Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson is the son of Canadian professional wrestler Rocky Johnson and Ata Maivia, the daughter of wrestling legend “High Chief”. His father was black with a mix of Irish ancestry, his mother is Hawaiian and of Samoan origin.

Dwayne’s father Rocky was raised as a devout Jehovah’s Witness and left the religion to become a wrestler. Dwayne Johnson was never indoctrinated into the religion.

Dwayne Johnson’s Early Life

In his early life, Dwayne Johnson struggled to stay on the right side of the law. He was arrested numerous times before the age of 17 for crimes like fighting and theft. It was high school football that eventually turned him around, and Johnson started making plans for the future

On graduation, Dwayne Johnson was ranked as one of the top ten defensive tackles in the nation. He took a full scholarship to the University of Miami.

In 1991 Johnson was a member of the Miami Hurricanes football team that won a national championship. However, he couldn’t keep up with the elite talent on the team and found himself relegated to a backup role.

After graduating from college Johnson joined the Canadian Football League, where he played linebacker. He was cut in 1995 after only two months, ending his football career.

His Wrestling Career

Dwayne Johnson first rose to fame as a wrestler in the WWF. In his 1996 debut, he wrestled under the name Rocky Malvia, a reference and tribute to his father and his maternal grandfather. Later he would take on the name The Rock.

His first-ever movie appearance was in The Mummy Returns. He would quickly rise to prominence in Hollywood becoming the biggest movie star in the world.