BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was born into a professional wrestling family in 1972. An injury ended his college football career, so he entered the ring with the Word Wrestling Federation. As "The Rock," he famously feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWF Heavyweight title six times. Johnson parlayed his wrestling fame into a film career, appearing in 2001's The Mummy and 2010's Tooth Fairy.
Early Life
Professional wrestler and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Douglas Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California. The grandson of professional wrestler Peter "High Chief" Fanene Maivia and son of wrestler Rocky Johnson, the young Johnson grew up watching his father perform in the ring. But with no plans to follow in his footsteps, Johnson played college football at the University of Miami where he had great success until a back injury cost him a spot in the NFL.
The Rock
With few prospects in professional football, Johnson turned to wrestling, debuting in the WWF against the Brooklyn Brawler in Texas. After a couple more matches, including a tag team win with Bart Sawyer, the WWF signed him under the name Flex Kavana. A year later, he joined The Nation of Domination, eventually taking over its leadership and calling himself The Rock.
He later joined another band of elite wrestlers known as The Corporation and began a notorious feud with Steve Austin. Also known as "The People's Champ," The Rock has won the WWF Heavyweight title six times and the WWF Tag Team championships five times.
Acting Career
Outside the ring, The Rock has transitioned into film, dropping the stage name and simply going by Dwayne Johnson. He has made appearances in several films, including 2001's The Mummy Returns, 2002's The Scorpion King, 2005's Be Cool, and 2007's The Game Plan.
He married his high school sweetheart, Dany Garcia, in 1997 (divorced in 2007); they have one daughter, Simone Alexandra.
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