Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
The Rock,
is an American actor and former
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time,
he was integral to the development and success of the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF, now WWE) during the
Attitude Era
The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a pe ...
, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Johnson wrestled for the WWF for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career.
His films have grossed over in North America and over worldwide, making him one of the world's
highest-grossing and highest-paid actors.
Prior to his emergence as a top-grossing actor beginning in the 2010s, Johnson was an athlete. At
Freedom High School in
Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem Township is a township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of Bethlehem Township was 23,730 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Bethlehem and is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan statistical area, ...
in the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
, he ultimately emerged as a standout on the school's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
teams, which competed in the
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (known informally as EPC, EPC18 and East Penn Conference) is an athletic conference consisting of 18 large high schools from Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono M ...
, a conference known for producing top professional and
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
athletes. He credits his high school football coach with helping inspire transformational changes in his life, which before entering sports in 11th grade had been characterized by fights and petty crimes as a high-school teenager. His football capabilities at Freedom High School led him to be ranked as one of the top ten
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
high-school prospects in the nation, drawing the attention of several
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
college football programs.
Johnson accepted an athletic scholarship to play at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, one of the country's top college football programs. As a college freshman, he was a member of the University of Miami's
1991 national championship team but largely spent his four college football years at the University of Miami in backup roles behind elite players, including future
NFL star and
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
inductee
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp played college football at Miami, where h ...
.
["Suspension at Freedom High took Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from troubled teen to one of world's 'most likable people',"](_blank)
''The Morning Call'', January 4, 2021 Johnson aspired to play professional football but went undrafted in the
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Th ...
. Following his graduation from the University of Miami that year, he signed with the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
but was cut from the team in his first season.
In 1996, Johnson's father
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
, a longtime professional wrestler, assisted in helping him secure a contract with the WWF.
Johnson quickly rose to global prominence, aided by a
gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
he employed as a charismatic trash-talker. Johnson left WWE in 2004 and returned in 2011 as a part-time performer until 2013, making sporadic appearances until retiring in 2019. A 10-time
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, including the promotion's first of African-American descent,
he is also a
two-time Intercontinental Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
, a
five-time Tag Team Champion, the
2000 Royal Rumble winner, and WWE's sixth
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
champion. Johnson headlined the most-bought professional wrestling
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
) and was featured among the most watched episodes of WWE's flagship television series (''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' and ''
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'').
Johnson's first film appearance was in ''
The Mummy Returns
''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Dway ...
'' (2001). The following year he played his first leading role as the titular character in the
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...
film ''
The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
'' (2002). He has since starred in family films ''
The Game Plan'' (2007), ''
Race to Witch Mountain
''Race to Witch Mountain'' is a 2009 American science fiction adventure thriller film directed by Andy Fickman, starring Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, with AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Ciarán Hinds, and Carla Gugino. The latest in a se ...
'' (2009), ''
Tooth Fairy
The Tooth Fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures. The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table and ...
'' (2010), and ''
Jungle Cruise
Jungle Cruise, formally named Jungle River Cruise, is a riverboat amusement ride located in the Adventureland themed section at various Disney theme parks worldwide. The attraction is a simulated riverboat cruise that travels along a waterway ...
'' (2021), as well as the action adventure films ''
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'' (2012), ''
G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' (2013), ''
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' (2014), ''
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
'' (2018), ''
San Andreas'' (2015) and ''
Rampage'' (2018). He also starred in the action comedy films ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'' (2008), ''
Central Intelligence
''Central Intelligence'' is a 2016 American buddy action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and written by Thurber, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. The film stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson as two old high school classmates wh ...
'' (2016), ''
Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...
'' (2017), and ''
Red Notice
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
'' (2021). In 2016 he voiced
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
in the
Disney animated film ''
Moana'' (2016). His role as
Luke Hobbs
''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family.
The following is a list of character ...
in the ''
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a t ...
'' films, beginning with ''
Fast Five
''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films ...
'' (2011), helped the franchise become one of the
highest-grossing in film. He subsequently starred in the
spin-off ''
Hobbs & Shaw
''Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'' is a 2019 American buddy action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, from a story by Morgan. It is the first spinoff of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise ...
'' (2019). Johnson also stars in the
''Jumanji'' films, appearing in ''
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' (2017) and ''
Jumanji: The Next Level'' (2019), and voices
Bark Kent / Krypto / Superdog,
Anubis
Anubis (; grc, Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian () is the god of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depict ...
, and
Teth-Adam / Black Adam in the
animated film
Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...
''
DC League of Super-Pets
''DC League of Super-Pets'' is a 2022 American 3D computer-animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics superhero team Legion of Super-Pets. Produced by Warner Animation Group and DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. ...
'' (2022), before starring as the latter in the live-action
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature Action film, ac ...
''
Black Adam
Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' '' The Marvel Family'' comic ...
'' (2022).
Johnson produced and starred in the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
comedy-drama series ''
Ballers
''Ballers'' is an American sports comedy drama television series created by Stephen Levinson and starring Dwayne Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player who must navigate his new career of choice as the financial manager of other NF ...
'' (2015–2019) and stars and produces the autobiographical sitcom ''
Young Rock
''Young Rock'' is an American television sitcom based upon the life of professional wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson, also known by his ring name "The Rock". The series is created by Johnson, Jeff Chiang and Nahnatchka Khan and premiered on NBC ...
'' (2021). In 2000, Johnson released his autobiography ''The Rock Says'', which was a
''New York Times'' bestseller.
In 2012, he co-founded the entertainment production company
Seven Bucks Productions
Seven Bucks Productions is a production company involved with various platforms and mediums, credited with creating original releases for television, film, emerging technologies, and digital networks. The studio was co-created and founded by Dwa ...
and is co-owner of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
, a professional
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
league.
In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' one of the world's
most influential people.
Early life
Johnson was born in
Hayward, California
Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...
on May 2, 1972, the son of Ata Johnson (née Maivia; born 1948)
and former professional wrestler
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Televisio ...
(born Wayde Douglas Bowles; 1944–2020).
Growing up, Johnson lived briefly in
Grey Lynn
Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914.
Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of the ...
in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
with his mother's family,
where he played
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
and attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the U.S.
Johnson's father was a
Black Nova Scotian
Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians and Afro-Nova Scotians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the 18th ...
with a small amount of
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ancestry. His mother is
Samoan. His father and tag team partner
Tony Atlas
Anthony White (born April 23, 1954) better known by his ring name Tony Atlas is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding ti ...
were the first black
tag team champions in
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
history, in 1983.
His mother is the adopted daughter of
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia (born Fanene Pita Anderson; April 6, 1937 – June 13, 1982) better known as Peter Maivia was a Samoan-American professional wrestler. Maivia was the maternal grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and was also part o ...
, who was also a professional wrestler.
Johnson's maternal grandmother
Lia
Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In America, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornelia, Ophelia, Rosal ...
was the first female
pro wrestling promoter, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982 and managing it until 1988.
Through his maternal grandfather Maivia, Johnson is a non-blood relative to the
Anoa'i wrestling family. In 2008, Johnson inducted his father and grandfather into the
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ind ...
.
Johnson attended Montclaire Elementary School in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
before moving to
Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census.
History
The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the ...
, where he attended Shepherd Glen Elementary School and then Hamden Middle School. Johnson attended
President William McKinley High School
President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a comprehensive public high school in the Honolulu District of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It serves grades nine through twelve. McKinley i ...
in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
and then
Glencliff High School and
McGavock High School
McGavock High School (commonly McGavock or Big Mac) is a public high school located in Nashville, Tennessee. The high school is a Model Academy School (affiliated with the National Career Academy Coalition).
In January 2014, President Barack Ob ...
, both in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, and then
Freedom High School in
Bethlehem Township in the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
, where he graduated in 1990.
At Freedom High School in the Lehigh Valley, Johnson initially struggled and was drawn into a culture of conflict and petty crime. Before the age of 17, he was arrested multiple times for fighting, theft, and check fraud and was suspended two weeks for fighting. The local newspaper later described him as "a troubled teenager with a history of run-ins with police." 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
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
. The experience proved the beginning of a personal transformation for Johnson. "My thought process started to change. That's when I started thinking about goals and what I wanted to accomplish," he has since said about his high school football experience.
In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, Johnson also was a member of the school's
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
and
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
teams. Like the school's football team, its track and field and wrestling teams competed in the
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (known informally as EPC, EPC18 and East Penn Conference) is an athletic conference consisting of 18 large high schools from Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono M ...
(EPC), a high school athletic conference known for being among the nation's best. The EPC's wrestling programs have been ranked best in the nation by ''WIN'' magazine and have been described as "among the nation's best in the sport for nearly three decades", and Johnson quickly found himself facing some of the nation's most accomplished high school wrestlers.
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
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
-level athletes, including future
NFL stars Andre Reed, Saquon Barkley, Kyzir White, and others, drew the attention of
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
collegiate programs. College football recruiters ranked Johnson as one of the top ten high school defensive tackles in the nation. He opted to accept a full athletic scholarship offer from the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, whose Miami Hurricanes football, football program was then one of the best in the nation.
Football career
College career
As he did in high school in Pennsylvania, Johnson continued to play defensive tackle at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
. In his freshman year there, he was a member of Miami's
1991 national championship team.
In his four years playing for the Miami Hurricanes football, University of Miami team, however, Johnson found himself behind elite players on the depth chart, including future
NFL star and
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
inductee
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp played college football at Miami, where h ...
, and appeared mostly in backup roles.
In 1995, Johnson graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of General Studies and a dual major in criminology and physiology. In addition to being a member of the University of Miami's top tier collegiate football team, Johnson also was one of the University of Miami's most prolific student speakers in the Miami metropolitan area, Miami-area community, frequently delivering positive messages about his own struggles and encouraging them to remain in school and avoid the dangers of recreational drug use, drug use.
Canadian Football League
Following his May 1995 graduation from the University of Miami, Johnson was signed by the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. Calgary moved Johnson from defensive tackle, the position he had played on the high school and collegiate levels, to linebacker. He was assigned to Calgary's practice roster, but was cut two months into Calgary's 1995 season.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1996)
After being cut by Calgary, Johnson began his professional wrestling career the following year, in 1996.
Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson (wrestler), Pat Patterson secured several tryout matches for Johnson with the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) in 1996. Wrestling at first under his real name, Johnson defeated Steve Lombardi, The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show on March 10 and lost matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.
After wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association under the name Flex Kavana and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship, USWA tag team championship twice with his partner Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson was signed to a WWF contract. He received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
Debut and Intercontinental Champion (1996–1997)
Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names, although his real name was acknowledged by the announcers. He was initially reluctant to take this ring name but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross.
He was given the nickname "The Blue Chipper" and to play up his lineage, he was hyped as the WWF's first third-generation wrestler.
Maivia, a clean-cut Face (professional wrestling), face character, was Push (professional wrestling), pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He debuted on ''WWE Raw, Monday Night Raw'' as a member of Marc Mero's entourage on November 4, 1996. His first match came at Survivor Series (1996), Survivor Series, on November 17, 1996, in an Elimination tag team match, eight-man elimination tag match; he was the sole survivor and eliminated the final two members of the opposing team, Brian Adams (wrestler), Crush and Goldust. On February 13, 1997, he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Intercontinental Championship from Triple H, Hunter Hearst Helmsley on ''Monday Night Raw''. Maivia then successfully defended the title against Helmsley at In Your House 13: Final Four.
Johnson's first WrestleMania match came at WrestleMania 13 on March 23, 1997, where he was victorious in his Intercontinental Championship defense against Rikishi (wrestler), The Sultan. WWF fans started to reject his character and push from the company.
He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of ''Raw is War''. Behind the scenes, Hart mentored Johnson for his first year in WWF and refused to be booked to take the title from him. On April 20, at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he lost to Savio Vega by countout but retained the title. Audiences became increasingly hostile toward Maivia, with chants of "die, Rocky, die" and "Rocky sucks" being heard during his matches.
The Nation of Domination (1997–1998)
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 episode of ''Raw Is War'' and suffering a legitimate knee injury in a match against Mick Foley, Mankind,
Maivia returned in August 1997 and turned Heel (professional wrestling), heel for the first time in his career by lashing out at fans who had been booing him and joining Ron Simmons, Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Charles Wright (wrestler), Kama in the Professional wrestling stable, stable called the Nation of Domination.
He then refused to acknowledge the Rocky Maivia name, instead referring to himself in the third person as The Rock, though he would still be billed as "The Rock" Rocky Maivia until 1998. The Rock would then regularly insult the audience, WWF performers, and interviewers in his Promos (professional wrestling), promos.
At D-Generation X: In Your House on December 7, 1997, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated the Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The next night on ''Raw Is War'', Austin was ordered by Vince McMahon, Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to the Rock instead, handing him the title belt before hitting him with the ''Stunner (professional wrestling), Stone Cold Stunner''. The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998. On January 19, 1998, at the Royal Rumble (1998), Royal Rumble, the Rock defeated Shamrock by disqualification to retain the Intercontinental title. Later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match and lasted until the final two before he was eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. On March 29, at WrestleMania XIV, he defeated Shamrock by disqualification once again to retain the title. The next night, on ''Raw is War'', the Rock debuted a new Intercontinental Championship design and would later overthrow Faarooq as leader of the Nation of Domination to spark a feud between the two. He then successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at Over the Edge: In Your House on May 31. The stable would then refer to themselves as simply "The Nation".
The Rock and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D-Generation X, with the two stable leaders first meeting in the quarter-final of the King of the Ring (1998)#King of the Ring bracket, 1998 King of the Ring tournament, which the Rock won. At King of the Ring (1998), King of the Ring, the Rock defeated Dan Severn in the semi-final match and lost to rival Ken Shamrock in the final. The Rock then resumed his feud with Triple H, as the two had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded: In Your House for the Intercontinental title, which the Rock retained in controversial fashion. This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam (1998), SummerSlam on August 30, 1998, where the Rock lost the title.
In the latter half of 1998, The Rock saw a big uptick in fan support. He also started consolidating his famous persona during this time, which would last until 2000. His popularity caused him to be booked in a feud with fellow Nation members Mark Henry and D'Lo Brown, turning Face (professional wrestling), babyface in the process. Henry defeated him at Judgment Day: In Your House on October 18, 1998, after interference from Brown, effectively breaking up the stable.
WWF Champion and rise to superstardom (1998–2000)
![WWE - Sheffield 020499 (49)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/WWE_-_Sheffield_020499_%2849%29.jpg)
The Rock was then entered into the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. The finals occurred at Survivor Series (1998), Survivor Series on November 15, 1998, where the Rock defeated Vince McMahon's associate, Mick Foley, Mankind, to win his first WWF Championship.
A "double turn" then occurred as the Rock turned heel again after allying with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation, after the McMahons betrayed Mankind.
On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named after him, Rock Bottom: In Your House, the Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when the Rock passed out to the Mandible Claw submission move, but Vince McMahon ruled that since the Rock did not tap out, he retained his title.
The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 episode of ''Raw Is War'', Mankind defeated the Rock after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin. Then at the Royal Rumble (1999), Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999, the Rock regained the title in a brutal "I quit" match, "I Quit" match, a type of submission match that only ends if one of the combatants says "I quit" on a microphone. Intended to show a vicious mean streak in the Rock's character, this match went horribly wrong as at the end of the match 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). After the fifth shot, Mankind was still at ringside instead of being two-thirds up the entrance ramp where he was supposed to be, and after the eleventh shot which knocked a bloodied Mankind out, a recording of Mankind saying "I Quit" from an earlier interview was played over the public address system. On January 31, during an episode of ''WWE Heat, Sunday Night Heat'', the Rock and Mankind participated in an Professional wrestling match types#Empty Arena match, Empty Arena match, a match that took place in an arena with 22,000 empty seats where any part of the facility could be used to contest the match. After 20 minutes of chaotic brawling in the ring, the stands, a kitchen, the catering area, an office, the arena corridors and finally a basement loading area, Mankind pinned the Rock using a forklift truck to win the WWF title. This match was referred to as "Halftime Heat" as it was televised during halftime of that year's Super Bowl XXXIII, Super Bowl. The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House on February 14, 1999, in a Last Man Standing match which ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 ''Raw Is War'', when the Rock won his third WWF Championship in a Ladder Match after a debuting Big Show interfered on his behalf. The Rock then lost the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV on March 28, 1999.
The Rock's popularity continued to grow and audiences still cheered for him even though he was a heel. He then lost the title rematch against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash (1999), Backlash: In Your House on April 25, 1999. 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. On April 29, 1999, WWF aired the pilot episode of ''WWE SmackDown, SmackDown!'', a term derived from one of the Rock's catchphrases. In the episode, the Rock continued his feud with The Corporate Ministry. This led to a match with Triple H, at Over the Edge (1999), Over the Edge on May 23, 1999, which the Rock won, and a match for the WWF Championship against The Undertaker, at King of the Ring (1999), King of the Ring, which the Rock lost. The Rock then lost a number one contender's match to Triple H, at WWF Fully Loaded 1999, Fully Loaded, after interference from Monty Sopp, "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn. The Rock then defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass match at SummerSlam (1999), SummerSlam on August 22, 1999. The Rock was also given the privilege of having his own signature match, like The Undertaker with the Buried Alive match, Kane with the Inferno Match and Mankind with the Boiler Room Brawl: the Brahma Bullrope match, a variant of a strap match was a normal singles match where the components are tied together with a rope used for cattle farming, and the rope and its attached cowbell could both be used as weapons. The Rock contested this match twice, both times in Texas (vs Triple H in Dallas, and vs Al Snow in Houston).
![WWE - London 6+70500 (22)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/WWE_-_London_6%2B70500_%2822%29.jpg)
Shortly after SummerSlam, the Rock began teaming with former opponent Mankind and the two became known as the Rock 'n' Sock Connection.
They became World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWF Tag Team Champions for the first time after defeating The Undertaker and Big Show for the titles on the August 30, 1999 episode of ''Raw is War''. The two performed a number of critically acclaimed comedic skits together, including one called "This Is Your Life", which saw Mankind bring parody versions of people from the Rock's past on television, such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach, only to have the Rock insult them. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen ratings, Nielsen rating, one of the highest ratings ever for a ''Raw'' segment. The two lost the titles back to Undertaker and Big Show on the September 9, 1999 episode of ''SmackDown!'' and won them back from them on the September 20, 1999 episode of ''Raw is War''. Rock and Mankind then lost the titles to The New Age Outlaws on the very next episode of ''SmackDown!''. Rock and Mankind would win the tag titles for the third and final time after beating the New Age Outlaws on the October 14, 1999 episode of ''SmackDown!'' before losing the titles to The Holly Cousins on the October 18, 1999 episode of ''Raw is War''.
At the Royal Rumble (2000), Royal Rumble, on January 23, 2000, the Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining, along with Big Show. In an attempt at a "false finish", Big Show intended to throw the Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, before the Rock countered the move on the ring apron, sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner. However, the Rock's feet accidentally hit the floor during the reversal attempt although those watching the event on television did not see that. This was played up in the storyline as Big Show provided additional video footage showing this fact, and claimed to be the rightful winner. The Rock's number one contendership for the WWF Championship was then put on the line against Big Show at No Way Out (2000), No Way Out on February 27, 2000, which Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered. The Rock then defeated Big Show, on the March 13 episode of ''Raw Is War'', to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 on April 2, 2000, in a Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches, Fatal Four-way elimination match, also including Big Show and Mick Foley.
Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner: Triple H had his wife Stephanie McMahon, Stephanie, Foley had Linda McMahon, Linda, the Rock had Vince and Big Show had Shane.
The Rock lasted until the final two but was eliminated by then-reigning champion Triple H after Vince betrayed him by hitting him with a chair.
Due to his image at the time, a Magic: The Gathering deck archetype was named after him.
Record-breaking world champion (2000–2002)
![Therockaswwfchampion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Therockaswwfchampion.jpg)
In the following weeks, the Rock continued his feud with Triple H and eventually won his fourth WWF Championship, which he won on April 30, at Backlash (2000), Backlash, after Stone Cold Steve Austin intervened on his behalf.
The following night on ''Raw'', he successfully defended his title against Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage match. On May 21, at Judgment Day (2000), Judgment Day, the Rock faced Triple H in an Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.
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 6–5 win and the title.
The Rock won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring (2000), King of the Ring on June 25 by scoring the winning pin in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Kane (wrestler), Kane and The Undertaker against Shane McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon, whom he pinned.
The Rock successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit, on July 23, at Fully Loaded (2000), Fully Loaded. The next month, he successfully defended his title against Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam (2000), SummerSlam. The Rock had another successful title defense against Benoit, Kane and The Undertaker, on September 24, at Unforgiven (2000), Unforgiven.
The Rock then lost the WWF Championship to Kurt Angle, at No Mercy (2000), No Mercy, on October 22, 2000.
The next month, the Rock feuded with Solofa Fatu, Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series (2000), Survivor Series.
The Rock wrestled a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship, at Armageddon (2000), Armageddon, which Angle won to retain the title.
On the December 18 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, before losing it back to them the next night at a ''WWE SmackDown, SmackDown!'' taping.
In 2001, the Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, culminating at No Way Out (2001), No Way Out on February 25, 2001, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time.
The Rock then feuded with the Royal Rumble (2001), Royal Rumble winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin, whom he lost the title to at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Vince McMahon, who interfered on his behalf.
On the next night's ''Raw Is War'', during a steel cage title rematch, Triple H attacked the Rock, allying with McMahon and Austin and helping Austin retain the championship. Austin and Triple H then formed a tag team called The Power Trip, while the Rock was indefinitely suspended in storyline. Johnson used this time off to act in ''
The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
''.
![WWF RAW 2001-10-15 The Rock at ringside](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/WWF_RAW_2001-10-15_The_Rock_at_ringside.jpg)
The Rock returned in late July 2001 when the WWF was feuding with rival promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during what is known as The Invasion (professional wrestling), The Invasion storyline. In reality, WCW was purchased by Vince McMahon and the WWF, and ECW had gone out of business in early 2001. Many former WCW and ECW wrestlers were then brought onto WWF television and formed The Alliance (professional wrestling), The Alliance to compete with WWF in storyline. The Alliance and Vince McMahon then both attempted to persuade the Rock to join their team. The Rock then aligned with McMahon and the WWF. The next month, the Rock defeated Booker T (wrestler), Booker T, at SummerSlam (2001), SummerSlam, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW Championship for the first time.
He later lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy (2001), No Mercy on October 21, 2001.
The next night on ''Raw'', he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Dudley Boyz. The two then lost the tag titles to Booker T and Test on the November 1, 2001 episode of ''SmackDown!''. The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 episode of ''Raw'' for his second WCW Championship.
As part of the WWF's battle against The Alliance, the Rock wrestled in a "winner takes all" five-on-five elimination tag team match at Survivor Series (2001), Survivor Series where the losing team's company would be dissolved in storyline. He was a member of Team WWF along with Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show. The Alliance's team consisted of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon. In the end, it came down to a one-on-one between the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock seemed to have the upper hand, until his teammate Jericho entered the ring and attacked the Rock. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning the Rock, but Kurt Angle revealed his true allegiance by attacking Austin. The Rock then pinned Austin, giving Team WWF the victory and forcing The Alliance to disband. The Rock's WCW Championship was renamed the unbranded "World Championship" following the Alliance's loss.
At the next pay-per-view, Vengeance (2001), Vengeance on December 9, 2001, the Rock lost the World Championship to Jericho, who would then unify the WWF and World titles later that night.
The Rock then unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for the now WWE Championship, Undisputed WWF Championship at Royal Rumble (2002), Royal Rumble on January 20, 2002.
![Rockwrestling](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Rockwrestling.jpg)
At the next pay-per-view, No Way Out (2002), No Way Out on February 17, 2002, the Rock defeated The Undertaker in a singles match. The event also saw the WWF debut of the famed WCW faction New World Order (professional wrestling), New World Order, which at the time consisted of Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall.
This later led to a match between the Rock and Hogan at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, 2002. 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.
Despite the Rock portraying a heroic character and Hogan a villain, a portion of the crowd attending the SkyDome was rooting heavily for Hogan. In an interview in 2013, Hogan said he and the Rock changed the style of the match on the fly based on the crowd's response. After the introduction of the first-ever WWE brand extension, brand extension, the WWF held a "2002 WWF draft lottery, draft lottery" on the March 25, 2002 episode of ''Raw''. The Rock was the number one overall pick, going to the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown! brand before taking a sabbatical from wrestling.
The Rock made a surprise return on a June episode of ''Raw'' before going to his assigned brand of SmackDown!. There, he was named the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship, which he won for a record-setting seventh time at Vengeance (2002), Vengeance, on July 21, by defeating Kurt Angle and then-champion The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match.
The Rock successfully defended the title at the WWE in Australia#WWE Global Warning Tour: Melbourne, Global Warning event against Triple H and Brock Lesnar after pinning Triple H. On August 25, at SummerSlam (2002), 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.
In 2018, writing for ''ESPN.com'', Sean Coyle noted in a retrospective review of the event, that following his victory over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, the Rock "started to see a dip in fan support" and "that dip turned into a plunge" by the time Rock had his match with Lesnar at SummerSlam because fans knew he was leaving WWE to pursue an acting career. This was evident by the fact that he was met with a negative crowd response during his match against Lesnar. After SummerSlam ended, the Rock was visibly angry at the crowd reaction. When he tried to do a post-show speech for the crowd, the fans at Nassau Coliseum still booed him. The Rock then took time off to kickstart his acting career.
Final feuds and departure (2003–2004)
The Rock returned on the January 30, 2003 episode of ''SmackDown!'' to set up another match with Hulk Hogan at No Way Out (2003), No Way Out. Because of negative fan reaction during his previous couple of matches as a result of his budding acting career, The Rock turned heel for the first time since 1999. He also started a new persona that has been called ''Hollywood Rock'', with a new look and a shaved head. The Rock defeated Hogan at No Way Out before moving to the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand.
There, he had various small feuds, including one with Gregory Helms, The Hurricane. He also began performing "Rock Concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked WWE performers and fans in song.
![Rockaustinxix](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Rockaustinxix.jpg)
After failing to win a number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock went into another program with Stone Cold Steve Austin. This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX on March 30, 2003, which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three consecutive ''Rock Bottoms'', ending their long-running rivalry in what turned out to be Austin's final match.
The next night, ''Raw'' was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honor of his victory over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Bill Goldberg, Goldberg.
At Backlash (2003), Backlash on April 27, 2003, Goldberg defeated The Rock, who then briefly left WWE to film ''Walking Tall (2004 film), Walking Tall''.
Throughout the rest of the year, The Rock made occasional appearances, returning to a face character.
In 2004, The Rock aided Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution (professional wrestling), Evolution,
leading to a reunion of the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. They lost against Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Dave Bautista, Batista in a Professional wrestling match types#Handicap match, handicap match at WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004, when Orton pinned Foley after an ''Cutter (professional wrestling), RKO''.
This would be Johnson's final wrestling match until November 2011. The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following WrestleMania XX. He made returns to provide support for Nick Dinsmore, Eugene against Jonathan Coachman, and made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley against La Résistance (professional wrestling), La Résistance.
Later in 2004, he hosted a pie-eating contest, as part of the WWE Diva Search, and ended the segment by giving Coachman a ''People's Elbow''.
The Rock's contract with WWE then ended and he started his full-time acting career.
Non-wrestling appearances (2007–2009)
On March 12, 2007, the Rock appeared on a WWE show after nearly three years, via a pre-taped promo shown during ''Raw''. He correctly predicted that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga (wrestler), Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" Hair vs Hair match. On March 29, 2008, Johnson appeared to induct his father
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Televisio ...
and grandfather
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia (born Fanene Pita Anderson; April 6, 1937 – June 13, 1982) better known as Peter Maivia was a Samoan-American professional wrestler. Maivia was the maternal grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and was also part o ...
into the
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ind ...
. Johnson's next appearance was through a pre-taped promo on October 2, 2009, during the ''List of WWE SmackDown special episodes, Decade of SmackDown''.
Independent circuit (2009)
On September 30, 2009, the Rock appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) show to support the professional wrestling debut of Tamina Snuka, Sarona Snuka, the daughter of his long-time friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka.
Return to WWE
Feud with John Cena (2011–2013)
![The rock en WM !!!!](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/The_rock_en_WM_%21%21%21%21.jpg)
On February 14, 2011, the Rock was announced as the host of WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, 2011, appearing live on ''Raw'' for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans and started a feud with John Cena. After numerous appearances via satellite, the Rock appeared live on the ''Raw'' before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena. After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked the Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an ''Fireman's carry takeover, Attitude Adjustment''.
![Rock and Cena shake hands](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Rock_and_Cena_shake_hands.jpg)
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'', Rock hit Cena with the ''Rock Bottom'', allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with the ''People's Elbow''. The following night on ''Raw'', the Rock and Cena agreed to a match at
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
the next year. 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 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 (2011), Survivor Series in November. However, on the October 24 episode of ''Raw'', Cena instead suggested the Rock be his partner in a standard tag team match against The Miz and Ron Killings, R-Truth, a team called Awesome Truth, which Rock agreed to the following week. On November 14, during the special ''Raw Gets Rocked'', the Rock appeared live, delivering ''Rock Bottom''s to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth. The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when the Rock pinned The Miz. After the match, the Rock gave Cena a ''Rock Bottom''.
![The Rock celebrating Wrestlemania 28](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/The_Rock_celebrating_Wrestlemania_28.jpg)
Leading up to WrestleMania, the Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on ''Raw''. On the March 12, 2012 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. On April 1, at WrestleMania XXVIII, the Rock beat Cena in the main event after countering Cena's attempt at a ''People's Elbow'' into a ''Rock Bottom''. This event broke the record for biggest professional wrestling pay-per-view buyrate. The following night on ''Raw'', the Rock praised Cena, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.
On July 23, at ''WWE Raw 1000, Raw 1000'', the Rock announced he would wrestle for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble (2013), Royal Rumble pay-per-view. During the show, he encountered then-reigning WWE Champion CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. The Rock later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk. On the January 7, 2013 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock returned to confront his Royal Rumble opponent CM Punk. On January 11, he made his first ''SmackDown'' appearance in ten years, getting into an altercation with Team Rhodes Scholars, resulting in him delivering 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 "Rock Concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk. The following week on ''Raw'', the Rock was attacked by The Shield (professional wrestling), 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.
![Rock revealed his title](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Rock_revealed_his_title.jpg)
On January 27, at the Royal Rumble (2013), Royal Rumble, CM Punk would seemingly defeat the Rock after the arena lights went out and someone attacked the Rock. Vince McMahon then came out and 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. Punk received a title rematch with the Rock, at Elimination Chamber (2013), Elimination Chamber on February 17, 2013, with the added stipulation that if the Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would still lose the WWE Championship. The Rock would pin Punk to retain the championship. The following night on ''Raw'', the Rock unveiled a new WWE Championship design, with a different center plate and removable customizable side-plates which had his "Brahma Bull" logo. The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, who won that year's Royal Rumble to set up a rematch of the previous WrestleMania match between the two at WrestleMania 29, only this time with the WWE Championship on the line.
On April 7, at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days. Despite being advertised for ''Raw'' after WrestleMania, where it was stated that the Rock was still entitled a rematch for the WWE Championship, The Rock did not appear because of a legitimate injury sustained during his match with Cena, in which his Muscles of the Torso, abdominal and Adductor muscles of the hip, adductor tendons tore from his Human pelvis#Abdomen, pelvis. Johnson underwent surgery on April 23 to reattach the torn tendons.
Sporadic appearances (2014–2019)
![The Wyatt Family confronts The Rock at WrestleMania 32](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/The_Wyatt_Family_confronts_The_Rock_at_WrestleMania_32.jpg)
In April 2014, the Rock appeared in the opening segment of WrestleMania XXX along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. On the October 6 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock made a surprise appearance to confront Alexander Rusev, Rusev and Lana (wrestling), Lana; this resulted in the Rock clearing Rusev from the ring.
The Rock appeared at the Royal Rumble (2015), 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. Reigns then won the match and the Rock endorsed him in the ring. The Rock appeared at WrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015, alongside Ronda Rousey, getting into an in-ring altercation with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rock and Rousey prevailed after he attacked Triple H and she overpowered McMahon. On June 27, the Rock appeared at a House show, live event in Boston, where he confronted Bo Dallas and gave him a ''Rock Bottom''.
On the January 25, 2016 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock was in a segment that saw him converse with The Miz, Big Show, Lana and Rusev before he and his relatives, The Usos, got into an altercation with then-WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day (professional wrestling), The New Day. The Rock appeared at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, where he announced that WWE had broken the all-time WrestleMania attendance record before being interrupted by The Wyatt Family. The Rock got into a verbal back-and-forth with Bray Wyatt before having an impromptu match with Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan. The Rock won after giving Rowan a ''Rock Bottom'' and pinning him in glossary of professional wrestling terms#squash, six seconds, which set the record for the fastest win in WrestleMania history. The Rock was then aided by a returning John Cena to fend off Wyatt, Rowan and Braun Strowman. On the February 20, 2017 episode of ''Raw'', the Rock made an untelevised appearance after the broadcast had gone off the air, where he promoted and filmed a scene for his then-upcoming film ''Fighting with My Family''.
On August 3, 2019, the Rock officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling. On September 30, 2019, after weeks of speculation, the Rock announced that he would be making an appearance on WWE SmackDown's 20th Anniversary, ''SmackDown''s 20th Anniversary on October 4, 2019, marking his first appearance on
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
since October 2014 and his first televised appearance since April 2016. At the event, he would cut a promo with Becky Lynch before they were interrupted by Baron Corbin, King Corbin. After attacking Corbin, the Rock and Lynch celebrated in the ring.
Impact Wrestling (2020)
The Rock made an appearance at Impact Wrestling's Bound for Glory (2020), 2020 Bound for Glory on October 20, 2020, in Nashville via a recorded video message to induct Ken Shamrock into the Impact Hall of Fame.
Mainstream crossover
![The ROCK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/The_ROCK.jpg)
The Rock appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter (Wyclef Jean song), It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video. He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for ''WWF The Music, Vol. 5''.
In 1999, Johnson appeared on ''That '70s Show'' as his father
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Televisio ...
. The next year, he was on ''Star Trek: Voyager'' as an alien wrestler that used the Rock's famous moves.
In 2000, he hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) for the first time.
Fellow wrestlers Triple H, Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show.
Johnson has stated the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios. He has since hosted SNL another four times.
In 1999, the Rock was listed No. 5 on ''Entertainment Weekly''s Top 12 Entertainers of the Year. In 2000, ''Access Hollywood'' ranked him number six in their list of the Top 10 Celebrities of 2000. That year, Rock was also listed in the Forbes Celebrity 100 and ''People'' Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People.
The Rock was listed on ''Entertainment Weekly''s 101 Most Influential People in both 2000 and 2001. In 2001, he was also listed on E!'s 20 Top Entertainers. In 2002, the Rock was listed on E!'s 25 Toughest Stars. In 2003, he was listed in VH1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons and was No. 13 in ''People'' Magazine's 50 Favorite TV Stars.
The Rock made a surprise appearance at the official Xbox unveiling during Bill Gates's keynote speech at the ongoing Computer Electronics Show in 2001.
Johnson's motion picture debut was as List of characters in The Mummy series#Mathayus (The Scorpion King), The Scorpion King in ''
The Mummy Returns
''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Dway ...
'' (2001). The movie broke a two-year record for the highest-grossing single day in film history by earning US$28,594,667.
The movie's financial success led to Johnson's first leading role in the spin-off ''
The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
'' (2002).
He received US$5.5 million for the role and ''Guinness World Records'' named him the record-holder for highest-paid actor in their first leading role.
The Rock has appeared on the covers of many magazines, including ''Rolling Stone'', ''Entertainment Weekly'', and ''TV Guide''.
[ He has also appeared in, and been the cover athlete for, several video games.
, his Instagram account is the List of most-followed Instagram accounts, fourth most-followed in the world with over 280 million followers.
]
Legacy and career assessment
The Rock has been listed as one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers as well as one of the top draws in wrestling history. Many have placed the Rock on their "Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling", including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and John Cena. In "Cable Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting", the Rock was described as "for a long time, the WWE's biggest star and probably held the greatest international appeal". R. D. Reynolds stated in his book "The WrestleCrap Book of Lists" that the Rock was "the biggest star for WWE from 1999 until 2004".
The Rock main-evented the most bought pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
worldwide in WWE history (WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
), the most bought pay-per-view domestically in WWE history (WrestleMania X-Seven), the highest rated ''Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' in history, the highest rated ''SmackDown'' in history, and was part of the highest rated cable segment in WWE history with Mankind entitled "This is Your Life", in which Mankind would honor The Rock with various gifts and reunions. His return in 2001 did a 7.1 rating which was the highest rated segment of the entire year. The Rock was also part of the highest rated match of the 21st century with his WWF Championship defense, on May 1, 2000, against Shane McMahon did an 8.3 rating making it the highest rated segment of all time behind 'This is your life'.
In 2011, the Rock's return to an episode of ''Raw'' generated an average of 4.7 million viewers in the United States, with 7.4 million tuning in during his promo. ''WWE Raw 1000, Raw 1000'' was the highest rated ''Raw'' episode of 2012 and his segment with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan was the highest rated segment of the show. In 2013, the night after the Rock won the WWE World Championship, WWE Championship for the first time in over a decade, at Royal Rumble (2013), Royal Rumble, ''Raw'' got its highest rating of that year.
Derived from one of his catchphrases "lay the smackdown", WWE introduced its second flagship program ''WWE SmackDown'' in 1999 which later became television's second longest-running weekly episodic program in history. The term "smackdown" was instituted in Merriam-Webster dictionaries since 2007.
The Rock holds the record for most ''Raw'' shows main-evented in one year (38 in 2000), most ''SmackDown'' shows main-evented in one year (36 in 2000) and tied with Stone Cold Steve Austin (in 2001) for most PPV shows main evented in one year (12 in 2000).
At Survivor Series (2021), the 2021 Survivor Series, WWE held a 25-man Battle Royal to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Rock's WWE debut. The match was won by Omos.
Acting career
Early years
Johnson entered Hollywood and the film industry, becoming a star initially through his wrestling popularity and noted work ethic. Over his acting career, he became one of the highest paid and most successful actors in Hollywood. He began his acting career on television while wrestling. In his first television acting job, in 1999, he played Rocky Johnson, his own father in an episode of ''That '70s Show'' called "That Wrestling Show". Nearly a year later, he appeared in the ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "Tsunkatse" as an alien wrestler who fought popular character Seven of Nine. While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.
Johnson began his theatrical career in ''The Mummy Returns
''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Dway ...
'' (2001), ''The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
'' (2002), ''The Rundown'' (2003), and ''Walking Tall (2004 film), Walking Tall'' (2004). He played a supporting role in ''Be Cool'' (2005) - most notable for the meta element of playing a bodyguard that wants to become an actor - and was the primary antagonist in ''Doom (film), Doom'' (2005). He also had roles in ''Gridiron Gang'' (2006), ''Reno 911!: Miami'' (2007), and ''Southland Tales'' (2006). He played a cocky famous American football player in '' The Game Plan'' (2007) and Agent 23 in ''Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'' (2008). He presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards.
2010s and mainstream success
Johnson's first big box office success came in 2011, portraying Luke Hobbs in ''Fast Five
''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films ...
'' (2011), the film became the 2011 in film#Highest-grossing films, seventh highest-grossing film of 2011. He became known for reinvigorating film franchises after portraying Roadblock (G.I. Joe), Marvin F. Hinton / Roadblock in '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' and reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013), while also starring in true-story films ''Pain & Gain'' (2013) and ''Empire State (2013 film), Empire State'' (2013). That same year, he hosted and produced the TNT (American TV network), TNT reality competition series ''The Hero (2013 TV series), The Hero'', and won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. In May 2013, it was announced that he would executive produce and star in ''Ballers
''Ballers'' is an American sports comedy drama television series created by Stephen Levinson and starring Dwayne Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player who must navigate his new career of choice as the financial manager of other NF ...
'', an HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
comedy-drama series about NFL players living in Miami. By December of that year, ''Forbes'' named him the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year. ''Forbes'' credited the success of ''Fast & Furious 6'', which grossed $789 million globally, and his frequent acting work as primary reasons for topping the list.
Johnson starred as Hercules, the title character in ''Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' (2014) and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in ''Furious 7'' (2015). He hosted another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled ''Wake Up Call'', which saw him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who were facing enormous challenges in their lives" alongside guest experts such as Rocco DiSpirito, Jillian Michaels (personal trainer), Jillian Michaels, and Josh Shipp (teen expert), Josh Shipp. In 2016, Johnson co-starred with Kevin Hart in the action-comedy ''Central Intelligence
''Central Intelligence'' is a 2016 American buddy action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and written by Thurber, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. The film stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson as two old high school classmates wh ...
'' and had a lead voice role in the Disney animated film '' Moana'', in which he voiced the Polynesian demigod Māui (mythology), Maui. He reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in ''The Fate of the Furious'', which was released in 2017. Johnson starred in two other blockbuster movies that year, ''Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...
'' and '' Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' as Mitch Buchannon, Mitchell "Mitch" Buchannon and Dr. Smolder Bravestone, respectively. In 2018, he starred in the action films '' Rampage'' and ''Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
''.
Johnson's role within The Fast and the Furious, ''The Fast and the Furious'' franchise continued with ''Hobbs & Shaw
''Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'' is a 2019 American buddy action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce, from a story by Morgan. It is the first spinoff of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise ...
'', co-starring Johnson and Jason Statham. David Leitch (director), David Leitch directed the project from a script co-written by franchise-writer Chris Morgan (writer), Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. The film began principal photography in September 2018, and was released on July 26, 2019. Though initially believed to be a part of ''F9 (film), F9'', Johnson did not appear in the film; instead, he opted to begin development on a sequel to ''Hobbs & Shaw''. Johnson reprised his role as Bravestone, in '' Jumanji: The Next Level''. With the critical and financial success of ''Welcome to the Jungle'', production of the movie began in early 2019, and was released on December 13, 2019.
In 2021, Johnson co-starred with Emily Blunt in The Walt Disney Company's ''Jungle Cruise
Jungle Cruise, formally named Jungle River Cruise, is a riverboat amusement ride located in the Adventureland themed section at various Disney theme parks worldwide. The attraction is a simulated riverboat cruise that travels along a waterway ...
'', as Frank Wolff and Lily Houghton, respectively. Cast in the role in August 2015, the film was based on the theme-park ride Jungle Cruise, of the same name. Jaume Collet-Serra served as director, with a script by Michael Green (writer), Michael Green from a previous one co-written by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. In addition to his work on the film, Johnson assisted with re-designing the titular ride for all Disney theme parks. ''Jungle Cruise'' was released on July 30, 2021. Also in 2021, Johnson starred in Netflix's film ''Red Notice
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
'', written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It is the third time that the two collaborated, following ''Central Intelligence'' and ''Skyscraper''. The film, co-starring Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, began production in the fall of 2019.
Johnson is noted for his busy schedule and developing multiple projects at once. 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'').
On November 14, 2019, he announced a December 2021 release date for the standalone ''Black Adam'' film. Production on ''Black Adam
Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' '' The Marvel Family'' comic ...
'' began filming in April 2021 with it set to release on October 21, 2022. He earned $22.5 million to star in the film and received millions more for producing and promoting it on social media.
Johnson has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Actor's Branch since 2017.
On March 16, 2021, he appeared for the first time as The Foundation in Fortnite Battle Royale. Johnson was initially uncredited in his role, yet teased his involvement in a cryptic Instagram post shared on the day of the event. Following another Instagram video for Johnson's ZOA Energy drink, in which The Foundation's helmet and sidearm were subtly featured in the background, his involvement was finally confirmed during the Chapter 2 End Event on December 4, 2021, with The Foundation removing his helmet to reveal that he shared Johnson's voice and likeness.
Producing
In 2012, Johnson founded his production company Seven Bucks Productions
Seven Bucks Productions is a production company involved with various platforms and mediums, credited with creating original releases for television, film, emerging technologies, and digital networks. The studio was co-created and founded by Dwa ...
.
Though originally attached as producer and star, Johnson will now serve solely as the former on a film adaptation of ''The Janson Directive''. John Cena will fill the leading role, with Akiva Goldsman attached as screenwriter. Additionally, he will produce and star in a Netflix exclusive film titled ''John Henry & The Statesmen'', as the John Henry (folklore), titular folklore hero. The film will be directed by Jake Kasdan, from a script co-written by Kasdan and Tom Wheeler (writer), Tom Wheeler. With the first official teaser trailer released in October 2018, the project marks Kasdan and Johnson's third collaboration, following ''Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' and ''Jumanji: The Next Level''.
In 2019, Johnson produced and appeared as himself in ''Fighting with My Family'', a comedy drama about Paige (wrestler), Paige and her family, who are also professional wrestlers.
Johnson will co-produce and star in ''The King'', a film about king Kamehameha I, Kamehameha Kūnuiākea, founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. The project will be directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script written by Randall Wallace. The movie will be comparable to ''Braveheart'' in tone, given Wallace's work on both films, and will depict the king's role in resolving the wars among the islands of Hawaii, Hawaiʻi. ''The King'' was scheduled to begin production in 2020, but was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson is also attached to produce/star in a sequel to ''Big Trouble in Little China'', as well as project under development with Shane Black focusing on a new interpretation of Doc Savage.
In 2021, his biographical comedy-drama series ''Young Rock
''Young Rock'' is an American television sitcom based upon the life of professional wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson, also known by his ring name "The Rock". The series is created by Johnson, Jeff Chiang and Nahnatchka Khan and premiered on NBC ...
'' began airing on NBC.
A film centered around Black Adam, Teth-Adam/Black Adam, a part of the DC Extended Universe, was announced to be in development in January 2017. Originally cast in the role as early as September 2014 as the antagonist, in a film centered around the superhero Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Billy Batson/Shazam, his villainous role for ''Shazam! (film), Shazam!'' was re-worked into two separate films. Though Johnson would not appear in ''Shazam!'', he served as a producer and his likeness was used through special effects in flashback scenes.
Other work
In 2000, Johnson published his autobiography, titled ''The Rock Says...'', which he co-wrote with Joe Layden. It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks.
In 2013, Johnson hosted and produced the TNT (American TV network), TNT reality competition series ''The Hero (2013 TV series), The Hero''. In 2014, he hosted another TNT reality series entitled ''Wake Up Call''. In 2019, Johnson started hosting an NBC competition series called ''The Titan Games''.
In March 2016, Johnson partnered with American fitness apparel manufacturer Under Armour to release "Project Rock". The first item in his partnership with Under Armour, a gym bag, sold out in a couple of days. His second item, a black T-shirt sporting his signature "Brahma bull", sold out after being worn at WrestleMania 32. Johnson also released an alarm clock app as part of "Project Rock" that received more than one million downloads in its first week of release. Since then, they have released sneakers, headphones, and other apparel.
In 2016, Johnson started his YouTube channel. His first video, ''The YouTube Factory'', featured online personality Lilly Singh and several other internet stars.
In 2019, Johnson announced he would be launching his own competitive bodybuilding show alongside his business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia, called Athleticon. It is set to rival other long-standing bodybuilding shows such as Arnold Sports Festival, The Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia, Joe Weider's Mr. Olympia. The show was set to debut in October 2020 in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, but plans were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2020, Johnson launched Teremana Tequila which sold 600,000 nine-litre cases in its first year.
Johnson, who is a fan of the rapper Tech N9ne, featured on a song titled "Face Off (song), Face Off" on the rapper's 2021 album ''Asin9ne''.
Activism and philanthropy
Johnson attended the 2000 Democratic National Convention as part of WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote. He also had a speaking role at the 2000 Republican National Convention that same year.
Johnson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 and 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 presidential elections. He did not vote in the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 election, and is an independent voter . He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 presidential election. Johnson has expressed an interest in running for president himself, telling ''USA Today'' in February 2021 "I would consider a presidential run in the future if that's what the people wanted". Following an online public opinion poll that found that 46% of Americans would consider voting for Johnson in a presidential election, he further stated during an April 12, 2021 interview on Today (American TV program), ''The Today Show'' that "I do have that goal to unite our country and I also feel that if this is what the people want, then I will do that".
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 then wife, Dany Garcia, donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor. In 2015, Johnson donated $1,500 to a GoFundMe to pay for an abandoned dog's surgery. In 2017, he donated $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. In 2018, Johnson donated a gym to a military base in Oahu, Hawaii. After the 2018 Hawaii floods, he worked with Malama Kauai, a nonprofit organization, to help repair damages caused by the floods. Johnson has also worked with Make-A-Wish Foundation on a number of occasions.
Personal life
As a college student and Miami Hurricanes football, football player at the University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, Johnson first met fellow University of Miami student Dany Garcia in the early 1990s. The couple married on May 3, 1997. She is a businesswoman, IFBB professional bodybuilder, and producer. Their daughter, Simone, was born on August 14, 2001.
On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced they were separating amicably, and their divorce was finalized in May 2008.
Johnson subsequently began dating Lauren Hashian, the daughter of Boston (band), Boston drummer Sib Hashian. They first met in 2006 while Johnson was filming '' The Game Plan''. They were married on August 18, 2019, in Hawaii. The couple have two daughters: Jasmine (born December 17, 2015) and Tiana (born April 17, 2018).
Johnson and Hashian reside in Los Angeles and have a farm in Virginia and a second home in Southwest Ranches, Florida.
In recognition of his service to the Samoan people, and because he is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, Johnson was given the noble title of ''Seiuli'' (meaning the son of Malietoa [''Alo o Malietoa'']) by Malietoa Tanumafili II during his visit there on 9 August 2004. In 2009, he gained Canadian citizenship through his father's birth and citizenship there.
He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo on his left side in 2003. In 2017, he had the small "Brahma bull" tattoo on his right arm covered with a larger Sleeve tattoo, half-sleeve tattoo of a bull's skull.
In February 2020, WWE announced that Johnson's daughter Simone began training at the WWE Performance Center, making her the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler. On May 16, Johnson announced she had signed a contract with WWE, and in May 2022 announced that her wrestling name would be Ava Raine.
Discography
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Filmography
Championships and accomplishments
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Match of the Year, Match of the Year (1999)
** Match of the Year (2002)
** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Most Popular Wrestler of the Year, Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Wrestler of the Year, Wrestler of the Year (2000)
** Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2000
* United States Wrestling Association
** USWA World Tag Team Championship (USWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) – with Bart Sawyer
* ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Box Office Draw, Best Box Office Draw (2000, 2011, 2012)
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Gimmick, Best Gimmick (1999)
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best on Interviews, Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Charismatic, Most Charismatic (1999–2002, 2011, 2012)
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Improved, Most Improved (1998)
** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#Inductees, Class of 2007)
* WWE, WWE/World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation
** WWE Championship (List of WWF Champions, 8 times)
** WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW Championship (List of WCW World Heavyweight Champions, 2 times)
** WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship (List of WWE Intercontinental Champions, 2 times)
** World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWF Tag Team Championship (List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE), 5 times) – with Mick Foley, Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho (1)
** Royal Rumble (Royal Rumble (2000), 2000)
** Triple Crown (professional wrestling), Sixth Triple Crown Champion
** List of WWE tournaments#Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament, Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament (1998)
** Slammy Award (9 times)
*** Best Actor (Slammy Award#2014 Slammy Awards, 2014)
*** Game Changer of the Year (Slammy Award#2011 Slammy Awards, 2011) – with John Cena
*** Guess Who's Back or: Return of the Year (2011)
*** LOL! Moment of the Year (Slammy Award#2012 Slammy Awards, 2012, Slammy Award#2013 Slammy Awards, 2013) – ,
*** Match of the Year (2013) –
*** New Sensation (Slammy Award#1997 Slammy Awards, 1997)
*** "Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Insult of the Year (2014) –
*** "This is Awesome" Moment of the Year (2015 Slammy Awards, 2015) – with Ronda Rousey
Awards and honors
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Dwayne Johnson profile
at Miami Hurricanes football
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Dwayne
Dwayne Johnson,
1972 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Actors of Samoan descent
African-American film producers
African-American male actors
African-American male professional wrestlers
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
African-American television producers
American emigrants to New Zealand
American expatriates in New Zealand
American film producers
American football defensive tackles
American male film actors
American male professional wrestlers
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Black Nova Scotian descent
American people of Canadian descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Samoan descent
American philanthropists
American professional wrestlers of Samoan descent
American sportspeople of Samoan descent
Anoa'i family
Calgary Stampeders players
Canadian football defensive linemen
Film producers from California
Freedom High School (Pennsylvania) alumni
Illeists
Male actors from California
Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area
Miami Hurricanes football players
People from Southwest Ranches, Florida
Players of American football from California
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
Professional wrestlers from California
Professional wrestlers from Florida
Shorty Award winners
Sportspeople from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Hayward, California
Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
Television producers from California
The Nation of Domination members
USWA World Tag Team Champions
WCW World Heavyweight Champions
WWE Champions
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions
XFL (2020) owners
YouTube channels launched in 2005