CAIRO, SEPTEMBER 26th(SEE): The Rock’s journey started with him becoming a delinquent at a very young age, to becoming a failure at football, then he went on to pro wrestling and is now the highest paid actor in the world.
There were several instances and arrests that could have defined Johnson' life and forced him down not only a path of destruction. Not only that, it also could have limited him to a wrestling lifestyle which has claimed countless lives due to the demands of the road, and the bodily injuries that are often healed through self-medication
Johnson spent much of his childhood switching between California and New Zealand. His mother is part of a royal Samoan wrestling family, which is know for raising several world class wrestlers. His father, Rocky Johnson, was a wrestler at the WWF at the time.
Peter and Lia Maivia, The Rock's grandparents, were responsible for building Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling and who also had close “blood” ties to the legendary Anoaʻi family who counted Rikishi, Yokozuna, Roman Reigns and The Usos as would-be wrestlers.
When Johnson was 14, the family relocated to Honolulu while his father bounced around the wrestling circuits for the WWF. e pro wrestling at the time wasn't as financially big as it is today, Despite his father’s success in the ring, most notably him and his partner Tony Atlas becoming the fist black tag-team duo to hold a championship belt as “The Soul Patrol” the family’s financial security was anything but guaranteed.
After a string of financial issues which included his mother’s car being repossessed, The family’s financial struggles forced Johnson down to a destructive path as a teenager. In order to fulfill his basic needs, The Rock became a child delinquent most notably robbing stores and tourists .The Rock once stated to the Hollywood reporter “In Waikiki there’s a couple high-end blocks where there’s your Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Armani, jewellery stores, plenty of jewellery stores,” he said. “There are a lot of tourists that come into Waikiki and there’s a lot of money. A lot of foreign money that comes in, and we were part of a theft ring that would target those groups. We would target the money, we would target the high-end clothes and we would target the jewellery.
It wasn't until he joined Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA did he find his truly calling. Johnson quickly found succes on the football field as an agile defensive lineman. After a successful high school career, Johnson accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Miami. Although he would win a National Championship, he barely played starting only once and appearing in 39 games.
After failing to secure a career in American Football, The Rock reached out to his father and convinced him to teach him how to wrestle. Rocky Johnson at first refused, telling his son that this would be "the biggest mistake he could make in his life". After a few back and forth conversations, The Rock's father finally agreed to teach him how to wrestle.
Johnson made his WWF debut in 1996, fighting under the shared moniker of his father and grandfather’s names, “Rocky Maivia.” The Rock was flat out hated by the fans because of his bland wrestling personality and mediocre wrestling abilities. Fans even went as far as throwing trash at him and creating the chant "Die Rocky, Die".
Because of the rather bad reception he got from the fans, "Rocky Maivia" took a hiatus from wrestling to decide whether he will continue with his wrestling career. Johnson however refused to give in to his failure and called Vince Mcmahon, The CEO of the WWF. Mcmahon asked him whether he is planning to continue his wrestling career. Dwayne replied with one small sentence "Give me a mic".
It was then that "Rocky Maivia", the happy go lucky Samoan Wrestler turned into one of the most charismatic personalities on screen "THE ROCK". Known for his trash talking, comedic attitude and cockiness. The Rock served as a thorn in the side for notable Superstars like Steve Austin, Triple H and Mankind. The Nation of Domination would essentially be disbanded after a feud with fellow member. The Rock wasn't only adored by wrestling fans, he was adored worldwide.
The Rock dominated wrestling coverage and storylines for the better part of a decade finding the charismatic pugilist holding the WWF/WWE championship belt eight-times during that stretch. But Johnson wanted something more; a chance at Hollywood stardom.
The Rock found enormous success in Hollywood, most notably in the Fast and Furious franchise and In the past year. Johnson earned the highest-ever total for acting earnings in the 20-year history of Forbes’ Celebrity 100 from June 2017 to June 2018. He earned $124 million, nearly double the earnings total of $65 million he made in 2017
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