1. His Family Is Steeped In Pro Wrestling
You probably know Johnson made his name in the WWE as a pro wrestler in the 1990s and 2000s, but did you know he was literally born into the business? His grandfather, Peter Maivia, was a wrestling star, as was his father, Rocky Johnson. He’s also related to other notable WWE wrestlers, including The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga and current WWE Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax. Below is Johnson’s father.
2. His Grandmother Was A Wrestling Pioneer
Not only were Johnson’s grandfather and father pro wrestling stars, his grandmother, Lia Maivia, was a pioneer in the business. She was one of the first female wrestling promoters ever, running Polynesian Pro Wrestling as a “strong-willed businesswoman,”
3. He Moved A Lot As A Kid
Being the son of a pro wrestler can mean a lot of instability. Growing up, Johnson lived in a lot of places. He was born in California before his family moved to New Zealand, where he attended elementary school. They then moved to Connecticut, where he went to elementary and middle school. He then lived in Hawaii as a teenager, before moving to Nashville in high school. His family finally settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he finished high school.
4. He Was An Awkward Teenager
In 2016, after being named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Johnson told the magazine he had acne and a “curly half-Afro” as a teen. He said every day after school he would eat doughnuts and cookies, which apparently led to his breakouts. As he shared on Instagram, he was so big as a teen that his fellow high school students thought he was an undercover cop!
5. He Had An Embarrassing Nickname
Before
he was called “The Rock,” his football teammates at the University of
Miami called him“Dewey” Johnson. Even in interviews today, his teammates still refer to him as Dewey. They apparently first heard the nickname when Johnson’s parents came to visit and his mom called him by that name in front of everyone.dwayne johnson miami hurricanes photo
6. He Wanted To Join The FBI
When Johnson was at Miami, he studied criminology and physiology, earning degrees in both. He told Rolling Stone, “I wanted to work for either the FBI or CIA.” When a professor told him he’d likely need a law degree also, he decided it wasn’t for him. Good call!
7. His Large Tattoo Is Full Of Meaning
In 2003, Johnson shocked some people by getting a large tattoo that covers much of his chest and left arm. The tattoo is a partial Pe’a, which is an intricate tattoo males have traditionally gotten in Samoan culture (he’s half-Samoan). Johnson said his tattoo took 60 hours to complete and that it tells the story of his ancestors and his own life. If you’re thinking it looks similar to the tattoo that Johnson’s character, Maui, has in the Disney film “Moana,” you’d be absolutely right!
8. Wrestling Fans Hated Him At First
Can you imagine not liking The Rock? When Johnson debuted in WWE as Rocky Maivia in 1996, he wasn’t exactly a fan favorite. Despite being played as a hero, fans booed him relentlessly and chanted “Rocky sucks” every time he had a match.He later told Oprah Winfrey those negative chants made him transform into the egotistical character, The Rock, which, ironically made him a fan favorite.
9. His First Acting Role Was Playing His Dad
In 1999, Johnson got his first taste of acting outside the ring. He appeared in an episode of “That ’70s Show,” in which he played his real-life father, Rocky Johnson. The episode was appropriately titled, “That Wrestling Show.”
10. Willie Nelson Gave Him His First Guitar
In 2010, Johnson told “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno that country music legend Willie Nelson gave him a guitar for his birthday and that the pair had been friends since about 2000. He played the guitar and sang several times in the ring during his years with WWE.
11. He’s Scared Of Spiders
In 2007, he faced his fear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” by handling a tarantula. A couple years later, he told DeGeneres that doing that helped him get over his fear of spiders. She also got him to admit he gets nervous on roller coasters.
12. His Cheat Meals Are Epic
Johnson obviously stays in great shape, but when he does go off his diet, he goes way off it. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything Q&A session, he said his favorite cheat meal is double dough pizza, pancakes and peanut butter brownies with a Diet Coke. Oh, and there was also the time he ate eight slices of French toast and some apple pie while watching “Star Wars.”
13.He’s Made Webster’s Dictionary
When he was wrestling full-time with WWE, one of Johnson’s many catchphrases was telling opponents he was going to “lay the smackdown” on them. After The Rock used the phrase so often, the word “smackdown” became so popular that it made Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary in 2007. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for the word “jabroni” to make the book.
14. ‘Jumanji’ Is His Most Popular Movie So Far
For a guy who’s one of the top-earning actors and who’s starred in massive hits like “Moana” and The Fast and the Furious franchise, it might surprise you to know Johnson’s 2017 movie “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is his highest-grossing movie at the American box office (no wonder there’s a “Jumanji” sequel in the works!)Meanwhile, 2015’s “Furious 7” has been his most profitable movie worldwide.
15. His Production Company’s Name Has A Good Story
Since 2016, every movie Johnson has starred in has been produced by Seven Bucks Productions, which is his own company. He got the name from the amount of cash he said was in his wallet when he was cut from the Canadian Football League before he got started in wrestling.
16. He Once Held A World Record For Selfies
In 2015, Johnson set a Guinness World Record for the most selfies taken in a 3-minute span. While at the premiere of his movie “San Andreas,” he snapped 105 selfies in that short span on the red carpet with fans. Unfortunately, the record was eventually topped by Donnie Wahlberg and then again by a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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