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The Rock (entertainer)
Encyclopedia
Dwayne Douglas Johnson also known by his ring name
The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler
who is signed to the WWE,primarily featuring on its Raw brand
. He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Johnson was a college football
player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team
. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders
in the Canadian Football League
, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia
, and his father, Rocky Johnson
. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push as a heroic character
in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain
as a member of the Nation of Domination
in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship
, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos. Johnson is regarded by many as the greatest talker in professional wrestling history.
Johnson is widely considered one the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He won a total of 16 championships in WWF/E. This included nine World Heavyweight Championships (the WWF/E Championship
seven times and the WCW/World Championship
twice), two WWF Intercontinental Championships
, and five times as co-holder of the WWF Tag Team Championships. He was the sixth WWF/E Triple Crown Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble
.
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained on the list for several weeks. Johnson's first leading role as an actor was in The Scorpion King
in 2002. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million. He has since appeared in several blockbuster movies such as The Rundown
, Be Cool
, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang
, The Game Plan
, Get Smart
, Race to Witch Mountain
, Planet 51
, Tooth Fairy
, Doom
, Why Did I Get Married Too?
, The Other Guys
, Faster
, and most recently Fast Five starring opposite Vin Diesel
and Paul Walker
.
, was born in Hayward
, California. His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia
, was also a professional wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, ran Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling from 1982 until 1988 following her husband's death, becoming one of wrestling's few female professional promoters. His father is of Black Nova Scotian
(Canadian) origin and his mother is of Samoan
heritage. For a brief period, Johnson lived in Auckland
, New Zealand, with his mother's family. During this time his mother Ata ensured Johnson was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the Southern Hemisphere. Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the United States with his parents.
He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School
in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, in the state's Lehigh Valley
region. He began playing football
at Bethlehem's Freedom High School
in the highly competitive East Penn Conference. In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field and wrestling
teams.
On 17 April 2009, changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect, which now made all children born in the first generation abroad to Canadian-born parents automatically (and retroactively to date of birth) Canadian citizens. Since Johnson's father was born in Canada and Johnson was born in the first generation abroad, he automatically received Canadian citizenship.
to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' national championship
team
. After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by fellow Hurricane and future National Football League
(NFL) star Warren Sapp
.
While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia. Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992, is a member of its Board of Trustees, and the founder of a Miami-based wealth management firm. The two have remained close to their alma mater, giving a $2-million donation in 2006 to build a living room at the university's alumni center. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology
and physiology
. Johnson continued his football career in 1995, joining the Calgary Stampeders
of the Canadian Football League
after being passed over by the NFL, but he was cut two months into the season. On November 10, 2007, he returned to the Orange Bowl
in Miami to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium. Johnson has two nephews who play football. Kaluka Maiava
played football at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
in 2009, while Kaluka's brother Kai Maiava currently plays at UCLA
.
(Afa
and Sika Anoa'i
) and cousins, such as Manu
, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Rosey
, and Umaga. When he declared his intention to join the family business, his father resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him. With help from veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson had several tryout matches with the WWF in 1996; he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler
at a house show under his real name, Dwayne Johnson, and lost the others to Chris Candido
and Owen Hart
. Impressed by his talent and charisma, Johnson was signed to a contract after wrestling at Jerry Lawler
's United States Wrestling Association
, where he wrestled under the ring name "Flex Kavana". While there, he won the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996.
Johnson, who was first portrayed as a clean-cut face character
(fan favorite), was pushed heavily from the start despite his lack of in-ring experience. He debuted at Survivor Series
in November 1996 and was the sole survivor, and he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship
from Hunter Hearst Helmsley
on Raw
on February 13, 1997, after only three months in the company. By March 1997, Maivia was being increasingly billed as "The Rock". He scored a notable victory, albeit by disqualification, over Bret Hart
in a title defense on the March 31 edition of Raw. Fans, however, quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin
. As a result, a regular occurrence during Johnson's matches was the fans' angry chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!"
on the April 28, 1997 edition of Raw is War, and returning from an injury, The Rock turned into a heel character
(villain). He joined the Nation of Domination with Faarooq
(later member of the APA), D'Lo Brown
, and Kama
. During that time, Johnson attacked and insulted the fans in his promos. In sharp contrast to the overly positive persona, he was now a charismatic bully, eventually driving out the group leader, Faarooq in March 1998. He also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says..."
Johnson was soon recognized for cutting arguably the best promos in the industry. In his 2000 autobiography, Johnson attributed this skill to his exceptional performance in speech communications
classes at Miami, in which he earned "A" grades. At In Your House: D-Generation X
, Austin defeated The Rock in less than six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The following night on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon
to defend the Intercontinental Championship in a rematch, but Austin decided to forfeit it instead, and handed the championship over to The Rock before performing the Stone Cold Stunner
on him. Rock spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Austin and Ken Shamrock
.
The Rock next feuded with Faarooq, who was angry at The Rock for usurping his position. The two had a title match at Over the Edge
, where Rock retained the Intercontinental Championship. The Rock then moved into a feud with Triple H
and D-Generation X
. Nation members fought DX while The Rock fought Triple H over the Intercontinental Championship. They first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded for Rock's title, where the Rock retained the title in controversial fashion. This led to a ladder match
at SummerSlam
where Rock lost the belt. At Breakdown
, the Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind
in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship
before feuding with fellow Nation member Mark Henry
, effectively disbanding the Nation.
, when The Rock defeated the then-villain Mankind in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. At the end of the match, The Rock applied a Sharpshooter
on Mankind. As he did this, McMahon called for the bell to be rung and then ordered for The Rock to be declared the winner. This was a parody
of the Montreal Screwjob
, which happened one year earlier at Survivor Series to Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
With the plan coming to fruition, The Rock turned into a villain again and sided with Vince and Shane McMahon
as the crown jewel of The Corporation stable. This was also a start of a double turn, as Mankind became a fan favorite. Later, The Rock had his own pay-per view, Rock Bottom: In Your House
, where he had a rematch against Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind won the match by knocking the Rock out with Mr. Socko and the mandible claw, but Mr. McMahon said that The Rock did not tap out and therefore The Rock would retain his title. The Rock began a feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, during which the title changed hands back and forth between the two, first during the main event of the January 4, 1999 edition of Raw is War, when Mankind defeated The Rock with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin
. The Rock captured his second WWF Championship in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
on January 24, 1999, when a pre-recorded sample of Mankind saying "I quit" from an interview segment was played over the sound system. This second reign did not last long, however. In a match that counter-programmed the Super Bowl
halftime show on January 31, 1999, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck
in an Empty Arena Match where the competitors used everything from bags of popcorn to garbage to punish each other. This feud continued until the February 15 edition of Raw is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after newly debuted The Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off a ladder.
With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his WWF Championship at WrestleMania XV
, but lost the belt to Austin. The Rock lost the title rematch to Austin at Backlash: In Your House
. Despite him being a villain, WWF fans had begun to cheer The Rock due to his comedic interviews, promos, and segments, which mocked wrestlers and announcers. The Rock transitioned into a face character again after being betrayed by Shane McMahon, and established a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and the Corporate Ministry
. During this feud, he sometimes found himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. The Rock defeated Triple H at Over the Edge
, and then lost to WWF Champion The Undertaker at King of the Ring
. During mid-1999 he continued his rivalry with Triple H, losing to him in a number one contender's match at Fully Loaded following interference from Mr. Ass
. Due to this, as well as feuding with Triple H, The Rock commenced a feud with Mr. Ass, including defeating him in a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam
.
, after The Rock challenged the team of The Undertaker and The Big Show, which led to Mankind offering his help. The Rock accepted, and they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship three times. Aside from the championships, the team was regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in history, as Mankind imitated The Rock, who ignored Mankind, with both wrestlers having support from the crowd. The team was also involved in a segment which occurred on Raw is War called "This Is Your Life", in which Mankind brought out people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and gym teacher. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating
and is, to this day, one of the single highest rated segments in terms of viewership in Raw history.
in early 2000, The Rock entered in the Royal Rumble match and lasted until he and The Big Show were the final two men. In the final moment of the match, The Big Show was seemingly going to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam
-like position, but when they got to the apron The Rock reversed the throw, sending The Big Show to the outside floor and then came back up. The Rock's feet, however, hit the floor first, although those watching the event did not see that. The Big Show attempted to prove that The Rock's feet, not his, touched the ground first. He provided video footage showing that he was the rightful winner. Despite that, the decision that The Rock had won the Rumble match could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship at No Way Out
was held, which saw The Big Show come out on top after Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to finish off his opponent with a People's Elbow. The Rock later defeated The Big Show on March 13, 2000 edition of Raw is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000/ Wrestlemania 16/ WrestleMania XVI
in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match where The Big Show and Mick Foley competed, as well. Each competitor had a McMahon in their corner; for Triple H, his on-screen wife and then off-screen girlfriend Stephanie McMahon; for Mick Foley, the matriarch Linda McMahon
; for The Rock, Vince McMahon; and in Big Show's corner, Shane McMahon. Triple H retained the title when Vince betrayed The Rock, hitting him with a chair, allowing Triple H to pin The Rock for the three-count.
Over the next couple of months The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship. A month after the match at WrestleMania 2000, The Rock had a rematch with Triple H at Backlash
in which The Rock won his fourth WWF Championship, after Stone Cold Steve Austin made a brief return and intervened on The Rock's behalf. Later, at Judgment Day
, the two had an Iron Man match
with Shawn Michaels
as the special guest referee, that saw The Undertaker return. The Rock got disqualified and lost the title, as a result of The Undertaker attacking Triple H. The following night on Raw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction
with the help of The Undertaker. He later won his fifth WWF Championship at King of the Ring
in a tag team
match, which saw him team up with Kane
and The Undertaker to fight Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H. He successfully defended the championship against superstars such as Chris Benoit
, Kurt Angle
, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.
The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy
in October. During this time, he feuded with Rikishi
and defeated him at Survivor Series
. He also participated in a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon
for the WWF Championship, in which Kurt Angle retained the title. Around that same time, Rock held the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker and the duo exchanged the titles with Edge and Christian
.
In 2001, The Rock continued his feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, which they eventually settled at No Way Out
. After a battle that saw both wrestlers kick out of each other's finishers, The Rock finally came out on top and won the WWF Championship for the sixth time. Afterwards, he feuded with the Royal Rumble
winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock went into WrestleMania X-Seven
as the WWF Champion, but he was defeated after Austin used Mr. McMahon to win the title. During a Steel Cage match with Austin in a rematch for the WWF Championship on the following night's Raw is War, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. Many thought he was coming to aid The Rock, due to the hatred between Austin and Triple H (and an argument with Vince earlier in the night), but it transpired that he had joined the Austin/McMahon partnership by hitting The Rock instead. Austin and Triple H became a tag team called "The Two-Man Power Trip", while according to the storyline The Rock was indefinitely suspended, during which time he acted in the movie "The Mummy Returns
".
, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship
. He lost the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho
, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time, at No Mercy
.
The Rock defeated Jericho on November 5 edition of Raw for his second WCW Championship. Continuing with the WWF's battle against The Alliance, The Rock was involved in a "Winner Takes All" match at Survivor Series
, which saw him end up one on one with Steve Austin who had joined The Alliance. The Rock seemed to be superior to Austin, until Chris Jericho, who was also a member of team WWF and was eliminated a few minutes before that point, came inside the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin took advantage of that and tried to defeat The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a supposed Alliance teammate of Austin, proved to be a mole
planted by Vince McMahon and hit Austin in the head with a title belt. This allowed The Rock to eliminate him, and destroyed The Alliance once and for all.
, when Jericho won both the WCW and WWF titles to become the first Undisputed WWF Champion
.
In early 2002, Rock feuded with Jericho and challenged him for the Undisputed Championship at Royal Rumble
, but lost the match. After losing to Jericho, Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out
, before issuing a challenge to the newly returned Hollywood Hulk Hogan
on Raw for a match at WrestleMania X8
. He then engaged in a feud with Hogan and the re-formed New World Order (nWo)
; Rock defeated Hogan at WrestleMania in an "Icon vs Icon" match, but fan reaction resulted in Hogan again becoming a fan favorite, with the two befriending each other after the match and occasionally teaming against the nWo. On July 21, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh and final WWE Championship, which was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship at the time. He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance
, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Angle. The Rock successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H
and Brock Lesnar
by pinning Triple H, who then saved The Rock after Lesnar tried to ambush him after the match. Johnson finally dropped the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam
, ending his final championship reign, and making Lesnar the youngest WWE Champion in history, a record previously held by The Rock. The Rock then went on an extended hiatus from WWE.
The Rock began his last villainous turn on SmackDown!, publicly criticizing Hulk Hogan and taking the persona of a smug sellout who made it clear the WWE (and its fans) was no longer a priority. Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out
ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and the referee, Sylvain Grenier
. The Rock later drafted himself to the Raw brand and started a feud with The Hurricane
and other fan favorites. He also had a comical gimmick, where he played the guitar and sang songs mocking the host city for the event, which culminated in a "Rock concert" that took place during the main event of the March 24, 2003 edition of Raw, where The Rock mocked the host city, Sacramento, California
, because of the Sacramento Kings
' inability to beat the Los Angeles Lakers
.
When Stone Cold Steve Austin returned, they again feuded, and The Rock defeated Austin at WrestleMania XIX
, which was Austin's last major appearance in a wrestling role. The Rock then had a feud with Bill Goldberg
, to whom Rock lost at Backlash
. The Rock then turned into a fan favorite once more by engaging in a one night feud against Chris Jericho and Christian. During his previous villainous turn, he had declared Christian as his favorite wrestler, leading Christian to begin calling himself the "new people's champion" and referring to his fans as "his peeps."
, when the storyline revolving around Mick Foley
had him brought back to help in his feud with Evolution
(Ric Flair
, Randy Orton
, Triple H
and Batista). One humorous in-ring segment involved The Rock hosting his own version of "This Is Your Life" for Foley on the March 8, 2004 edition of Raw. Rock reunited with Foley after five years, as the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. The duo went on to lose to Orton, Flair and Batista at WrestleMania XX
in a handicap match when Orton pinned Foley with an RKO.
He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene
, making a cameo appearance in his hometown of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance. In 2004, he hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the WWE Diva Search
and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman
a spinebuster and a People's Elbow. After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with WWE. He also reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.
On March 12, 2007, The Rock made an appearance on WWE after a near three year absence, appearing on Raw via a pre-taped segment on the TitanTron. He correctly "predicted" that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23
in Donald Trump
and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match.
On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson
, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia
into the WWE Hall of Fame
. During his induction speech he roasted
WWE superstars such as John Cena
, Santino Marella, Chris Jericho
, Mick Foley
, Shawn Michaels
, and Steve Austin
.
In September 2009, Johnson appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling show in order to support the debut of Sarona Snuka
(daughter of longtime friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka
, later known as "Tamina") in professional wrestling. On October 2, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of SmackDown, The Rock made a special appearance in a pre-recorded video.
, was revealed as the Host of WrestleMania XXVII
, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo that ran 20 minutes over the usual Raw end time, The Rock addressed the fans, Michael Cole
, The Miz, and John Cena
, calling him a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", as a response of a shoot interview Cena did on The Rock a couple of years ago .
After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock made a live appearance on Raw to confront Cena, whom he had been feuding with through social networking. At the beginning of The Rock's live promo, he again made fun of Cena's accessories, calling him a "homeless power ranger" and "Vanilla Ice
". After an exchange of words with Cena, The Miz and Alex Riley
appeared and attacked The Rock. The Rock fended off Miz and Riley, but Cena then blindsided The Rock with the Attitude Adjustment on The Rock in retaliation to their feud.
At WrestleMania XXVII
on April 3, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After numerous backstage segments that aired on camera, The Rock appeared during the main event between Cena and The Miz to restart the match that ended in a draw, making it a No Disqualifications match. However, in response to the Attitude Adjustment that Cena performed on The Rock on Raw, The Rock hit Cena with his finisher, the Rock Bottom, this allowed The Miz to pin and retain his title. However, Rock then nailed The Miz with The People's Elbow right after The Miz retained his title.
The next night on Raw, The Rock and Cena had a confrontation, after Cena called out The Rock and challenged him to a match which he accepted for WrestleMania XXVIII
on April 1, 2012. The two of them then came together to fend off an attack by The Corre
(which at that time consisted of Wade Barrett
, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Ezekiel Jackson). The Rock made an appearance live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, 2011 to celebrate his 39th birthday. On the same night John Cena stated that he would keep the WWE Championship
until WrestleMania XXVIII so that their match would be for the WWE Championship.
on November 20. This stipulation was changed on the October 24 edition of Raw, when John Cena
chose The Rock as his tag team partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth, an alliance formed by The Miz
and R-Truth
. The following week on the October 31 edition of Raw, The Rock, appearing via video announced he would accepts John Cena's offer at Survivor Series albeit the hyped tension between them.
On the November 14th edition of RAW before Survivor Series The Rock presented himself for a three-hour edition named "RAW Gets Rocked". Mick Foley returned as well to present Cena his very own This is your life segment that included the returning cameo of Cena's old tag team partner Bull Buchanan as well as an appearance by Cena's father. Trying to amend the hostility between The Rock and Cena, Foley kept on insisting for both men to become friends, only to have The Rock come out and give a Rock Bottom to Foley, thus abruptly ending the segment. Later that night, Miz and R-Truth called out The Rock and Cena, only to receive a beat down and a Rock Bottom each, closing the RAW episode before Survivor Series. Despite the hatred between Rock and Cena both men managed to win their tag team match at Survivor Series against The Miz and R-truth with Rock winning the match by giving The Miz his finishing move The People's Elbow and pinning him to pick up the victory. Following the match, The Rock gave his partner John Cena a Rock Bottom. After Survivor Series went off the air, The Rock delivered a promo thanking all his fans and ending it with his signature catchphrase "If ya smell what The Rock is cookin".
The success of Johnson's in-ring character allowed him to cross over into mainstream popularity, and he appeared on Wyclef Jean
's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video. That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live
. Fellow wrestlers Triple H
, The Big Show, and Mick Foley
appeared on the show. According to Johnson, it was due to the success of that episode that he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.
Johnson filmed guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager
, where he played an alien wrestler that used Johnson's famous moves, and That '70s Show
, where he played his father, Rocky Johnson
. His motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns
. His character later appears in the climax as a CGI Character
. The film's financial success led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up, The Scorpion King
. He was considered for the lead in a feature-length Johnny Bravo
film, but it was canceled during production.
Since his last WWE match in 2004, he had quit wrestling and focused solely on acting. He also continued to make television appearances, including Disney Channel
's hit show Cory in the House
, in the episode entitled “Never the Dwayne Shall Meet.” When Johnson was not active with WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and Johnson continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television programming. The Rock has continued to show a multitude of his acting/talent skills including film roles like the cocky famous football player Joe Kingman in The Game Plan
, and in Get Smart
where he played Agent 23.
Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records
for having the highest salary as an actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million. He appeared at the 80th Academy Awards
on February 24, 2008 as a presenter for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He was nominated for Favorite Movie Actor at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
for his role in The Game Plan
, but lost out to Johnny Depp
, who won for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He then had a supporting role in the Steve Carell
action comedy Get Smart
.
On March 20, 2009, Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. Johnson also appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place
episode "Art Teacher" as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company
. Johnson has made various guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of The Rock Obama, a parody of The Hulk
... "When you make Barack Obama
angry, he turns into The Rock Obama."
In 2010, Johnson headlined the family comedy Tooth Fairy
. Johnson also made an uncredited cameo
in the 2010
film Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?
as a handsome psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson
). He had a brief appearance in the Will Ferrell
/Mark Wahlberg
film The Other Guys
as an action seeking detective along with Samuel L. Jackson
. He made his return to action films after a string of family films and supporting roles with Faster
.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fourth sequel in The Fast and the Furious film series
, Fast Five , as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service
agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists, played by Vin Diesel
and Paul Walker
. Johnson was cast in the role after Diesel had read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Additionally, Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Critics and audiences alike considered Johnson's involvement a welcome addition to the franchise and plans are to have him return for future installments. The film grossed at over $86 million its opening weekend, making it the best opening for a 'Fast & Furious' film, the biggest opening for an April release, and Johnson's best opening weekend.
Johnson's Hosting Reveal of the PBS Special of Celtic Woman Believe at Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, as a fan and a special guest host.
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, the day after his 25th birthday. Johnson and his wife have a daughter, Simone Alexandra, born August 14, 2001. On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage. They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000, debuting at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remaining on the list for several weeks.
Johnson is good friends with actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
,.
and the 2000 Democratic National Convention
, giving a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown your Vote" campaign which aims to increase voting among young people without endorsing any candidate or party.
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, had royal blood, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed Johnson with the noble title of Seiuli during his visit to Samoa in July 2004 in recognition of his service to the Samoan people. He is therefore known in Samoan circles as Seiuli Dwayne Johnson. He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team
, as the team's website during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup
showed him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back. He also acknowledges his heritage through a tattoo he got in 2003.
Arm drag
Cross body
Headlock
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
who is signed to the WWE,primarily featuring on its Raw brand
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Johnson was a college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team
1991 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1991 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season, as determined by the AP Poll. 1991 was a split championship year, though, as the Washington Huskies finished #1 in the Coaches' Poll...
. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
, and his father, Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push as a heroic character
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
as a member of the Nation of Domination
Nation of Domination
The Nation of Domination was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Federation from November 18, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The Rock was a 1 time Intercontinental Champion and D'Lo Brown was a 2 time European Champion while in the group.-United States Wrestling Association :The...
in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos. Johnson is regarded by many as the greatest talker in professional wrestling history.
Johnson is widely considered one the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He won a total of 16 championships in WWF/E. This included nine World Heavyweight Championships (the WWF/E Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
seven times and the WCW/World Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
twice), two WWF Intercontinental Championships
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
, and five times as co-holder of the WWF Tag Team Championships. He was the sixth WWF/E Triple Crown Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2000)
Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
.
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained on the list for several weeks. Johnson's first leading role as an actor was in The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King is a 2002 American action film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan...
in 2002. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million. He has since appeared in several blockbuster movies such as The Rundown
The Rundown
The Rundown is a 2003 American action comedy film starring The Rock and Seann William Scott about a bounty hunter who must head for Brazil to retrieve his employer's renegade son. It was directed by Peter Berg...
, Be Cool
Be Cool
Be Cool is a 2005 crime-comedy film adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty about mobster Chili Palmer's entrance into the film industry.The film adaptation of Be Cool began production in 2003. It was directed by F...
, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang
Gridiron Gang
Gridiron Gang is a 2006 American film starring Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, and Kevin Dunn. It was filmed in California at Camp Kilpatrick, a Los Angeles County Probation Department facility. It is loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs during the 1990 season...
, The Game Plan
The Game Plan (film)
The Game Plan is a 2007 family comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and starring The Rock. This is the last film in which Johnson uses his ring name "The Rock." This is also the last Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista, due to Disney semi-retiring the name in May 2007, making all other...
, Get Smart
Get Smart (film)
Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99...
, Race to Witch Mountain
Race to Witch Mountain
Race to Witch Mountain is a 2009 science fiction/thriller film and a remake of the original 1975 fantasy film, Escape to Witch Mountain. Both versions of the film are based on the 1968 novel Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key...
, Planet 51
Planet 51
Planet 51 is a 2009 Spanish/British/American animated science fiction/family film directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, and John Cleese. Produced by Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and...
, Tooth Fairy
Tooth Fairy (film)
For other uses, see Tooth Fairy .Tooth Fairy is a 2004 short film about a father who forgets to leave money for his daughter from the "tooth fairy"...
, Doom
Doom (film)
Doom is a 2005 science fiction horror film, loosely based on the Doom series of video games created by id Software. It was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak....
, Why Did I Get Married Too?
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Why Did I Get Married Too? is a 2010 American comedy-drama film produced by Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios and stars Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Tasha Smith...
, The Other Guys
The Other Guys
The Other Guys is a 2010 American action comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, and Ray Stevenson...
, Faster
Faster (2010 film)
Faster is a 2010 American action film directed by George Tillman, Jr. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.-Plot:...
, and most recently Fast Five starring opposite Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
and Paul Walker
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
.
Early life
Dwayne Johnson, the son of Ata Johnson ( Maivia) and Brother of Malcolm Johnson, African – Samoan professional wrestler "Soulman" Rocky JohnsonRocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
, was born in Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, California. His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
, was also a professional wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, ran Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling from 1982 until 1988 following her husband's death, becoming one of wrestling's few female professional promoters. His father is of Black Nova Scotian
Black Nova Scotians
Black Nova Scotians are people of Black African descent whose ancestors fled Colonial America as slaves or freemen to settle in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the 2006 Census of Canada, there are 19,230 black people currently living in Nova Scotia, most of whom...
(Canadian) origin and his mother is of Samoan
Samoans
The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...
heritage. For a brief period, Johnson lived in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand, with his mother's family. During this time his mother Ata ensured Johnson was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the Southern Hemisphere. Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the United States with his parents.
He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School
President William McKinley High School
President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve...
in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, in the state's Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region. He began playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Bethlehem's Freedom High School
Freedom High School (Pennsylvania)
Freedom High School is a public high school, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Freedom is one of two public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District. It is located at 3149 Chester Avenue, Bethlehem Township.The total...
in the highly competitive East Penn Conference. In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
teams.
On 17 April 2009, changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect, which now made all children born in the first generation abroad to Canadian-born parents automatically (and retroactively to date of birth) Canadian citizens. Since Johnson's father was born in Canada and Johnson was born in the first generation abroad, he automatically received Canadian citizenship.
Education
Johnson was heavily recruited by many Division I collegiate programs but ultimately accepted a full scholarship from the University of MiamiUniversity of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
team
1991 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1991 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season, as determined by the AP Poll. 1991 was a split championship year, though, as the Washington Huskies finished #1 in the Coaches' Poll...
. After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by fellow Hurricane and future National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) star Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
.
While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia. Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992, is a member of its Board of Trustees, and the founder of a Miami-based wealth management firm. The two have remained close to their alma mater, giving a $2-million donation in 2006 to build a living room at the university's alumni center. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
. Johnson continued his football career in 1995, joining the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
after being passed over by the NFL, but he was cut two months into the season. On November 10, 2007, he returned to the Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
in Miami to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium. Johnson has two nephews who play football. Kaluka Maiava
Kaluka Maiava
-Personal:Maiava's stepfather, Scott Mahoney, attended and played football for Kamehameha Schools and the University of Colorado as an offensive lineman. His mother, Kathryn, works for an airline, which allowed the family the ability to take free trips to the mainland during Maiava's high school...
played football at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2009, while Kaluka's brother Kai Maiava currently plays at UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
.
Training (1995–96)
Along with his father and grandfather, several members of Johnson's family are current and former professional wrestlers, including his uncles, the Wild SamoansWild Samoans
The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation . The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world.-Gimmick:...
(Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sika Anoa'i
Sika Anoa'i
Leati "Sika" Anoa'i is a former professional wrestler and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:Sika teamed with his brother Afa to form the tag team the Wild Samoans. They teamed in various promotions including WWF and Mid-South. In 1979, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation...
) and cousins, such as Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Rosey
Matt Anoa'i
Matthew "Matt" Anoa'i is a professional wrestler, best known for his time on the independent circuit under numerous ring names, and his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competed as Rosey....
, and Umaga. When he declared his intention to join the family business, his father resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him. With help from veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson had several tryout matches with the WWF in 1996; he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler
Steve Lombardi
Steve Lombardi is an Italian American professional wrestler, and road agent. He is also known by his ring name Brooklyn Brawler...
at a house show under his real name, Dwayne Johnson, and lost the others to Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
and Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
. Impressed by his talent and charisma, Johnson was signed to a contract after wrestling at Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
's United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
, where he wrestled under the ring name "Flex Kavana". While there, he won the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996.
Early WWF run (1996–97)
Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, which combined his father and grandfather's ring names; Johnson was initially reluctant to the idea, but was persuaded to go ahead with the name by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. In addition to taking on the nickname "The Blue Chipper," the WWF played up his connection to his father and grandfather, calling him the company's first third-generation wrestler.Johnson, who was first portrayed as a clean-cut face character
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
(fan favorite), was pushed heavily from the start despite his lack of in-ring experience. He debuted at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1996)
Survivor Series was the tenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
in November 1996 and was the sole survivor, and he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
from Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on February 13, 1997, after only three months in the company. By March 1997, Maivia was being increasingly billed as "The Rock". He scored a notable victory, albeit by disqualification, over Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
in a title defense on the March 31 edition of Raw. Fans, however, quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
. As a result, a regular occurrence during Johnson's matches was the fans' angry chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!"
Nation of Domination (1997–98)
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen HartOwen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
on the April 28, 1997 edition of Raw is War, and returning from an injury, The Rock turned into a heel character
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
(villain). He joined the Nation of Domination with Faarooq
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
(later member of the APA), D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
, and Kama
Charles Wright (wrestler)
Charles Wright is an American businessman and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather, and The Goodfather .After leaving the wrestling...
. During that time, Johnson attacked and insulted the fans in his promos. In sharp contrast to the overly positive persona, he was now a charismatic bully, eventually driving out the group leader, Faarooq in March 1998. He also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says..."
Johnson was soon recognized for cutting arguably the best promos in the industry. In his 2000 autobiography, Johnson attributed this skill to his exceptional performance in speech communications
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
classes at Miami, in which he earned "A" grades. At In Your House: D-Generation X
D-Generation X: In Your House
D-Generation X: In Your House was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that took place on December 7, 1997 at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.-WWF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament:The tournament to determine the...
, Austin defeated The Rock in less than six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The following night on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
to defend the Intercontinental Championship in a rematch, but Austin decided to forfeit it instead, and handed the championship over to The Rock before performing the Stone Cold Stunner
Stunner (professional wrestling)
A stunner is a common term in professional wrestling referring to the seated three-quarter facelock jawbreaker maneuver, predominantly used by Stone Cold Steve Austin and named for his Stone Cold Stunner finisher...
on him. Rock spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Austin and Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
.
The Rock next feuded with Faarooq, who was angry at The Rock for usurping his position. The two had a title match at Over the Edge
Over the Edge: In Your House
Over the Edge: In Your House was the first of what was to be an annual World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It was also the 22nd pay-per-view event in the In Your House series...
, where Rock retained the Intercontinental Championship. The Rock then moved into a feud with Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and D-Generation X
D-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
. Nation members fought DX while The Rock fought Triple H over the Intercontinental Championship. They first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded for Rock's title, where the Rock retained the title in controversial fashion. This led to a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1998)
SummerSlam was the eleventh annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 30, 1998 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
where Rock lost the belt. At Breakdown
Breakdown: In Your House
Breakdown: In Your House was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, under the In Your House name, produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, the Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
before feuding with fellow Nation member Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, effectively disbanding the Nation.
The Corporation (1998–99)
Johnson's popularity as The Rock propelled him to the WWF Championship. The Rock began to conduct many entertaining interviews, and thus he got over with the fans. Fan reaction effectively turned him into a face character, and he began to feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he has a "problem with the people" and thus he should target the "People's Champion" (as The Rock claimed himself to be). A double turn occurred at Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series (1998)
Survivor Series was the twelfth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on November 15, 1998 at the Kiel Center in St...
, when The Rock defeated the then-villain Mankind in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. At the end of the match, The Rock applied a Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
on Mankind. As he did this, McMahon called for the bell to be rung and then ordered for The Rock to be declared the winner. This was a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
, which happened one year earlier at Survivor Series to Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
With the plan coming to fruition, The Rock turned into a villain again and sided with Vince and Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
as the crown jewel of The Corporation stable. This was also a start of a double turn, as Mankind became a fan favorite. Later, The Rock had his own pay-per view, Rock Bottom: In Your House
Rock Bottom: In Your House
Rock Bottom: In Your House was the twenty-sixth pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation in the In Your House series...
, where he had a rematch against Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind won the match by knocking the Rock out with Mr. Socko and the mandible claw, but Mr. McMahon said that The Rock did not tap out and therefore The Rock would retain his title. The Rock began a feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, during which the title changed hands back and forth between the two, first during the main event of the January 4, 1999 edition of Raw is War, when Mankind defeated The Rock with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
. The Rock captured his second WWF Championship in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1999)
Royal Rumble was the twelfth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1999 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The title of the event was taken from a promise by Mr...
on January 24, 1999, when a pre-recorded sample of Mankind saying "I quit" from an interview segment was played over the sound system. This second reign did not last long, however. In a match that counter-programmed the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
halftime show on January 31, 1999, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck
Forklift truck
A forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing...
in an Empty Arena Match where the competitors used everything from bags of popcorn to garbage to punish each other. This feud continued until the February 15 edition of Raw is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after newly debuted The Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off a ladder.
With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his WWF Championship at WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV was the fifteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on March 28, 1999 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, but lost the belt to Austin. The Rock lost the title rematch to Austin at Backlash: In Your House
Backlash: In Your House
Backlash: In Your House was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation promotion, which took place on April 25, 1999 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island...
. Despite him being a villain, WWF fans had begun to cheer The Rock due to his comedic interviews, promos, and segments, which mocked wrestlers and announcers. The Rock transitioned into a face character again after being betrayed by Shane McMahon, and established a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and the Corporate Ministry
Corporate Ministry
The Corporate Ministry was a stable in the World Wrestling Federation in 1999 composed of members from both The Corporation and the Ministry of Darkness.-Background:...
. During this feud, he sometimes found himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. The Rock defeated Triple H at Over the Edge
Over the Edge (1999)
Over The Edge was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on May 23, 1999, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, USA...
, and then lost to WWF Champion The Undertaker at King of the Ring
King of the Ring (1999)
- Results :-Aftermath:The next night on RAW is War, Mr. McMahon claimed that the show that evening would be "a night never forgotten." Steve Austin announced that while he was CEO he wrote up a new contract for himself and made a few new rules, including the authority to assault Vince McMahon...
. During mid-1999 he continued his rivalry with Triple H, losing to him in a number one contender's match at Fully Loaded following interference from Mr. Ass
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
. Due to this, as well as feuding with Triple H, The Rock commenced a feud with Mr. Ass, including defeating him in a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1999)
SummerSlam was the twelfth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 22, 1999 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Results:Tag Team Turmoil...
.
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (1999)
Towards the latter part of 1999 The Rock found himself in several singles and tag team championship opportunities. He teamed with former enemy Mankind to create the Rock 'n' Sock ConnectionRock 'n' Sock Connection
The Rock 'N' Sock Connection is a former professional wrestling tag team of The Rock and Mankind that wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation between 1999 and 2000 and briefly in 2004...
, after The Rock challenged the team of The Undertaker and The Big Show, which led to Mankind offering his help. The Rock accepted, and they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship three times. Aside from the championships, the team was regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in history, as Mankind imitated The Rock, who ignored Mankind, with both wrestlers having support from the crowd. The team was also involved in a segment which occurred on Raw is War called "This Is Your Life", in which Mankind brought out people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and gym teacher. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and is, to this day, one of the single highest rated segments in terms of viewership in Raw history.
Feuds for the WWF Championship (2000–01)
At Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (2000)
Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
in early 2000, The Rock entered in the Royal Rumble match and lasted until he and The Big Show were the final two men. In the final moment of the match, The Big Show was seemingly going to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam
Powerslam
A powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
-like position, but when they got to the apron The Rock reversed the throw, sending The Big Show to the outside floor and then came back up. The Rock's feet, however, hit the floor first, although those watching the event did not see that. The Big Show attempted to prove that The Rock's feet, not his, touched the ground first. He provided video footage showing that he was the rightful winner. Despite that, the decision that The Rock had won the Rumble match could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship at No Way Out
No Way Out (2000)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on February 27, 2000 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut...
was held, which saw The Big Show come out on top after Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to finish off his opponent with a People's Elbow. The Rock later defeated The Big Show on March 13, 2000 edition of Raw is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000/ Wrestlemania 16/ WrestleMania XVI
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania 2000 was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California...
in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match where The Big Show and Mick Foley competed, as well. Each competitor had a McMahon in their corner; for Triple H, his on-screen wife and then off-screen girlfriend Stephanie McMahon; for Mick Foley, the matriarch Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
; for The Rock, Vince McMahon; and in Big Show's corner, Shane McMahon. Triple H retained the title when Vince betrayed The Rock, hitting him with a chair, allowing Triple H to pin The Rock for the three-count.
Backlash (2000)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation promotion, which took place on April 30, 2000 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.. It was the second event under the Backlash chronology...
in which The Rock won his fourth WWF Championship, after Stone Cold Steve Austin made a brief return and intervened on The Rock's behalf. Later, at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2000)
Judgment Day was the second annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on May 21, 2000 at the Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky....
, the two had an Iron Man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
with Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
as the special guest referee, that saw The Undertaker return. The Rock got disqualified and lost the title, as a result of The Undertaker attacking Triple H. The following night on Raw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction
McMahon-Helmsley Faction
The McMahon-Helmsley Faction was a large heel stable in the World Wrestling Federation which was founded in late 1999, had mostly faded away by early 2001 and finally ended in mid-2002...
with the help of The Undertaker. He later won his fifth WWF Championship at King of the Ring
King of the Ring (2000)
King of the Ring was the eighth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation...
in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match, which saw him team up with Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
and The Undertaker to fight Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H. He successfully defended the championship against superstars such as Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.
The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy
No Mercy (2000)
No Mercy was the third No Mercy professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It took place on October 22, 2000 at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York....
in October. During this time, he feuded with Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
and defeated him at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2000)
Survivor Series was the fourteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 19, 2000 at the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida....
. He also participated in a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon
Armageddon (2000)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation that took place on December 10, 2000, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the second annual Armageddon event....
for the WWF Championship, in which Kurt Angle retained the title. Around that same time, Rock held the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker and the duo exchanged the titles with Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
.
In 2001, The Rock continued his feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, which they eventually settled at No Way Out
No Way Out (2001)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It was the third such annual event and took place on February 25, 2001 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada....
. After a battle that saw both wrestlers kick out of each other's finishers, The Rock finally came out on top and won the WWF Championship for the sixth time. Afterwards, he feuded with the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2001)
Royal Rumble was the fourteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock went into WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas...
as the WWF Champion, but he was defeated after Austin used Mr. McMahon to win the title. During a Steel Cage match with Austin in a rematch for the WWF Championship on the following night's Raw is War, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. Many thought he was coming to aid The Rock, due to the hatred between Austin and Triple H (and an argument with Vince earlier in the night), but it transpired that he had joined the Austin/McMahon partnership by hitting The Rock instead. Austin and Triple H became a tag team called "The Two-Man Power Trip", while according to the storyline The Rock was indefinitely suspended, during which time he acted in the movie "The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy...
".
The Invasion (2001)
He returned in late July 2001 and had to decide if he wanted to join the WWF or The Alliance (a combination of WCW and ECW) during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF. At SummerSlamSummerSlam (2001)
SummerSlam was the fourteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 19, 2001 at the Compaq Center in San Jose, California...
, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
. He lost the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time, at No Mercy
No Mercy (2001)
No Mercy was the fourth No Mercy professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It took place on October 21, 2001 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri....
.
Survivor Series (2001)
Survivor Series was the fifteenth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, which saw him end up one on one with Steve Austin who had joined The Alliance. The Rock seemed to be superior to Austin, until Chris Jericho, who was also a member of team WWF and was eliminated a few minutes before that point, came inside the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin took advantage of that and tried to defeat The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a supposed Alliance teammate of Austin, proved to be a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
planted by Vince McMahon and hit Austin in the head with a title belt. This allowed The Rock to eliminate him, and destroyed The Alliance once and for all.
Undisputed WWE Champion, final storylines (2001–03)
The Rock closed out the year losing the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho at VengeanceVengeance (2001)
Vengeance was the first annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on December 9, 2001 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California....
, when Jericho won both the WCW and WWF titles to become the first Undisputed WWF Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
.
In early 2002, Rock feuded with Jericho and challenged him for the Undisputed Championship at Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2002)
Royal Rumble was the fifteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 20, 2002 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia...
, but lost the match. After losing to Jericho, Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out
No Way Out (2002)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation . The event took place on February 17, 2002 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
, before issuing a challenge to the newly returned Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
on Raw for a match at WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8 was the eighteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 17, 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event marked the final WrestleMania event under the WWF name...
. He then engaged in a feud with Hogan and the re-formed New World Order (nWo)
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
; Rock defeated Hogan at WrestleMania in an "Icon vs Icon" match, but fan reaction resulted in Hogan again becoming a fan favorite, with the two befriending each other after the match and occasionally teaming against the nWo. On July 21, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh and final WWE Championship, which was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship at the time. He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance
Vengeance (2002)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 21, 2002 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. It was the second annual Vengeance produced by WWE. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which...
, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Angle. The Rock successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
by pinning Triple H, who then saved The Rock after Lesnar tried to ambush him after the match. Johnson finally dropped the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2002)
SummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York....
, ending his final championship reign, and making Lesnar the youngest WWE Champion in history, a record previously held by The Rock. The Rock then went on an extended hiatus from WWE.
The Rock began his last villainous turn on SmackDown!, publicly criticizing Hulk Hogan and taking the persona of a smug sellout who made it clear the WWE (and its fans) was no longer a priority. Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out
No Way Out (2003)
No Way Out was the fourth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on February 23, 2003 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and starred the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands.The main event from the SmackDown! brand was a rematch...
ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and the referee, Sylvain Grenier
Sylvain Grenier
Sylvain Grenier is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a French language announcer for TNA Impact! on RDS....
. The Rock later drafted himself to the Raw brand and started a feud with The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
and other fan favorites. He also had a comical gimmick, where he played the guitar and sang songs mocking the host city for the event, which culminated in a "Rock concert" that took place during the main event of the March 24, 2003 edition of Raw, where The Rock mocked the host city, Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, because of the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
' inability to beat the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
When Stone Cold Steve Austin returned, they again feuded, and The Rock defeated Austin at WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX was the nineteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 30, 2003 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Washington, and the first...
, which was Austin's last major appearance in a wrestling role. The Rock then had a feud with Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
, to whom Rock lost at Backlash
Backlash (2003)
Backlash was the fifth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment...
. The Rock then turned into a fan favorite once more by engaging in a one night feud against Chris Jericho and Christian. During his previous villainous turn, he had declared Christian as his favorite wrestler, leading Christian to begin calling himself the "new people's champion" and referring to his fans as "his peeps."
Part–time appearances (2004–09)
The Rock made occasional wrestling appearances up to 2004's WrestleMania XXWrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
, when the storyline revolving around Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
had him brought back to help in his feud with Evolution
Evolution (professional wrestling)
Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
(Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Batista). One humorous in-ring segment involved The Rock hosting his own version of "This Is Your Life" for Foley on the March 8, 2004 edition of Raw. Rock reunited with Foley after five years, as the Rock 'n' Sock Connection. The duo went on to lose to Orton, Flair and Batista at WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
in a handicap match when Orton pinned Foley with an RKO.
He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
, making a cameo appearance in his hometown of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance. In 2004, he hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the WWE Diva Search
WWE Diva Search
The WWE Diva Search is a talent competition held by World Wrestling Entertainment. The first winner was Jaime Koeppe, but she did not receive a contract like subsequent winners of the contest. Other winners included Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla El, and Eve Torres. In addition to the winners...
and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator and authority figure. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
a spinebuster and a People's Elbow. After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with WWE. He also reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.
On March 12, 2007, The Rock made an appearance on WWE after a near three year absence, appearing on Raw via a pre-taped segment on the TitanTron. He correctly "predicted" that Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
in Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match.
On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
into the WWE Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
. During his induction speech he roasted
Roast (comedy)
A roast is an event in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and...
WWE superstars such as John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, Santino Marella, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, and Steve Austin
Steve Austin
Stephen, Steven, or Steve Austin may refer to:* Stone Cold Steve Austin , American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler* Steve Austin , Australian dog trainer* Stephen F...
.
In September 2009, Johnson appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling show in order to support the debut of Sarona Snuka
Sarona Reiher
Sarona Reiher is a professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE, where she is performing on the SmackDown brand, using the ring name Tamina...
(daughter of longtime friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
, later known as "Tamina") in professional wrestling. On October 2, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of SmackDown, The Rock made a special appearance in a pre-recorded video.
Hosting Wrestlemania 27
On the February 14, 2011 episode of RawWWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, was revealed as the Host of WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo that ran 20 minutes over the usual Raw end time, The Rock addressed the fans, Michael Cole
Michael Cole
Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist....
, The Miz, and John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, calling him a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", as a response of a shoot interview Cena did on The Rock a couple of years ago .
After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock made a live appearance on Raw to confront Cena, whom he had been feuding with through social networking. At the beginning of The Rock's live promo, he again made fun of Cena's accessories, calling him a "homeless power ranger" and "Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
". After an exchange of words with Cena, The Miz and Alex Riley
Alex Riley
Alex Riley is a TV and radio presenter.Born and brought up in Sheffield, Riley started performing with the city's Crucible Youth Theatre during which time he originated, and appeared in, dozens of sketches and devised pieces, as well as appearing in a number of plays and farces at the Library...
appeared and attacked The Rock. The Rock fended off Miz and Riley, but Cena then blindsided The Rock with the Attitude Adjustment on The Rock in retaliation to their feud.
At WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
on April 3, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After numerous backstage segments that aired on camera, The Rock appeared during the main event between Cena and The Miz to restart the match that ended in a draw, making it a No Disqualifications match. However, in response to the Attitude Adjustment that Cena performed on The Rock on Raw, The Rock hit Cena with his finisher, the Rock Bottom, this allowed The Miz to pin and retain his title. However, Rock then nailed The Miz with The People's Elbow right after The Miz retained his title.
The next night on Raw, The Rock and Cena had a confrontation, after Cena called out The Rock and challenged him to a match which he accepted for WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania XXVIII is the forthcoming twenty-eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE. It is scheduled to take place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
on April 1, 2012. The two of them then came together to fend off an attack by The Corre
The Corre
The Corre was a professional wrestling heel stable that performed on WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The stable was formed after Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater left the Nexus and allied with Ezekiel Jackson.-Formation:...
(which at that time consisted of Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Ezekiel Jackson). The Rock made an appearance live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, 2011 to celebrate his 39th birthday. On the same night John Cena stated that he would keep the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
until WrestleMania XXVIII so that their match would be for the WWE Championship.
Survivor Series; back in action since 2004
On September 16, 2011, WWE.com confirmed that The Rock was then confirmed to take part in a Tag Team Match alongside his Wrestlemania 28 opponent John Cena at the 25th anniversary of Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series (2011)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on November 20, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was the 25th annual Survivor Series event and the first one to take place in Madison Square Garden since the 2002 event...
on November 20. This stipulation was changed on the October 24 edition of Raw, when John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
chose The Rock as his tag team partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth, an alliance formed by The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
and R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
. The following week on the October 31 edition of Raw, The Rock, appearing via video announced he would accepts John Cena's offer at Survivor Series albeit the hyped tension between them.
On the November 14th edition of RAW before Survivor Series The Rock presented himself for a three-hour edition named "RAW Gets Rocked". Mick Foley returned as well to present Cena his very own This is your life segment that included the returning cameo of Cena's old tag team partner Bull Buchanan as well as an appearance by Cena's father. Trying to amend the hostility between The Rock and Cena, Foley kept on insisting for both men to become friends, only to have The Rock come out and give a Rock Bottom to Foley, thus abruptly ending the segment. Later that night, Miz and R-Truth called out The Rock and Cena, only to receive a beat down and a Rock Bottom each, closing the RAW episode before Survivor Series. Despite the hatred between Rock and Cena both men managed to win their tag team match at Survivor Series against The Miz and R-truth with Rock winning the match by giving The Miz his finishing move The People's Elbow and pinning him to pick up the victory. Following the match, The Rock gave his partner John Cena a Rock Bottom. After Survivor Series went off the air, The Rock delivered a promo thanking all his fans and ending it with his signature catchphrase "If ya smell what The Rock is cookin".
Television and film career
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video. That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Fellow wrestlers Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, The Big Show, and Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
appeared on the show. According to Johnson, it was due to the success of that episode that he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.
Johnson filmed guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, where he played an alien wrestler that used Johnson's famous moves, and That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
, where he played his father, Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
. His motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy...
. His character later appears in the climax as a CGI Character
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
. The film's financial success led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up, The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King
The Scorpion King is a 2002 American action film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan...
. He was considered for the lead in a feature-length Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
film, but it was canceled during production.
Since his last WWE match in 2004, he had quit wrestling and focused solely on acting. He also continued to make television appearances, including Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
's hit show Cory in the House
Cory in the House
Cory in the House is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Disney Channel from January 12, 2007 to September 12, 2008 and was a spin-off from the Disney show That's So Raven. The show focuses on Cory Baxter, who moved from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C., after Victor...
, in the episode entitled “Never the Dwayne Shall Meet.” When Johnson was not active with WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and Johnson continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television programming. The Rock has continued to show a multitude of his acting/talent skills including film roles like the cocky famous football player Joe Kingman in The Game Plan
The Game Plan (film)
The Game Plan is a 2007 family comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and starring The Rock. This is the last film in which Johnson uses his ring name "The Rock." This is also the last Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista, due to Disney semi-retiring the name in May 2007, making all other...
, and in Get Smart
Get Smart (film)
Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99...
where he played Agent 23.
Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
for having the highest salary as an actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million. He appeared at the 80th Academy Awards
80th Academy Awards
The 80th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films in 2007 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 24, 2008 . During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards in 24...
on February 24, 2008 as a presenter for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He was nominated for Favorite Movie Actor at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel, which airs live and is usually held and telecast live on a...
for his role in The Game Plan
The Game Plan (film)
The Game Plan is a 2007 family comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and starring The Rock. This is the last film in which Johnson uses his ring name "The Rock." This is also the last Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista, due to Disney semi-retiring the name in May 2007, making all other...
, but lost out to Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, who won for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He then had a supporting role in the Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
action comedy Get Smart
Get Smart (film)
Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99...
.
On March 20, 2009, Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. Johnson also appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
episode "Art Teacher" as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. Johnson has made various guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of The Rock Obama, a parody of The Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
... "When you make Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
angry, he turns into The Rock Obama."
In 2010, Johnson headlined the family comedy Tooth Fairy
Tooth Fairy (film)
For other uses, see Tooth Fairy .Tooth Fairy is a 2004 short film about a father who forgets to leave money for his daughter from the "tooth fairy"...
. Johnson also made an uncredited cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the 2010
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
film Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Why Did I Get Married Too? is a 2010 American comedy-drama film produced by Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios and stars Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Tasha Smith...
as a handsome psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
). He had a brief appearance in the Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
/Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
film The Other Guys
The Other Guys
The Other Guys is a 2010 American action comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, and Ray Stevenson...
as an action seeking detective along with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
. He made his return to action films after a string of family films and supporting roles with Faster
Faster (2010 film)
Faster is a 2010 American action film directed by George Tillman, Jr. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.-Plot:...
.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fourth sequel in The Fast and the Furious film series
The Fast and the Furious (film series)
The Fast and the Furious is a series of action films that focuses on street racing and heists. Produced by Universal Studios, the series was established in 2001 with the eponymous first installment, which has since been followed by four sequels, and two short films that tie into the series...
, Fast Five , as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service
Diplomatic Security Service
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of State. The majority of its Special Agents are members of the Foreign Service and federal law enforcement agents at the same time, making them unique...
agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists, played by Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
and Paul Walker
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
. Johnson was cast in the role after Diesel had read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Additionally, Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Critics and audiences alike considered Johnson's involvement a welcome addition to the franchise and plans are to have him return for future installments. The film grossed at over $86 million its opening weekend, making it the best opening for a 'Fast & Furious' film, the biggest opening for an April release, and Johnson's best opening weekend.
Johnson's Hosting Reveal of the PBS Special of Celtic Woman Believe at Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, as a fan and a special guest host.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Beyond the Mat Beyond the Mat Beyond the Mat is a 1999 documentary directed by Barry W. Blaustein. The movie focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers outside of the ring, primarily Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts, as well as some aspiring wrestlers... |
Himself | Documentary |
| 2000 | Longshot Longshot (film) Longshot: The Movie , originally titled Jack Of All Trades is a teen film directed by Lionel C. Martin. It opened briefly in select theaters in Germany. The film was not shown in theaters in North America, but rather was released as a video and DVD only available through the film's web site... |
The Mugger | |
| 2001 | The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy... |
The Scorpion King | CGI Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media... for the ending section |
| 2002 | The Scorpion King The Scorpion King The Scorpion King is a 2002 American action film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan... |
Mathayus the Scorpion King | |
| 2003 | The Rundown The Rundown The Rundown is a 2003 American action comedy film starring The Rock and Seann William Scott about a bounty hunter who must head for Brazil to retrieve his employer's renegade son. It was directed by Peter Berg... |
Beck | "Welcome to the Jungle" (UK title) |
| 2004 | Walking Tall Walking Tall (2004 film) Walking Tall is a 2004 remake of the 1973 film of the same name. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Johnny Knoxville. Like the original film, it was based on real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser, however, the main character's name was changed to "Chris Vaughn"... |
Chris Vaughn | |
| 2005 | Be Cool Be Cool Be Cool is a 2005 crime-comedy film adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty about mobster Chili Palmer's entrance into the film industry.The film adaptation of Be Cool began production in 2003. It was directed by F... |
Elliot Wilhelm | |
| Doom Doom (film) Doom is a 2005 science fiction horror film, loosely based on the Doom series of video games created by id Software. It was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak.... |
Sarge | ||
| 2006 | Gridiron Gang Gridiron Gang Gridiron Gang is a 2006 American film starring Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, and Kevin Dunn. It was filmed in California at Camp Kilpatrick, a Los Angeles County Probation Department facility. It is loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs during the 1990 season... |
Sean Porter | |
| 2007 | Reno 911!: Miami Reno 911!: Miami Reno 911!: Miami is a film based on Comedy Central's Reno 911! directed by cast-member Robert Ben Garant, who plays "Junior." It was released on February 23, 2007... |
Agent Rick Smith | Cameo |
| Southland Tales Southland Tales Southland Tales is a 2006 American-Franco-German science fiction dark comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Kelly. The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and Greater Los Angeles... |
Boxer Santaros | ||
| The Game Plan The Game Plan (film) The Game Plan is a 2007 family comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and starring The Rock. This is the last film in which Johnson uses his ring name "The Rock." This is also the last Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista, due to Disney semi-retiring the name in May 2007, making all other... |
Joe Kingman | Last movie to use ring name "The Rock" | |
| 2008 | Get Smart Get Smart (film) Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99... |
Agent 23 | |
| 2009 | Race to Witch Mountain Race to Witch Mountain Race to Witch Mountain is a 2009 science fiction/thriller film and a remake of the original 1975 fantasy film, Escape to Witch Mountain. Both versions of the film are based on the 1968 novel Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key... |
Jack Bruno | |
| Planet 51 Planet 51 Planet 51 is a 2009 Spanish/British/American animated science fiction/family film directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, and John Cleese. Produced by Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and... |
Capt. Charles 'Chuck' Baker | Voice | |
| 2010 | Tooth Fairy Tooth Fairy (film) For other uses, see Tooth Fairy .Tooth Fairy is a 2004 short film about a father who forgets to leave money for his daughter from the "tooth fairy"... |
Derek Thompson / Tooth Fairy Tooth fairy The tooth fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood. The folklore states that when a child loses a baby tooth, if he or she places it beneath the bed pillow, the tooth fairy will visit while the child sleeps, replacing the lost tooth with a small payment.... |
|
| Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? Why Did I Get Married Too? Why Did I Get Married Too? is a 2010 American comedy-drama film produced by Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios and stars Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Tasha Smith... |
Daniel Franklin (Patricia's new boyfriend) | Uncredited | |
| Faster Faster (2010 film) Faster is a 2010 American action film directed by George Tillman, Jr. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.-Plot:... |
Driver | ||
| The Other Guys The Other Guys The Other Guys is a 2010 American action comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, and Ray Stevenson... |
Detective Christopher Danson | ||
| You Again You Again You Again is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Andy Fickman and written by Moe Jelline. The film stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, and Betty White... |
Air Marshall | Uncredited | |
| 2011 | Fast Five | Luke Hobbs | Again started to use the ringname "The Rock" |
| 2012 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is an upcoming American 3D action-adventure film directed by Brad Peyton and the sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth.... |
Hank Parsons | Post-Production |
| G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an upcoming science fiction action film directed by Jon Chu. It is a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.-Plot:... |
Roadblock Roadblock (G.I. Joe) Roadblock is a character from Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series of toys, comics and cartoons. He is one of the most prominent African-Americans in the series. His primary function in G.I. Joe is as a heavy machine gunner and a secondary function as a cook.-Fictional character... |
Filming | |
| Arabian Nights | Sinbad Sinbad Sinbad or Sindbad may refer to:* Sinbad the Sailor, from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Arabian Nights* Sinbad the Sailor, an alias of Edmond Dantes in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo... |
Filming | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Transformers: Prime Transformers: Prime Transformers: Prime, also known as Transformers: Prime –The Animated Series, is an American computer-animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro. It airs on the The Hub in the United States... |
Cliffjumper | Voice, 1 Episode: "Darkness Rising, Part 1" |
| Television guest appearances | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | That '70s Show That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979... |
Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson... |
Episode: "That Wrestling Show" |
| The Net The Net (TV series) The Net is a 1998 television drama series based on the 1995 film of the same name. The series starred Brooke Langton as Angela Bennett, the character Sandra Bullock played in the film... |
Brody | Episode: "Last Man Standing" | |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while... |
The Champion | Episode: "Tsunkatse Tsunkatse "Tsunkatse" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 15th episode of the sixth season.-Plot:While on shoreleave, Chakotay and Torres attend a Tsunkatse match in a nearby alien world. In the meantime, Captain Janeway is off touring a planet in a neighboring system... " |
| 2000, 2002, 2009 | Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture... |
Guest host | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Cory in the House Cory in the House Cory in the House is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Disney Channel from January 12, 2007 to September 12, 2008 and was a spin-off from the Disney show That's So Raven. The show focuses on Cory Baxter, who moved from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C., after Victor... |
Himself | "Never the Dwayne Shall Meet" (Season 1: Episode 21) |
| Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real... |
"Don't Stop Til You Get the Phone" (Season 2: Episode 17) | ||
| 2009 | Wizards of Waverly Place Wizards of Waverly Place Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009... |
"Art Teacher" (Season 2: Episode 15 Wizards of Waverly Place (season 2) The second season of Wizards of Waverly Place aired on Disney Channel from September 12, 2008 to August 21, 2009.The season deals with the Russo children, Alex , Justin and Max Russo continuing to compete to become the leading wizard in their family... ) |
|
| 2011 | Celtic Woman: Believe PBS Special at Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia | Guest host (PBS Concert Special) | |
Personal life
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000, debuting at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remaining on the list for several weeks.
Johnson is good friends with actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
,.
Public activities
In 2000, Johnson attended both the 2000 Republican National Convention2000 Republican National Convention
The 2000 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 31 to August 3, 2000. The 2066 delegates assembled at the convention nominated Texas Governor George W. Bush as the Republican candidate for U.S....
and the 2000 Democratic National Convention
2000 Democratic National Convention
The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore as its candidate for President and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as its candidate for Vice President. The convention was held at...
, giving a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown your Vote" campaign which aims to increase voting among young people without endorsing any candidate or party.
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, had royal blood, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed Johnson with the noble title of Seiuli during his visit to Samoa in July 2004 in recognition of his service to the Samoan people. He is therefore known in Samoan circles as Seiuli Dwayne Johnson. He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
, as the team's website during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
showed him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back. He also acknowledges his heritage through a tattoo he got in 2003.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Johnson began "The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation", which is known for its charitable work with at-risk and terminally ill children. On October 2, 2007, Johnson and his ex-wife donated an additional $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- People's Elbow / Corporate Elbow (FeintFeintFeint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will...
high-impact elbow drop to the opponent's chest, with theatrics) - Rock Bottom (Lifting side slam) 1997–Present
- Running shoulderbreaker – 1996–1997; used as a regular move from 1997–2003
- People's Elbow / Corporate Elbow (Feint
- Signature moves
-
- Maivia Hurricane / The Smack Down (Float-over DDT)
- Flowing snap DDT, sometimes followed by a kip-upKip-upKip-up is one of several names for an acrobatic move in which a person transitions from a supine, and less commonly, a prone position, directly to a squatting position by propelling the legs, and consequently the entire body, away from the floor. The move often incorporates the use of the arms and...
- Flying clothesline
- Running swinging neckbreaker
- Running thrust lariat
- Samoan drop
- SharpshooterSharpshooter (professional wrestling)The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
– used as a tribute to Owen HartOwen HartOwen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
from 1999 onwards; usually preceded by aLeg whip. - Spinebuster
- Snap overhead belly-to-belly suplex, sometimes to an oncoming opponent
Arm drag
Cross body
Headlock
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- DebraDebra MarshallDebra Gale Marshall is an American actress and former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recognition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1998 and 2002.She began her career in professional wrestling in...
- Vince McMahonVince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
- Shane McMahonShane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
- Debra
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The People's Champion"
- "The Brahma Bull"
- "The Corporate Champion"
- "The Great One"
- "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment"
- "Rocky"
- "The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment"
- "The Most Electrifying Man in All of Twittertainment"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
- As Rocky Maivia
- "Destiny" by Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(1996–1997)
- "Destiny" by Jim Johnston
- As The Rock
- "Nation Of Domination" by Jim Johnston (1997–1998)
- "Do You Smell It" by Jim Johnston (1998–1999)
- "Know Your Role" by Jim Johnston (September 26, 1999 – April 2, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008)
- "Know Your Role" by Method ManMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
(2000) - "If You Smell..." by Jim Johnston (July 30, 2001 – February 20, 2003)
- "Is Cookin'" by Jim Johnston (2003)
- "Electrifying" by Jim Johnston (February 14, 2011 – Present)
- As Rocky Maivia
- World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Match of the Year (1999)
- PWI Match of the Year (2002)
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000)
- PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000
- PWI ranked him #76 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- United States Wrestling AssociationUnited States Wrestling AssociationThe United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
- USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
- WCW World Heavyweight ChampionshipWCW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
(2 times)1 - WWF/E ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(7 times)2 - WWF Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(2 times) - WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with MankindMick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
(3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris JerichoChris JerichoChristopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
(1) - Royal RumbleRoyal RumbleThe Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
(2000Royal Rumble (2000)Royal Rumble was the thirteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 23, 2000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
) - Slammy Award for New Sensation (1997)
- Sixth Triple Crown Champion
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Box Office Draw (2000)
- Best Gimmick (1999)
- Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
- Most Charismatic (1999–2002)
- Most Improved (1998)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 2007)