[354] After the 2018 Hawaii floods, he worked with Malama Kauai, a nonprofit organization, to help repair damages caused by the floods. In more recent times, he has pursued interests in being an actor, businessman, and producer. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). Best Known For: Dwayne Johnson first rose to fame as "The Rock," a popular wrestling personality. However, he changed his name to Rocky in tribute to boxing champions Rocky Marciano and Jack Johnson. [20], In 2013, Johnson hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero. The Rock was the number one overall pick, going to the SmackDown! [261] The term "smackdown" was instituted in Merriam-Webster dictionaries since 2007. The union between Rocky and Ata resulted in the birth of their son Dwayne. [61] He was initially reluctant to take this ring name but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. His mother, Ata, is Samoan and the adopted daughter of pro wrestler Peter Maivia, while his father Rocky, born Wayde Douglas Bowles was a Black Nova Scotian and a member of the first black tag team champions, with Tony Atlas, in WWE history. [132] Austin and Triple H then formed a tag team called The Power Trip,[133] while the Rock was indefinitely suspended in storyline. Cast in the role in August 2015, the film was based on the theme-park ride of the same name. After 30 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2003. .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. The next month, the Rock defeated Booker T, at SummerSlam, to win the WCW Championship for the first time. PA. Ata's father, Peter Maivia, was a pro wrestler who began his career in New Zealand before entering the WWE (then, the WWF) during the '70s. Quick Facts Age: 74 Years, 74 Year Old Females Family: Spouse/Ex-: Rocky Johnson (m. 1978 - div. 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. Believe it or not it was the struggle that put him in contact with his wife Ata. He also started a new persona that has been called Hollywood Rock, with a new look and a shaved head. He opted to accept a full athletic scholarship offer from the University of Miami, whose football program was then one of the best in the nation. [216] At the event, he would cut a promo with Becky Lynch before they were interrupted by King Corbin. [231] In 2001, he was also listed on E! [145][146] 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. [224] Fellow wrestlers Triple H, Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show. [152] 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. It was this move that began his relationship with Ata. She bursts into tears and says Yes, son I couldnt be happier. Johnson's father, "Soulman" Rocky Johnson . [191] On the January 7, 2013, episode of Raw, the Rock returned to confront his Royal Rumble opponent CM Punk. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, Guess Who's Back or: Return of the Year (2011), "Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Insult of the Year (2014) , The Texas Outlaws (Bonecrusher and Crowbar), The Dog Catchers (Dog Catcher #1 and Dog Catcher #2), The Shooting Stars (Troy Haste and Jerry Faith, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 16:11. With few prospects in professional football, Johnson turned to wrestling, debuting in the WWE against the Brooklyn Brawler in Texas. She started crying and collapsing. Triple H in a 60-Minute WWE Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship", "The Rock's fifth WWE Championship reign", "The Rock: Profile & Match Listing Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)", "The Rock vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship", "Six-Man Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship", "Undertaker and Rock's first World Tag Team Championship reign", "Kurt Angle vs. [171] On March 29, 2008, Johnson appeared to induct his father Rocky Johnson and grandfather Peter Maivia into the WWE Hall of Fame. [214], On August 3, 2019, the Rock officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling. [2][40], After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997, episode of Raw Is War[72] and suffering a legitimate knee injury in a match against Mankind,[2] Maivia returned in August 1997 and turned heel for the first time in his career by lashing out at fans who had been booing him and joining Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Kama in the stable called the Nation of Domination. [206], The Rock appeared at the 2015 Royal Rumble event on January 25, 2015, during the main event match, where he helped his relative Roman Reigns fend off Big Show and Kane after Reigns eliminated them from the match. Rocky held sway as a wrestler from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s. However, he later changed his name to Rocky Johnson after he moved to Toronto, Canada, and began his wrestling career. [294][295][296][297][298] In addition to his work on the film, Johnson assisted with re-designing the titular ride for all Disney theme parks. 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. Ata's parents were wealthy thanks to their involvement in sports, and she grew up having everything a child could wish for. ' he wrote via Instagram in a May 10, 2015 post. [332][333] His second item, a black T-shirt sporting his signature "Brahma bull", sold out after being worn at WrestleMania 32. He has since starred in family films The Game Plan (2007), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Tooth Fairy (2010), and Jungle Cruise (2021), as well as the action adventure films Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), G.I. [279][329] In 2014, he hosted another TNT reality series entitled Wake Up Call. [220][221] He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. Instagram / Dwayne Johnson Proud Papa "The world will one day hear from you too, my strong little love," Dwayne wrote in dedication to his daughter Tia for International Women's Day. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.He made his wrestling debut in the USWA under the name Flex Kavanah where he won the tag team championship with Brett Sawyer. 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. The actor had previously surprised his mother with a new house over the holidays. taping. Parents Dwayne Johnson Says He's Grateful for Thanksgiving with Family: 'We Count Our Blessings' Johnson shared on Instagram that he and his mother still get emotional over the holiday. Johnson headlined the most-bought professional wrestling pay-per-view (WrestleMania XXVIII) and was featured among the most watched episodes of WWE's flagship television series (Raw and SmackDown).[16][17]. Intended to show a vicious streak in the Rock's character, the Rock hit Mankind in the head with a steel chair 11 times instead of the scripted five, five shots already being a risky amount (most wrestling matches in the Attitude Era involving steel chairs had at most 2 or 3 shots to the head). ), a group inspired by the Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam,. They have two children together. Full name: Dwayne Douglas Johnson Date of birth: 2nd May 1972 Place of birth: Hayward, California, USA Age: 48 years Dwayne Johnson nationality: American-Canadian Ethnicity: African American Height: 6 feet 5 inches Weight: 118 kg Dwayne Johnson parents: Ata and Rocky Johnson Marital status: Married Wife: Lauren Hashian Between the drama of Dwayne Johnson (portrayed by Uli Latukefu) headlining WrestleMania and finally fulfilling his longtime promise of buying his parents a house, it might be easy to forget where the episode started by the end. [215] On September 30, 2019, after weeks of speculation, the Rock announced that he would be making an appearance on SmackDown's 20th Anniversary on October 4, 2019, marking his first appearance on SmackDown since October 2014 and his first televised appearance since April 2016. How Old Is Johnny Depp? Before Dwayne Johnsons father married Ata, he already had a relationship with Atas father Peter Maivia. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. After playing college football with the Miami Hurricanes, Dwayne made serious attempts to play American football professionally. To make it easy to pronounce, her first name is usually shortened to its last two syllables and rendered as Ata. [367][368][369], 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 August 9, 2004. He reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious, which was released in 2017. His mother, father, and grandmother are also featured in key roles portrayed by Stacey Leilua, Joseph Lee Anderson, and Ana Tuisila, respectively. Rocky Johnson, a Hall of Fame inductee passed away on January 15th 2020 at the age of 75 due to complications from a pulmonary embolism that caused him to suffer from a heart attack. The Rock then pinned Austin, giving Team WWF the victory and forcing The Alliance to disband. [118][119] The following night on Raw, he successfully defended his title against Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage match. Dwayne Johnson, born Dwayne Douglas Johnson, is an American-Canadian actor and film producer, as well as businessman, retired professional wrestler and retired football player. Photo: Art Streiber/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images, Doctors: No Further Hope for Actor Tom Sizemore, READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Birth Year: 1972, Birth date: May 2, 1972, Birth State: California, Birth City: Hayward, Birth Country: United States. In 2021, Young Rock, a television series about the life of Johson, premiered. The Rock had another successful title defense against Benoit, Kane and The Undertaker, on September 24, at Unforgiven.[124]. What is George Eads Doing Now and Why Did He Leave MacGyver? [260], 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. He was a member of the Miami Hurricanes football team during his freshman year in 1991, and won that year's national championship. See the post for yourself: Dwayne Johnson has been married two times so far. Former WWE wrestler, international movie star, and now, television's latest leading man, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has lived one hell of a life. She is a part of the famous Samoan Anoai wrestling family, as both her father and mother were wrestlers. [337], In 2019, Johnson announced he would be launching his own competitive bodybuilding show alongside his business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia, called Athleticon. [97] The next night on Raw is War he was fired from the Corporation after he was betrayed by Shane McMahon, turning him face again and starting a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker and The Corporate Ministry. The finals occurred at Survivor Series on November 15, 1998, where the Rock defeated Vince McMahon's associate, Mankind, to win his first WWF Championship. Here are interesting details about Dwaynes ancestral background that certainly hold a clue to his winning attitude and streak. The three actors who portrayed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at different ages of his life in the new NBC series "Young Rock" learned a lot of lessons in the process, but the most important . He certainly has the proverbial Midas touch. [236], 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. Jabari Banks Age: How Old is The American Actor Today. [83][84], The Rock was then entered into the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. [30] Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson secured several tryout matches for Johnson with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996. On March 29, at WrestleMania XIV, he defeated Shamrock by disqualification once again to retain the title. After going undrafted in 1995, his NFL dreams were dashed. Ata and Rocky never had more children beyond Dwayne. Those younger years are also fleshed out more as his parents Rocky and Ata . They were evicted from a home in Honolulu because they couldnt afford to pay. Ever wondered how, as a black man, The Rock was able to overcome the color barrier in the US to achieve so much in various fields? It doesnt come as a surprise that fans want to know more about him. to set up another match with Hulk Hogan at No Way Out. NBC's new sitcom, .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}Young Rock, executive-produced by the Rock, captures his journey from the former wrestler's humble beginnings to his eventual run for president of the United States (a figment of the show, we promise). While growing up, Dwayne traveled around a lot with his parents and watched his father perform in the ring. What Is Will Smiths Religion, Is He A Christian? 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. In his early years, he played college football at the University of Miami. Dwayne Johnson is a third-generation wrestler as his father and grandfather were both wrestlers. Because of the family's frequent moves, young Dwayne had a difficult time making friends. [32], Johnson began his theatrical career in The Mummy Returns (2001), The Scorpion King (2002), The Rundown (2003), and Walking Tall (2004). I loved Montclaire Elementary!! Dwayne The Rock Johnson found a love of sports no matter where he lived and was recruited to play football on a full scholarship at the University of Miami. [3] Maivia, a clean-cut face character, was pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He is the son of a professional wrestler, Rocky Johnson and Ata Maivia Johnson who gave birth to their son in Hayward, California. In addition to this great honor he is the first non-Samoan to be appointed Grand Chief. [64] On February 13, 1997, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Monday Night Raw. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide,[8] making him one of the world's highest-grossing and highest-paid actors. He presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards. It is the third time that the two collaborated, following Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. Peaks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: 1991 Miami Hurricanes footballAP national champions, People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor, St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Moana: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, WWE/World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation, Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament (1998), "The Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time", "The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All time Reviewed in Wrestling Perspective", "Dwayne Johnson Movie Box Office Results", "The World's Highest-Paid Actors 2016: The Rock Leads With Knockout $64.5 Million Year", "Suspension at Freedom High took Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from troubled teen to one of world's 'most likable people',", "20 Surprising Facts About Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson", "The Rock has 'quietly retired' from wrestling in the WWE", "WWE Isn't Bringing Back The Attitude Era, But An Edgier Product Can't Hurt", "The 23 most successful movie franchises of all time", "Ratings: 'Ballers' Ends First Season as HBO's Most-Watched Comedy in Six Years", "Hiram Garcia Named President of Production at Seven Bucks Prods", "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys XFL for $15 million with partner Redbird Capital, per report", "The World's 100 Most Influential People: Dwayne Johnson", "Dwayne Johnson, Taylor Swift, Gayle King, more cover Time's 100 most influential people issue", "Dwayne Johnson Biography: Film Actor, Athlete (1972)", "Dwayne Johnson How The Rock Transformed from Pro Wrestler to Bankable Movie Star", "Rocky Johnson, Professional Wrestler and Father of Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson, Dies at 75", "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: Rugby's the toughest sport I ever played", "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Irish heritage revealed", "Watch: We chat to Dwayne Johnson about Hercules, getting ripped and his Irish roots", "Through The Years Dwayne 'Not Just The Rock' Johnson", "The Anoa'i family wrestling dynasty: photos", "Samoan Strength: The Rock's Family Tree Is A Wrestling Dynasty", "The Rock's Grandfather Was a Bond Villain: Could It Be Another Family Business? In 1995, Dwayne suffered a back injury which cost him a place in the NFL. [361] They were married on August 18, 2019, in Hawaii. -- Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson gets personal in Sunday's episode of "Oprah's Master Class." Johnson, 43, describes a scary situation when he was 15 that involved his parents. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as a Kid, alongside his parents. YouTube screengrab Source: YouTube Johnson didn't go straight to wrestling. [288][289] In 2018, he starred in the action films Rampage and Skyscraper. While in the WWE, Johnson, who has a Black father and a Samoan mother, was a member of the Nation of Domination (N.O.D. Before he asked crowds what he was cooking, he was just a teen, living in Hawaii, trying to survive high school and getting into trouble. The following night on Raw, the Rock praised Cena, calling their match "an honor". Give your family a hug today and be thankful you can tell them you love them. Though its hard to believe today, Johnson struggled to fit in as a teen. [335] Since then, they have released sneakers, headphones, and other apparel. At King of the Ring, the Rock defeated Dan Severn in the semi-final match and lost to rival Ken Shamrock in the final. From Chris Martin to Hilaria Baldwin to Dwayne Johnson, celebrity parents often find themselves sharing hilarious and relatable tales of their kids. In the 1960s and 1970s, his maternal grandpa, Peter Maivia, rose to prominence in the professional world as 'High Chief.' ", He added a few words of praise for his mother's resilience: "This woman has survived lung cancer, tough marriage, head on collision with a drunk driver and attempted suicide. The Rock then lost the WWF Championship to Kurt Angle, at No Mercy, on October 22, 2000. [300][301][302] Also in 2021, Johnson starred in Netflix's film Red Notice, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber.