Athletes - The Rock

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > The Rock (entertainer)

	Athletes - The Rock

Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California), better known by his stage name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He has starred in such motion pictures as Be Cool, Walking Tall, The Mummy Returns, The Rundown, Welcome to the Jungle, The Scorpion King, and Doom.

Johnson first gained mainstream fame as a standout in the World Wrestling Federation (now "World Wrestling Entertainment"). Before becoming The Rock, he was known as Rocky Maivia, in homage to his father, Rocky Johnson, and his maternal grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia (both of whom were also wrestlers, making Johnson the first third generation wrestler in the history of the WWF). After largely retiring from the ring to begin his acting career in 2001, Johnson retained the name "The Rock".

Early life

Johnson was born on May 2, 1972 into a family of diverse backgrounds and heritage. His father was the Black Canadian professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, a former WWF Tag Team Champion. Johnson's mother Ata Maivia was a Samoan of royal lineage of Samoa (such Polynesian lineages are interconnected across the Pacific societies). Johnson's maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, retained the royal title of 'High Chief' and was highly respected especially as an elder. Peter Maivia was also a professional wrestler, known especially for the tattoos (of great cultural significance) that covered the lower half of his body. In keeping with this tradition, Johnson has also received such tattoos, the most prominent covering his left shoulder and upper chest.

Johnson spent his early childhood living near his maternal grandfather and grandmother in Honolulu. He attended local public schools, including Washington Intermediate School and President William McKinley High School, both near Ala Moana and Waikiki.

High school

As a high school junior, however, Johnson's father's career led them to relocate to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Johnson assimilated quickly in the new area. In Bethlehem, Johnson cultivated and developed an intense athleticism, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He began playing football at Bethlehem's Freedom High School, a member of the East Penn Conference (now known as the Lehigh Valley Conference) in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. It was then (and continues to be) one of the most competitive high school football conferences in the United States.

Known for its blue collar ruggedness, the Lehigh Valley proved a hand-in-glove match for Johnson, who fit in well with the area's street toughness. That toughness carried to his football play, where Johnson began to excel amidst the area's intense athletic competition.

University of Miami

Johnson received various athletic scholarship offers from several universities before choosing to attend the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The University of Miami football program did not openly recruit Johnson; he had to face try-outs to join the program, which motivated him to take part in it. In 1991, he was part of the Hurricanes' National Championship team. Johnson played Defensive Tackle, backing up future NFL star Warren Sapp.

Considered a candidate for the NFL, Johnson's hopes of a football career was challenged by a severe back injury. After college, Johnson signed a three-year contract with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders instead. However, he was cut from the team after a year. It was then that Johnson decided to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by pursuing a professional wrestling career.

Professional wrestling

Along with his father and grandfather, several members of Johnson's family are current and former professional wrestlers, including his uncles, the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika Anoai), and cousins such as the late former WWF Champion Yokozuna and former WWF Tag Team Champion Rikishi. When he declared his intention to join the family business to his father, the elder Johnson resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him. With help from former WWE executive and veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson secured a tryout with the WWF. Impressed by his talent and charisma, he was signed to a WWF deal after a short stint for "seasoning" in Jerry Lawler's USWA, where he wrestled under the stage names of Flex Kavana and Pidlaoan Rock.

Johnson first wrestled in the WWF as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names. The WWF played up his connection to his father and grandfather, calling him the first third-generation superstar to wrestle for the company. Johnson was first portrayed as a clean-cut babyface, and gained early success, winning the prestigious Intercontinental Championship after only three months. He was the first Intercontinental champion of Samoan descent. However, wrestling had changed since Hulk Hogan's heyday in the mid 80s, and fans quickly grew sick of the two-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the exploded popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Despite often being loudly booed and jeered with chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks" from the crowd, Johnson was forced to go to the ring and smile, as if the crowd was cheering (like they were "supposed to").

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Rock (entertainer) ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article The Rock (entertainer); it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Athletes - The Rock

Early life

High school

University of Miami

Professional wrestling

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay