during his visit there in July 2004. He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team. During the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the team's website had a picture of him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back. He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo in 2003.
Philanthropy

In 2006, Johnson founded "The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation", a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children. On October 2, 2007, he and his ex-wife donated $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.

Wrestling facts
Finishing moves
People's Elbow / Corporate Elbow (Running delayed high-impact elbow drop, with theatrics, usually preceded by a spinebuster) – 1997–present
Rock Bottom (Fall forward lifting side slam) – 1997–present
Running shoulderbreaker – 1996

Signature moves
Float-over DDT
Flowing snap DDT, sometimes followed by a kip-up
Jumping clothesline
Running swinging neckbreaker
Running thrust lariat
Samoan drop
Scoop slam - 1997-2000, followed by the People's Elbow, replaced by the Spinebuster in 2000
Sharpshooter
Snap overhead belly-to-belly suplex, sometimes to an oncoming opponent
Spinebuster, usually followed by a People's Elbow
Diving Crossbody - 1996-1997, used as Rocky Maivia
Standing dropkick - 1996-1997

Nicknames
"The Samoan Sensation"
"The Blue Chipper"
"The People's Champion"
"The Brahma Bull"
"The Corporate Champion"
"The Great One"
"The Trailblazin', Eyebrow-Raisin', Jabroni beating, Pie-eating, Heart-stoppin', Elbow-droppin', People's Champ."
"The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment"
"The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment"
"Rocky"

Tag teams and stables
Rock 'n' Sock Connection - with Mankind
The Corporation
Nation Of Domination

Managers

Debra
Vince McMahon
Shane McMahon

Theme music
World Wrestling Entertainment
As Rocky Maiva
"Destiny" by Jim Johnston (1996 – 1997)
As The Rock
"Nation Of Domination" by Jim Johnston (1997 – 1998)
"Do You Smell It" by Jim Johnston (1998 – 1999)
"Know Your Role" by Jim Johnston (September 26, 1999 – April 2, 2001; 2004; 2007; 2008)
"Know Your Role" by Method Man (2000)
"If You Smell..." by Jim Johnston (July 30, 2001 – February 20, 2003)
"Is Cookin'" by Jim Johnston (February 23, 2003 – June 2, 2003; December 8, 2003; March 1, 2004)
""Electrifying"" by Jim Johnston (February 14, 2011 – present)
Wrestlers trained
Orlando Jordan
Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000)
PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000
PWI ranked him #76 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
United States Wrestling Association
USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
WCW/World Championship (2 times)1
WWF/E Championship (8 times)2
WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho(1)
Royal Rumble (2000)
Slammy Award for New Sensation (1997)
Slammy Award for Game Changer of the Year (2011 )
Slammy award for Guess Who's Back or Return of the Year (2011 )
Slammy Awards for LOL! Moment of the Year (2012 )
Sixth Triple Crown Champion
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Box Office Draw (2000)
Best Gimmick (1999)
Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
Most Charismatic (1999–2002)
Most Improved (1998)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

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Dwayne Johnson Facts: 29 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About The Rock

No matter the stage, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is one of the best performers of his generation.

Breaking out on the WWF circuit in the mid-90s as the smack-talking "The Rock," Johnson eventually outgrew the ring and brought his talents to the big screen. The starring roles came immediately with sleeper hits such as "The Rundown" (2003) and "Walking Tall" (2004), and it wasn't long before the big blockbusters came calling. This summer, Johnson is (extra) bulked up and portraying the mythical hero in "Hercules".

From his incredible wrestling lineage to his surprising NFL teammate, here are 29 things you probably don't know about Dwayne Johnson.

1. Dwayne Johnson was born May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California to Ata Maivia and Rocky Johnson, a professional wrestler.

2. Johnson's grandfather was also a professional wrestler, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, making The Rock a third-generation wrestler. In fact, he was the WWF's first third-generation wrestler, and was heavily hyped upon his professional arrival.

3. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was also a professional wrestling promoter and took over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband passed away.

4. He has several cousins and uncles who are/were also professional wrestlers. Needless to say, wrestling is a family business.

5. Johnson traveled around growing up, living in Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and even New Zealand as a child.

6. Johnson's father, Rocky Johnson, is of Black Nova Scotian origin, while his mother is of Samoan heritage.

7. Despite not having been born in Canada, The Rock became a Canadian citizen in 2009 due to changes in Canadian nationality law. In short, he gained the citizenship because his father was born in Canada. (He is also a citizen of the United States.)

8. When he was at high school in Pennsylvania, Johnson began playing football and, subsequently, earned a full scholarship to play defensive tackle at the University of Miami.

9. He was a member of the 1991 Miami Hurricanes' National Championship team.

10. Later, after an injury sidelined him, Johnson was replaced by future NFL star Warren Sapp.

11. He went undrafted by the NFL, but graduated with a degree in criminology and physiology.

12. With football still on his mind, Johnson joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), though was he cut only two months into their season.

13. Now that his football career was over, Johnson decided to join the family business. Rocky Johnson was initially reluctant for his son to become a wrestler, but ultimately he agreed to train him himself.

14. His first wrestling alter ego was Flex Kavana.

15. The name didn't stick, however, and Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia at the encouragement of Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. The name is a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names.

16. By 1997, the wrestler began going by The Rock, no longer even acknowledging his previous moniker.

17. The Rock had an incredibly accomplished wrestling career that included 8 WWF/WWE Championships before retiring in 2004.

18. He later returned to WWE part-time from 2011 to 2013.

19. In 2000, he was featured on Wyclef Jean's single "It Doesn't Matter" and also appeared inthe music video.

20. That same year, Johnson hosted "Saturday Night Live" and, subsequently, began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.

21. Soon after, he appeared on "Star Trek: Voyager," as an alien wrestler that not so coincidentally uses all of The Rock's signature moves.

22. He even appeared on "That '70s Show" as his father!

23. The Rock's film debut was as The Scorpion King in "The Mummy Returns" (2001).

24. The film launched the spinoff "The Scorpion King" (2002), which marked Johnson's first leading role.

25. He also received $5.5 million for the movie, the highest by an actor in his or her first starring role.

26. Around this time, he was considered to play Johnny Bravo in a big screen adaptation of the popular animated series. Unfortunately, the film never got off the ground.

27. It seems Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has had success wherever he turns. In 2013, Forbes named him the top-grossing actor of 2013, his films collectively earning over $1.3 billion at the box office worldwide.

28. As far as his personal life goes, Johnson married Dany Garcia in May, 1997 after dating since their days together at the University of Miami. The couple welcomed a daughter, Simone Alexandra, in 2001; however, the couple split in 2007.

Bonus Fact: Johnson co-wrote his autobiography "The Rock Says..." in 2000. The book debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for about five months!

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The Drive (and Despair) of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson on His Depression, Decision to Fire Agents and Paul Walker's Death

His movies grossed $1.3 billion last year. Now the underestimated A-lister attempts to own summer again as he reveals how he rebooted his career and the bouts of depression that pushed him: "Eventually you are all cried out."

This story first appeared in the June 27 issue of The Hollywood Reportermagazine.

It's mid-June in Australia, and I'm working out in a Gold Coast gym with the artist formerly known as The Rock.

Well, working out is something of an exaggeration for this exercise in masochism, as Dwayne Johnson guides me through three different triceps maneuvers, then tackles the biceps, making each merciless hammer curl look as easy as lifting a chicken wing.

"Lower it all the way," says Johnson, 42, slyly amused by my trepidation, "then you'll get that extra part of the muscle working. Like this ..."

I watch his biceps bulge like a balloon. The man isn't just huge, he's gargantuan — a 6-foot-5, 252-pound mountain of muscle, his arms hardened and honed, his chest as big as a bull's. His upper body is covered with tattoos: a flower on his shoulder blossoms into a full-blown male figure on his chest, with a healthy smattering of shark's teeth thrown in for protection. "The warrior is over my heart, which is the overall sentiment," he says. In case you didn't guess.

This is Hollywood's reigning action hero, an ambitious wrestler turned actor, as smart as he is supple, as driven as he is dynamic. Combining several traits of the '90s action stars — the wit of Willis, the strength of Schwarzenegger, the heart of Stallone — he's become the go-to guy for studios anxious to reboot their franchises.

But his aspirations are far greater than being a repo man for the majors. "What do I want?" he says. "I want the world."

Twelve years after Johnson's inauspicious big-screen debut in 2001's The Mummy Returns — and after a decade of "singles and doubles," as he puts it — he is poised to go from a dependable player to MVP, if two mammoth upcoming releases deliver.

First is MGM/Paramount's sword-and-sandals epic Hercules, due out July 25. Then there's the 2015 Warner Bros. earthquake disaster flick San Andreas, which Johnson is shooting here in Australia at a salary of about $12 million — the type of number that makes even other A-listers blink.

All this comes after Johnson reached a turning point in 2011, when, dissatisfied with everything he was making (Tooth Fairy, anyone?), he switched agents (from CAA to WME) and publicists, convinced he could do better. "It was incredibly difficult because you develop a friendship over the years," he says. "But it just dawned on me: Change has to happen."

Since then, his star has soared. He helped propel G.I. Joe: Retaliation to a worldwide box-office take of $376 million ($74 million more than its predecessor) and boostedJourney 2: The Mysterious Island to a worldwide gross of $335 million (nearly $100 million more than Journey to the Center of the Earth). More impressive, after he joined the Fast & Furious ensemble in 2011, its earnings doubled, with Fast Five making $626 million compared with its predecessor's $363 million. Fast & Furious 6 went on to generate a whopping $789 million, and Fast & Furious 7 is set to open in April.

His five releases in 2013 together reaped $1.3 billion — more than any other star's box office last year — making him, at least as far as his Hercules and San Andreasproducer Beau Flynn is concerned, "the biggest star around."

Johnson has the ease and confidence to go with it. He projects a comfort level with success that makes you think things always have been this way and always will be.

Which makes it all the more surprising to learn this is the same guy who endured massive upheaval as a child; got into frequent trouble with the law as a teenager; was kicked out of his home at 14; and faced the end of everything he had dreamed about when he was dumped as a professional football player, sending him into a crippling tailspin of despair.

"I didn't want to do a thing," he recalls. "I didn't want to go anywhere. I was crying constantly. Eventually you reach a point where you are all cried out."

Sitting in the cavernous living room of his rented house a few hours after our workout, wearing a hoodie that has his hero Muhammad Ali's name scrawled across it, Johnson shows no trace of his turbulent past.

He chats happily about his nonworking life — about the books he's reading (MalcolmGladwell's Outliers and Hillary Clinton's Hard Choices), the TV shows he watches (HBO's Real Sports, Oprah's Lifeclass and Locked Up Abroad) and his love of fishing. "I'm a passionate, hardcore fisherman," he says. "Biggest fish I caught? A 200-pound tarpon."

He also speaks openly of his live-in girlfriend, writer-musician Lauren Hashian, 29 ("She embraced and loved me at my very worst and lifted me up to be my very best"), and of his ex-wife and longtime manager, Dany Garcia, 45 (whom he met as a student and divorced in 2008). The mother of his 12-year-old daughter, Simone, Garcia oversees every aspect of his business empire, and her family has become his — her brother, Hiram, is Johnson's producing partner; her husband, Dave Rienzi, is his conditioning coach.

He describes his current life with a sophistication not always apparent onscreen, laughing readily and infectiously. But his past is never too far from his mind. "I remember it as if it were yesterday," he says.

Johnson was 14 when he came home and found an eviction notice pinned to the door. He was living in Hawaii with his mother, Ata, while his father, Rocky, a professional wrestler, was scraping a living going from one wrestling circuit to another. (An only child, Johnson is the son of a Samoan mom and an African-American dad.)

"We were living in an efficiency that cost $120 a week," he recalls. "We come home, and there's a padlock on the door and an eviction notice. My mom starts bawling. She just started crying and breaking down. 'Where are we going to live? What are we going to do?' "

Johnson was devastated. He almost chokes up describing that time and his sense of hopelessness. Just a week earlier, he'd witnessed his mother in tears when her car was repossessed; he had added to her burden by getting into fights and joining a theft ring that preyed on the most affluent stores in Waikiki, which often landed him in the hands of the police.

 to move some 13 times during his childhood, staying in some places for just a few months at a time. Once, in Nashville, after he had sprouted to his full height, his fellow students were convinced he was an undercover cop and refused to talk to him. "It was like I had an APB out on me," he says.

As his mother scrambled for the work that would land them a new home, he resolved never to go through this again.

"That was the tipping point," he says. "It was about, 'What can I control with these two hands?' The only thing I could do was train and build my body. The successful men I knew were men who built their bodies."

And that's what he did — pounded his muscles with weights, pushing himself until he went from being a gangly, pimpled youth to a leviathan who could legitimately envision a career in the NFL.

At 18, he won a full football scholarship to the University of Miami and was ecstatic when he was the only freshman chosen to play, a rarity in college football. He was in love with the game and even dabbled in steroids, thinking that might help, though only for a while, as he didn't see the desired effect. "I tried them when I was 18, me and my football buddies. Nothing happened," he says.

Then, in his freshman year, he sustained the first of several serious injuries: "My shoulder popped out of its socket and was just hanging there." It sent him plummeting into his first of three depressions. "I didn't know what it was," he says. "I didn't know why I didn't want to do anything. I had never experienced anything like that."

He dropped out of school without even taking his midterms and went to stay with his parents in Tampa. For weeks, he remained there, his shoulder in a sling, lethargic and unable to break out of his despair, until his coach called.

"He says, 'Get your ass in a car and come back right now,' " remembers Johnson. "He was so embarrassed and pissed. It's one thing when you go through an injury and depression. It's another when you walk away and say, 'F— it.' "

He did what he was told and restored his standing at the school, still clinging to the dream of playing in the NFL. But more injuries affected his game, and when the draft came, he wasn't picked.

In 1995, he was signed by the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders at a yearly salary of $35,000, nothing like the six figures he had imagined that would have allowed him to make down payments on a home for his mom. Then things got worse: Within months, he was relegated to the practice team, which paid a mere $250 a week.

He was nearly broke, forced to share a two-bedroom apartment with three other players, eating ramen noodles and spaghetti and sleeping on a filthy mattress he had found ditched outside a pay-by-the-hour sex motel. Finally, his coach told him he was being cut. "You hear the words you never want to hear as a player: 'Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook,' " says Johnson. "There was no injury. It's just, 'That's it. You're not good enough.' That was very sobering."

Experiencing a second depression even worse than the first, he returned to Miami, where the stress led him to split with Garcia. (They would reconcile soon after.) "The dreams I had, they're dashed," he explains. "There is no more football. My relationship was crushed. That was my absolute worst time."

With no car, he called his father asking for a ride, and as they took the four-hour drive from Miami to Tampa, Johnson says: "I looked in my pocket, and I had seven bucks. Wow. Seven bucks to my name."

Abandoning football, he followed his father and grandfather into wrestling, taking the moniker "Rocky Maivia" from his dad's first name and his granddad's last. His father reluctantly agreed to train him, afraid Dwayne was embarking on the same hardscrabble life that had cost him so much pain.

After a few false starts — when fans rejected Johnson's nice-guy image as fake and booed him with the chant, "Rocky sucks!" — he reinvented himself as a bad guy. "There are two terms in wrestling," says Johnson. "Baby face is your hero, heel is your villain. I had no choice but to go heel."

Rocky became The Rock.
He went on to become one of the most successful wrestlers in history, with 17 championship reigns. "I loved it," he says. "I loved the showmanship, and I loved the theatricality. It was so entertaining and over-the-top, and I was always mesmerized by these guys."

The Rock made millions for himself and the WWE, working closely with its chairman,Vince McMahon, to whom he still turns for counsel. He became one of the few modern wrestlers to cross over into mainstream pop culture because, he says, he dared to add a dash of comedy to his bad-guy turn. WWE capitalized on that with massive merchandising (Garcia says together they still are creating six or seven new products a month) and even animated shows like Slam City that feature The Rock as a character.

Five years after Johnson started wrestling, a 2000 hosting stint on Saturday Night Liveled to The Mummy Returns, which was followed by more than a dozen films including 2005's Be Cool, 2007's The Game Plan and 2008's Get Smart. Still, the star knew something was missing.

"I was told that I had to conform to a standard in Hollywood that would beget me more work, better roles," he explains. "Which meant I had to stop going to the gym, which meant I couldn't be as big, which meant you had to distance yourself from wrestling. You essentially had to deconstruct yourself."

For a while, he says, he bought into that, in part because he did not have the high-level industry contacts he could turn to for advice. "Then that started to not feel good to me. It reached a point of, 'I'm not feeling authentic.' "

"After [2010's] Tooth Fairy," says Garcia, "we recognized that Dwayne was moving away from his core of who he was."

First they changed publicists. But it was only after a long telephone conversation with Garcia and business manager Howard Altman in 2011 that Johnson realized he had to go further.

The real turnaround came after CAA put together Johnson's Fast Five deal, when he debated returning to the ring for the first time in years, a move his representatives at CAA strongly cautioned against. (He would do so in April 2011 for WrestleMania XXVII.) That was when he bolted.

On McMahon's advice, Johnson spoke to WME's Ari Emanuel, who flew to Johnson's Florida home the next day and invited him and Garcia to a meeting in L.A. with about 150 WME staff, including the man who would become Johnson's key rep, Brad Slater. Johnson was stunned by their enthusiasm and hunger, a hunger he shared.

"I felt there were bigger and better opportunities," he says. "I also felt there was franchise potential, hopefully multiple franchises in every genre — whether drama or comedy or action-comedy. I thought, 'I want people around me who see this, too. And if we fail, that's OK. We are going to fail swinging for the fences.' "

Hercules is part of that swing.

Johnson had contemplated telling the Greek demigod's story ever since seeing the 1958 version of his story with Steve Reeves. He was developing his own film on the subject when he got a call about starring in an MGM movie.

Soon, he signed on with Brett Ratner as director, and the pair prepared for a grueling four-month shoot in Budapest, Hungary. The challenge wasn't easy; unlike his supporting role in the Fast & Furious films, this would mean being in peak physical condition, day in and day out — showmanship level, beyond even his tip-top shape forPain & Gain.

"You think automatically because he's a body builder, he can do that stuff," says Ratner — in other words, bulk up and stay there for months. "But he had to get up at 2 or 3 in the morning, work out, eat 10 times a day. He had to drink tremendous fluids to keep hydrated. I was always worried about burning him out because it's hard to maintain that level of energy. The crazy part is, three weeks before we started shooting, he whips his groin muscle and gets a hernia."

Johnson had suffered a bad injury in his 2013 return to the ring, when he fell and tore both his rectus tendon and adductor muscle while fighting former nemesis John Cena. After seeing a doctor, he opted against surgery. Two days later, by sheer coincidence, something else went wrong.

"I came in for a checkup and pulled my pants down, and the doctor goes, 'Oh! That's a hernia,' " says Johnson. "Your abdominal wall gets weak and your organs push through. The doctor said, 'You need to lie down,' and slowly starts to push my intestines back in my stomach. He said, 'I would really recommend surgery.' "

That was two weeks before the start of production, and this time Johnson had no choice but to say yes, though the shoot now had to be delayed a month at a cost of $2 million. He was lucky: Other than the delay in shooting, production went well. But soon after his return to Florida, he got devastating news: His Fast & Furious friendPaul Walker had died in a car crash.

"I was driving with Lauren when she immediately turned very quiet and was looking at me, studying, wondering if I knew," he recalls of that November day. "I pulled over and looked at my messages and had a moment where I just caught my breath. We said a prayer right then to give his daughter strength — because we had talked about our daughters. That's what we would talk about. Both of us were divorced, and we talked about the power of being a dad and the strong connection of a dad and his girl. Then once we got home, we started bawling."

The following day, Johnson spoke to NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer, and the studio began the long process of figuring out what to do. "I had one day of shooting left, and we still have one day left, which we'll shoot in a month or two," says Johnson. As for Walker, he thinks about him a lot. "He was a beautiful man, and in that crazy world, that's really something."

When not filming, Johnson gets up at 4 a.m., does around 30 minutes of cardio, then grabs breakfast (his first of six daily meals) before hitting the weights. Working from his base in Fort Lauderdale, he oversees a fledgling production company, the appropriately named 7 Bucks Entertainment, with a five-man staff there and other employees in Los Angeles and London, pushing into film and TV.

He has a new HBO series, Ballers, a sports-related Entourage in which he will appear as a sports agent, that starts shooting in the fall; and Wake Up Call, a reworked version of his canceled TNT reality-competition series The Hero, where he will help people turn their lives around.

He also is preparing a second autobiography, following his 2000 best-seller The Rock Says. The new, untitled volume is out in the fall, and in addition to his film career, it may go into his 2008 divorce, which plunged him into a third depression — though he doesn't go into details of his breakup. "Once I manned up and became accountable for the mess I was in, that's when it all hit me," he says. "What kind of dad does this make me? What kind of man will I now become? Failing at marriage and as a husband was a heavy thing, and divorce had that special way of knocking me on my ass."

He has not ruled out a return to the ring, though he says its scale — both as an event and a payday — would have to equal or exceed his 2013 fight, and he continues to work with WWE, though film is his real focus.

"He appeals to all ethnicities," says Flynn. "He's very modern. His base is young and his base is old. He also shares himself with his fans through social media — he's got almost 50 million followers — and it's him, not someone else doing it."

Now Johnson is turning to the foreign markets he knows are pivotal to a contemporary star's success.

"In 2014, 70 percent of the punching power of a movie star is outside North America," says New Line Cinema president and COO Toby Emmerich, who is overseeing San Andreas. "When he did a publicity tour in Asia for Journey 2, the reaction he got from fans and the media [was] a needle-mover. Like Will Smith and Tom Cruise, he's building an international audience with good movies and boots on the ground. That's the recipe for a global movie star."

Which is precisely what Johnson wants. He knows he has been given a chance, and he plans to seize it. "I grew up where, when a door closed, a window didn't open," he says. "The only thing I had was cracks. I'd do everything to get through those cracks — scratch, claw, bite, push, bleed. Now the opportunity is here. The door is wide open and it's as big as a garage."

Rebecca Sun contributed to this report.

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What Is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Net Worth?

Every time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appears in a World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE) ring he pads his bank account for relatively little work.

Show up, raise an eyebrow, deliver his signature catchphrases, maybe throw a "People's Elbow," and the one-time wrestling champion, now major movie star, earns millions a year. World Wrestling Entertainment does not publish wrestler pay, but The Rock remains one of its biggest stars and merchandise sellers even though he only appears a few times a year.

Of course, working in a wrestling ring has not been Johnson's principle means of income for many years. The star has made the leap to movies in a way that no wrestler before him did. This isn't Hulk Hogan making schlock like Mr. Nanny or even "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's well-regarded performance in They Live, this is arguably the biggest action star in the world appearing in franchises films including Furious 7 and summer tentpoles such as the upcoming earthquake disaster pic San Andreas.

Though he appeared at WrestleMania and still cashes some hefty WWE checks (reported to be about $3.5 million a year) the bulk of Johnson's $52 million in 2014 earnings, according to Forbes, came from his movie paychecks. 

 

THE ROCK APPEARS ALONGSIDE WWE LEGENDS INCLUDING ANDRE THE GIANT IN THE OPENING MONTAGE ON THE COMPANY'S TELEVISION PROGRAMS. SOURCE: WWE.

How much does "The Rock" get paid?
Compared to making movies and television shows, being a pro wrestler doesn't pay that well. Even the top wrestlers make only a few million a year -- perhaps $5 million or $6 million for stars such as Johnson or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a successful year. That's partly because the world has only one major wrestling promoter, WWE, which limits performers' leverage. Yes, there are secondary companies, and some players in Japan and Mexico, but they don't do enough business to compete with WWE for talent.

The movie business, however, has no restrictions, and Johnson has made nearly all the right moves. He carved out a high-paying niche by headlining family movies including Tooth Fairy and became part of surefire successes like the ongoing Fast & Furious saga.

That versatility and his varied box office hits have enabled the actor to command as much as $20 million for a starring role, according to The Richest. He doesn't get that for every part, but he reportedly was paid more to join the Fast & Furious franchise, according toGoBankingRates.com.

Johnson also has dabbled in television, producing a number of reality shows and the upcoming HBO series Ballers, in which he also appears. "The Rock's" TV projects have yet to include a hit, so they are not likely major contributors to his net worth

What is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's net worth?
Though estimates vary, sources ranging from OK! Magazine to CelebrityNetWorth.com peg Johnson's fortune at between $125 million and $150 million. That estimate seems a little high given that the star has gone through a divorce, but Johnson's split from Dany Garcia in 2008 was not a typical breakup. The two, who split custody of their child, remain in a business relationship and Garcia did not take any alimony, TMZ reported.

Instead, she remains Johnson's business partner, earning over $700,000 a year as his financial manager and sometimes producing partner. That deal, which is especially rare for high-profile divorces, leaves "The Rock" with most of his fortune intact, making the $125 million-$150 million estimate plausible.

Of course, Johnson has many years of prime earning power ahead and should add to his nest egg, assuming the public continues to smell what "The Rock" is cooking.

Something big just happened
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Johnson, Dwayne "The Rock"

Johnson, Dwayne "The Rock"

Professional wrestler, actor

Although Dwayne Johnson is not a superhero out of a comic book, he does have an alter ego. By day he is a somewhat mild-mannered husband and father. But at night when he steps into the ring, he becomes the chair-flinging, wisecracking wrestler known as The Rock. 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. By the mid-2000s, he had such a following that he was dividing his time between the mat and the big screen. Some observers felt that Hollywood had found its next big-budget action idol, and many predicted that Johnson would have no problem filling the shoes of America's favorite muscleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was now busy in his new role as governor of California.

Third generation wrestler
Johnson is a third-generation wrestler. His mother's father, Peter "High Chief" Maivia, was a professional wrestler of Samoan descent whose heritage served as the basis for his ring persona. Samoa is an island nation located in the South Pacific, and Maivia played the part of an island native, wearing his hair long, wrestling barefoot, and sporting traditional tattoos over most of his body. While on the wrestling circuit he became acquainted with an up-and-coming African American wrestler named Rocky Johnson. During a visit with Maiva's family, Johnson met High Chief's daughter, Ata. The two eventually married, and on May 2, 1972, the couple had a son, whom they named Dwayne Douglas Johnson.

Johnson was born in Hayward, California, but he grew up all over the country, since the family moved around to accommodate Rocky Johnson's wrestling career. Because of the family's frequent moves, young Dwayne had a difficult time making friends. He was also teased by other children about his father's profession, and about his size—even as a youngster, Johnson was bigger than average. As a result, he had a quick temper, and as Johnson admitted to Samantha Miller of People, he was even arrested several times for fighting. "It was all youth and stupidity," he explained. In the mid-1980s, however, the Johnsons settled down long enough for Dwayne to begin attending Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where an interest in sports helped calm the young man down.

"My work, my goal, my life, it's like a treadmill. And there's no stop-button on my treadmill. Once I get on, I just keep going."

At Freedom High, Johnson boxed and ran track, but he pursued football with a vengeance, hoping to win a scholarship in order to become the first member of his family to go to college. He was a standout star, and by his senior year he was named to USA Today 's high school All-American team. Before graduation Johnson was recruited by several colleges, but he chose to head to Florida to attend the University of Miami, where he played defensive tackle. He soon became known for his talents on the gridiron, but was also known for his crazy antics. During one game against San Diego in 1992, millions of people watched on television as he raced around the field chasing the opponent's mascot, a man in a giant Aztec warrior costume.

Johnson's future in football looked bright until he suffered a back injury during his senior year. He was so depressed that he cut classes and his grade point average (GPA) dropped to a dangerously low 0.7. Not only was he sitting on the bench, he was also on academic probation. Johnson pulled himself together, thanks in part to his future wife, Dany Garcia, a business major he met while in Miami. Garcia encouraged him to hit the books, and in 1995 he graduated with a degree in criminology and a respectable 2.9 GPA.

Enter Rocky Maivia

Because of his injury, Johnson was not picked to play for the National Football League (NFL) during the 1995 draft, but he still pinned his hopes on a career in pro football. When he was offered a contract by the Calgary Stampeders, he signed on the dotted line and headed toCanada. Life in Canada was miserable. Johnson saw little field action and was paid less than $200 per week to be a practice-squad player. He rented a tiny, dingy apartment and slept on a mattress he found near a local dumpster. His salary left little room for food, so Johnson took to attending every Stampeder meeting, even though he didn't have to, because he knew sandwiches would be served. He was determined to stick it out, but in an abrupt move, Johnson was let go by the football franchise to make room for a former NFL player. "That was hard," he told Zondra Hughes of Ebony. "I was supposed to be reaping the fruits of my labor, and there I was in Canada having to start all over again."

Johnson returned to Florida where both his parents and Dany Garcia lived, and immediately approached his father with a proposal: he wanted to be trained as a wrestler. His decision was made partially out of necessity, but Johnson also had a real love of the sport. After all, he had seen his first wrestling match when he was three weeks old, and when he was six years old his father had taught him such basic moves as the headlock and the armlock. Rocky Johnson, however, had his doubts. He knew that the life of a wrestler was not an easy one and he wanted to spare his son the tough road he had walked. Rocky finally relented, and for the next few months kept the would-be sparrer on a grueling training schedule.

When he felt prepared enough, Johnson contacted a colleague of his grandfather's, who helped open the door for a tryout with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although promoters were impressed enough to sign a contract with him, Johnson still had to pay his initial dues by spending some time in Memphis, Tennessee, performing in the WWF second-tier system, the Unites States Wrestling Alliance. During the summer of 1996 Johnson wrestled in promotional matches using the name Flex Kavana, and earned about $40 per night. In August he was given his second professional tryout, this time pitted against a well-known wrestler named Owen Hart. He did so well that he was transferred to Connecticut where the WWF headquarters and training facility were located.

On November 16, 1996, just one year after hitting a low point in Canada, Johnson made his professional wrestling debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He performed under the name of Rocky Maivia, a nod to both his father and grandfather. The WWF event was called the Survivor's Series, and Johnson, as Rocky Maivia, was considered to be a "good guy" or, in wrestling terminology, a "babyface." His "bad guy" opponent, or the "heel" in the match, was Paul Levesque, more commonly known as Triple H.
The Rock is unveiled

Johnson quickly became a hit with wrestling crowds, and in February of 1997 he captured his first WWF championship, making him, at age twenty-four, the youngest wrestler to win a belt. But just a few months later Rocky was being booed during matches. Apparently the fickle audience members were becoming much more interested in rooting for the "bad guys," and in a business where image is everything, Johnson had some rethinking to do. In mid-1997, after suffering a knee injury, he took some time off to recuperate, to marry his longtime girlfriend Dany Garcia, and to strategize.

Wrestling in the late 1990s was not the world of wrestling Johnson's father had inhabited. In 1979 the regional federations that existed throughout the United States had been consolidated into a single organization known as the World Wrestling Federation, and by the mid-1980s pro wrestling had evolved from an athletic sport into a form of high-energy entertainment. Wrestlers now admitted that their moves were choreographed and that the outcomes of the matches were pre-determined. Wrestling had become big business, attracting millions of fans and earning millions of dollars for promoters and the main attractions, the wrestlers.

Johnson and WWF writers and producers worked long and hard to come up with just the right image for the handsome, six-foot-four-inch, 270-pound newcomer. What finally emerged was a character named The Rock, who would transform the world of wrestling. According to Johnson, who spoke with Sona Charaipotra of People, "The Rock is Dwayne Johnson with the volume turned all the way up." Wearing black boots, black briefs, and with a tattoo of a Brahmabull on his twenty-two-inch bicep, The Rock was touted as part of the Nation of Domination, a league of "bad boy" wrestlers. He also became a formidable force both inside and outside the ring, especially when he glared at opponents and the press with a menacing lift of his right eyebrow.

When The Rock was unveiled on August 11, 1997, in Jackson, Mississippi, the crowd went wild, and over the next several years fans stood in line to catch the next installment in his wrestling storyline. Producers pitted him against various characters in mock grudge matches, and The Rock won, then lost, then regained his federation championship several times. Along the way, Johnson became perhaps the most popular wrestler in the history of the sport. He was known as The People's Champion, and his signature eyebrow move even took on a name—The People's Eyebrow. In addition, The Rock became a merchandising gold mine. His image appeared on T-shirts, posters, and Halloween masks; and there were Rock action figures and video games. By the 2000s, according to Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly, the WWF was bringing in $120 million in merchandise sales per year, thanks solely to Johnson.

Pins down the big screen

Johnson's appeal was not limited to wrestling fans, although he is credited with almost doubling the WWF's female fan base, thanks in large part to his movie-star good looks. He was so popular that in 2000, when he published his autobiography, The Rock Says, the book stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for an astonishing twenty weeks. Johnson drew record crowds at book signings, and began popping up on television, both to promote his book and to take on small acting roles. He made several appearances on the late-night comedy programSaturday Night Live, and was featured on such TV shows as DAG, Star Trek: Voyager, and That '70's Show. The next logical step was the big screen.

In 2001 Johnson appeared briefly in the summer blockbuster The Mummy Returns, for which he was paid, in Hollywood terms, a paltry $500,000. Although he was given only minutes of screen time, producers were impressed enough that they built a movie around Johnson'sMummy character, called The Scorpion King. The film, which was released in 2002, is an action-adventure movie set in ancient Egypt. Johnson plays Mathayus, a desert warrior who is determined to save his people from an evil conqueror named Memnon. If he succeeds, he will take his rightful place as the Scorpion King. Although the movie was definitely not high drama, considering that Johnson's character spent most of his time swinging a sword and slashing his enemies, the would-be actor took his role seriously. In fact, he worked closely with an acting coach throughout the shooting of the film.

When The Scorpion King hit theaters in April of 2002, it made more than $36 million during its opening weekend. Critics discussed the digitized action sequences and compared the movie toThe Mummy, but most focused on Johnson and his million-dollar performance ($5 million, to be exact). In various reviews he was called a big-screen champ and the new face of Hollywood action. As Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly put it, "The Rock commands the screen as naturally as he does the ring."

The Scorpion King opened up a whole new career for Johnson. In 2003 he followed up Scorpionwith The Rundown, another action movie, but one with a comedic edge that allowed him more acting freedom. Again, reviewers were pleasantly surprised. They called The Rundown a movie that was a cut above the average shoot-'em-up blockbuster, and they praised Johnson's portrayal of Beck, a bounty hunter set loose in the Amazon jungles of Brazil. In particular, critics praised his comedic abilities, which viewers had glimpsed in his television roles. Johnson's acting coach, Larry Moss, told Gillian Flynn in Entertainment Weekly, "The action roles were obviously what he was commercially designed to do in the beginning, but he can play real comedy, and I hope he does after all the action-star stuff."

The most electrifying man in sports

By the mid-2000s, Johnson was a full-fledged movie star. In 2004 he made his dramatic debut in Walking Tall, playing Chris Vaughn, a club-wielding sheriff who battles drug dealers and con artists who threaten to take over his peaceful Washington town. There were also several other movies in the pipeline, including two comedies, Be Cool (2004), a sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, and Instant Karma, slated to open in 2005.

Although busy with his many film roles, Johnson still managed to maintain his hectic wrestling schedule. This meant that between filming he was still out on the road, performing and promoting for more than two hundred days a year. Such a demanding schedule was hard on family life, especially considering that Johnson and Dany had their first child, daughter Simone Alexandra, in 2001. Even on the road, however, Johnson claims that he finds the time to call Dany every day, and he still retains close ties to his mother. As Hughes commented, "The Rock is a mama's boy." But The Rock is also a very determined man who has pumped-up plans for the future. As he told Hughes, "I want to do more in the WWF. I want to do more in the movie industry. Ultimately, I want to be the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, period."

For More Information

Books
Johnson, Dwayne, with Joe Layden. The Rock Says … The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. New York: Regan Books, 2000.

Periodicals

Charaipotra, Sona. "The Rock Sounds Off." People (April 19, 2004): p. 30.

Flynn, Gillian. "Rock of Ages: Wrestler, Actor, Action Hero?" Entertainment Weekly (May 3, 2002): pp. 10–12.

Gleiberman, Owen. "Rock Formation: The Scorpion King, a Bare-Bones Prequel to the Mummy Movies, Gives The Rock a Solid Step toward Stardom." Entertainment Weekly (April 26, 2003): pp. 117–118.

Gostin, Nicki. "Newsmakers: Interview with The Rock." Newsweek (April 12, 2004): p. 71.

Hughes, Zondra. "The Rock Talks about Race, Wrestling, and Women." Ebony (July 2001): p. 32.

Leyner, Mark. "The Rock is an Onion." Time (April 29, 2002): p. 81.

Miller, Samantha. "Bigger, Boulder: Scorpion King's The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, Wrestles with Fatherhood, Fame—and Flab?." People (May 6, 2002): pp. 109+.

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