Wednesday 30 December 2015

BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " DWAYNE JOHNSON " IS AN ACTOR, PRODUCER AND SEMI-RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                   BLACK    SOCIAL     HISTORY                                                                                                                                            





















































































































































































































































Dwayne Johnson


Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson Hercules 2014 (cropped).jpg
Johnson in June 2014
BornDwayne Douglas Johnson
May 2, 1972 (age 43)
Hayward, California, United States
OccupationActor, producer, professional wrestler
Years active1995–2004; 2011–2013 (wrestler)
1999–present (actor)
Spouse(s)Dany Garcia (m. 1997;div. 2007)
Partner(s)Lauren Hashian (2007–present)
Children2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Dwayne Johson[1]
Flex Kavana[2]
Rocky Maivia[2]
The Rock[2]
Billed height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[3]
Billed weight260 lb (118 kg)[3]
Billed fromMiami, Florida[3]
"The South Pacific"
Trained byPat Patterson[4]
Rocky Johnson[5]
Tom Prichard[6]
Debut1995[5]
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor, producer, and semi-retired professional wrestler who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is signed with WWE.
Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami, winning a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson (from whom he also inherited his Canadian citizenship).[7] Through Maivia he is considered a non-blood relative of the Anoa'i wrestling family.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", he gained mainstream fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF/E) from 1996 to 2004 as a major figure in the company's Attitude Era, and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company's history. He returned to wrestling part-time for WWE from 2011 to 2013 and continues to make sporadic non-wrestling appearances for the company. As of December 2015, he has had seventeen championship reigns in WWE, including ten as a world champion, winning the WWF/E Championship eight times and the WCW/World Championship twice. WWE.com described him as a 10-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.[19] He won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. He is the sixth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, and won the 2000 Royal Rumble. The Rock was instrumental in helping the organization win the ratings war against WCW.
Johnson's autobiography The Rock Says..., co-written with Joe Layden, was published in 2000. It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks.[20] Johnson's first leading film role was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this role, he was paid US $5.5 million, a world record for an actor in his first starring role.[21] He has since appeared in several films, including The Rundown, The Game Plan, Get Smart, The Other Guys and Faster. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his portrayals of Luke Hobbs in The Fast and the Furious franchise. He also hosted and produced The Hero, a reality competition series.

Early life

Johnson was born in Hayward, California, the son of professional wrestler Rocky Johnson and his wife, Ata (née Maivia). His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a wrestler; his maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was one of wrestling's few female professional promoters, running Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling from her husband's death in 1982 until 1988.[22][23] His cousin, Savelina Fanene, is also a wrestler currently working for WWE.[24] His father is a Black Nova Scotian, and his mother is of Samoanheritage.[25][26] Johnson briefly lived in the suburb of Grey Lynn in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family.[27] He attended Richmond Road Primary School, before returning to the United States with his parents.[27]
Johnson spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, his father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference.[26] He was also a member of the school's track and field and wrestling teams.[26]
Johnson was a promising football prospect, and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs. He decided upon a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team.[28] After an injury kept him sidelined, he was replaced by future National Football League(NFL) star Warren Sapp.[26] While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992 and later became a member of its Board of Trustees.[29]
Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995, with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in criminology and physiology.[30] He joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 1995. He was on the practice roster as a backup linebacker but was cut two months into the season.[26][31][32] On November 10, 2007, Johnson returned to the Miami Orange Bowl to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium.

Professional wrestling career

Training (1995–1996)

Like his father and grandfather, several of Johnson's other relatives are or were professional wrestlers, including his (non-blood) uncles, Afa and Sika AnoaÊ»i (The Wild Samoans) and his cousins, Rodney (Yokozuna), Solofa (Rikishi/Fatu), Matt (Rosey) and Eddie (Umaga).[27] When Johnson declared his intent to become a wrestler, his father initially resisted, but then agreed to train him himself, warning that he would not go easy on him.[26]

United States Wrestling Association

He wrestled at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association as "Flex Kavana",[5] and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, first by defeating Brickhouse Brown & Reggie B. Fine in June and then by defeating Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee in July. On August 24, 1996, Flex unsuccessfully challenged Lawler for his USWA Championship in a loser-leaves-town match, causing him to leave the USWA.
Johnson signed a WWF contract and received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry.[6] Three months after his departure from the USWA, he debuted for the WWF at the 1996 Survivor Series under the name of Rocky Maivia.[33]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Rocky Maivia (1996–1997)

Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson got Johnson several tryout matches with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996. Under his real name, he defeated The Brooklyn Brawlerat a house show,[34] and lost the other matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.[27] Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names, although his real name was acknowledged by the announcers.[35] He was initially reluctant to take this ring name, but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross.[23][36] He was given the nickname "The Blue Chipper", and his lineage was played to on TV, where he was hyped as the WWF's first third-generation wrestler.[3] Maivia, a clean-cut face character, was pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He debuted on Monday Night Raw as a member of "The Stalker" Barry Windham's entourage on November 4, 1996,[37] and had his first match at Survivor Series on November 17, in an eight-man elimination tag match; he was the sole survivor.[38] WWF fans generally rejected him because of his cheesy character.[39] On February 13, 1997, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Monday Night Raw.[40][41][42] Maivia successfully defended the title at In Your House 12: It's Time against Salvatore Sincere, at In Your House 13: Final Four against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and at WrestleMania 13 against The Sultan. He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of Raw.[43] On April 20, at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he lost to Savio Vega by countout, retaining the title for the final time. Audiences became increasingly hostile toward Maivia, with chants of "Die, Rocky, die!" and "Rocky sucks!" being heard during his matches.[2][5][23]

The Nation of Domination (1997–1998)

Main article: Nation of Domination
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 Raw Is War,[44] and suffering a knee injury in a match against Mankind,[2] Maivia returned as aheel. Along with Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, and Kama, he formed a stable called the Nation of Domination.[45] During this time, he refused to acknowledge the "Rocky Maivia" name, instead referring to himself in the third person as "The Rock". He insulted the audience in his promos, as well as WWF television interviewers, once calling Kevin Kelly an "ugly hermaphrodite".[45]
At D-Generation X: In Your House, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship.[46] The next night, on Raw Is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to The Rock instead, handing him the belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner.[47][48] The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998.[49][50] In March 1998, The Rock overthrew Faarooq as leader of the Nation of Domination, sparking a feud. He successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at Over the Edge: In Your House on May 31, 1998.[51]
He and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D-Generation X (DX). The two stable leaders first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded: In Your House for the Intercontinental title, which The Rock retained in controversial fashion.[52] This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam, in which Triple H won the title.[53] At Breakdown: In Your House, The Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. He then feuded with fellow Nation member Mark Henry, effectively breaking up the stable.[54][55]

The Corporation (1998–1999)

Main article: The Corporation
As part of The Corporation, The Rock feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin and stole Austin's personalized WWF Championship, the Smoking Skull belt.
The Rock's entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn, in which he called himself "The People's Champion". This led to a feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he had "a problem with the people" and would thus target "The People's Champion". A double turn occurred atSurvivor Series, when The Rock defeated McMahon's associate, Mankind, in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament[56] for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob.[56][57][57] The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation.[56][58]
On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named for him, Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission move, but Mr. McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title.[58][59] The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 Raw Is War, Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Steve Austin.[60] Then, in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title, when a recording of Mankind saying "I quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system.[61][62] On Halftime Heat (an episode of Sunday Night Heat aired in the same timeslot as the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show) on January 31, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match.[63] The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, in a last man standing match. The bout ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 Raw Is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off the ladder.[64][65]
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV.[66] He also lost the title rematch at Backlash: In Your House.[67]Though he was a heel, his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock. He turned face again after Shane McMahon betrayed him, and began a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and The Corporate Ministry.

The People's Champion (1999–2001)

Main article: The Rock 'n' Sock Connection
He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge, then lost to the WWF Champion, The Undertaker, at King of the Ring.[68][69] He lost a number one contender's match to Triple H at Fully Loaded, after interference from Mr. Ass.[70] This sparked a feud with Mr. Ass, culminating in a "Kiss My Ass" match at SummerSlam, which The Rock won.[71]
Toward the latter part of 1999, The Rock had several singles and tag team championship opportunities. He teamed with former enemy Mankind as The Rock 'n' Sock Connection, after he challenged WWF Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and Big Show, and Mankind offered his help.[72] They won the title for the first of three times.[73][74][75] The two performed numerous comedic skits together, including one on Raw Is War called "This Is Your Life" (based on the TV show), in which Mankind produced people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating, one of the highest ratings ever for aRaw segment.[73][76]
The Rock's popularity was fueled by his charisma and speaking abilities, which led to many catchphrases and merchandising opportunities.
At Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining, along with Big Show; Show seemingly intended to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, but Rock countered the move on the ring apron, sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner.[77] However, The Rock's feet hit the floor first, although those watching the event on TV did not see that, until Big Show proved this with additional video footage, and claimed to be the rightful winner. Despite this proof, the original decision could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship was held at No Way Out, which Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered and hit The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to execute a People's Elbow.[78] The Rock defeated Big Show on the March 13 episode of Raw Is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, atWrestleMania 2000 in a fatal four-way elimination match, also including Big Show and Mick Foley.[79][80] Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner; Triple H had his wife, Stephanie, Foley had Linda, The Rock had Vince, and Big Show had Shane.[80][81] Triple H retained the title after Vince betrayed The Rock by hitting him with a chair.[81][82]
The Rock as the WWF Champion in 2000
Over the next few months, The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship. On April 30, at Backlash, The Rock defeated Triple H for his fourth WWF Championship reign, after Steve Austin intervened on The Rock's behalf.[83][84][85] On May 21, at Judgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.[86] With the score tied at five falls each, and with seconds left on the time limit, The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H, giving Triple H the 6–5 win and the title.[86] The next night onRaw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction with The Undertaker's help.[87] He won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25, by scoring the winning pin in a tag team match, teamed with Kane and The Undertaker against Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H.[88][89] He successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit at Fully Loaded, Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam, and Benoit, Kane, and The Undertaker at Unforgiven.[90]
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October.[84][91] Around this time, he feuded with Rikishi, and defeated him atSurvivor Series.[84][92] He wrestled a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon, which Kurt Angle won to retain the title.[84][93] On December 18 on Raw, The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, then losing it back to them the next night at a SmackDown! taping.[84][94] In 2001, The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, culminating at No Way Out in February, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time.[84][95][96]
He then feuded with the Royal Rumble winner, Steve Austin. The Rock lost the title to Austin at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Mr. McMahon, who interfered on his behalf.[84][97] On the next night's Raw Is War, during a steel cage title rematch, Triple H came to the ring with a sledgehammer and it seemed he would help The Rock, because of the rivalry between Austin and Triple H (and an argument with McMahon earlier in the night), but he attacked him instead, allying with McMahon and Austin.[98] Austin and Triple H formed a tag team called The Power Trip,[99] while The Rock was indefinitely suspended. Johnson used this time off to act in the movie The Mummy Returns.[5]

The Invasion (2001–2002)

Main article: The Invasion
The Rock taunts Rob Van Dam at ringside
The Rock returned to the WWF in late July 2001, and had to decide whether to join the WWF or The Alliance (a group of former WCW and ECWwrestlers) during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF.[84] At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship.[84][100][101] He lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy.[102][103] The next night on Raw, he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Dudley Boyz.[104]
The Rock at WrestleMania X8
The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 episode of Raw for his second WCW Championship.[105]As part of the WWF's battle against The Alliance, The Rock wrestled in a "winner takes all" ten-man elimination match at Survivor Series. In the end, it came down to a one-on-one with Steve Austin (who had recently joined The Alliance). The Rock seemed to have the upper hand, until Jericho (a member of Team WWF, who was eliminated a few minutes earlier), entered the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a Team Alliance member, revealed his true allegiance by hitting Austin in the head with a title belt. The Rock then pinned Austin, forcing The Alliance to disband.[84][106]
The Rock closed out 2001 by losing the WCW Championship at Vengeance to Chris Jericho, who unified the WWF and WCW titles later that night.[107] The Rock unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for both titles, now the Undisputed WWF Championship, at Royal Rumble, ending their feud.[108] The Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out.[109] He then feuded with the New World Order, after challenging Hollywood Hulk Hogan to a match atWrestleMania X8. The match was billed as icon versus icon, with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling; ultimately Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8.[110] After the nWo turned on Hogan for losing the match, The Rock allied with him and then took a short sabbatical from wrestling.[111]

Various feuds (2002–2003)

When he returned, The Rock won his (then) record-breaking seventh WWF Championship (which had been renamed the Undisputed WWE Championship)[112] at Vengeance, defeating Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match.[112][113] He successfully defended the title at Global Warning againstTriple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H. After the match, Lesnar attacked The Rock, until Triple H saved him.[114] At SummerSlam, after interference from Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman, and the use of a steel chair, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Lesnar along with the record for the youngest WWE Champion, which Rock had set in 1998.
The Rock defeated Steve Austin in the latter's final match at WrestleMania XIX in 2003.
Following the loss against Lesnar, The Rock publicly declared that whether or not the crowd booed him he would always be the People's Champion, criticizing the fans in the arena and again taking a sabbatical from wrestling in order to focus on his film career.[115]
The Rock returned on the January 30, 2003 episode of SmackDown! to publicly criticize Hulk Hogan and make it clear that because of the success of his Hollywood career, WWE was no longer a priority. This reestablished him as a heel.[116] The Rock defeated Hogan again atNo Way Out[84][117] and drafted himself to the Raw brand where he had various feuds, including one with The Hurricane.[118] He also performed "Rock concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked the show's host city.[119]
After failing to win number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock turned his attention to Steve Austin who, to The Rock's chagrin, had been chosen as "Superstar of the Decade". This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX, which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three consecutive Rock Bottoms, ending their long-running feud in what turned out to be Austin's final match.[84][120]
The next night, Raw was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honour of his victory over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Goldberg. At Backlash, Goldberg defeated The Rock, who then left WWE to focus on his film career.[84][121]

Sporadic appearances (2003–2009)

The Rock then occasionally returned to WWE in non-wrestling roles, gradually turning face again by engaging in one night feuds against heels such as Chris Jericho andChristian.[122][122][123] The Rock aided Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution,[3][84][124] leading to a reunion of The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. They faced Ric Flair, Randy Ortonand Batista in a handicap match at WrestleMania XX, losing when Orton pinned Foley after the RKO.[84][125] The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following WrestleMania XX. He stood up for Eugene, made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley turn back La Résistance.[2] On an August 23, 2004 episode of Raw, he hosted a pie-eating contest, as part of the WWE Diva Search and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a spinebuster and a People's Elbow.[2] After this, he said in several interviews that he was no longer contracted to WWE.[2] He said he would continue using the trademarked name "The Rock", per a dual ownership deal between him and WWE.
In October 2005, The Rock did an interview with WWE.com, in which he discussed his contract with WWE, movies, and feelings on a dream match with Shawn Michaels.[126] On March 12, 2007, The Rock appeared on a WWE show for the first time in nearly three years, via a pre-taped promo shown during Raw. He correctly predicted that Bobby Lashleywould defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon's "Battle of the Billionaires" match.[127] On March 29, 2008, The Rock inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame. During his induction speech, he roasted wrestlers John Cena, Santino Marella, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley,Shawn Michaels, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.[128] In September 2009, he appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) show to support the pro wrestling debut of Sarona Snuka, the daughter of his long-time friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka.[129] On October 2, 2009, the ten-year anniversary of SmackDown, The Rock cut a promo via pre-recorded video.

Return to WWE

Feud with John Cena (2011–2012)

The Rock as host of WrestleMania XXVII
On the February 14, 2011, episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, appearing live on Raw for the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans, Michael Cole, The Miz and John Cena, calling Cena a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", inspiring a popular crowd chant and sign.[130] The Rock claimed to love wrestling, having been born into the business, a claim Cena argued.[131] After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena, with whom he had been feuding through Twitter, making fun of Cena's clothing and calling him a "homelessPower Ranger" and "Vanilla Ice". After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an Attitude Adjustment.[132]
The Rock and John Cena agreeing to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII, one year in advance
On April 3 at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for theAttitude Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with the People's Elbow.[133] The following night on Raw, Cena challenged The Rock to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year, which Rock accepted. They then worked together to fend off an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson.[134] The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, to celebrate his 39th birthday.[135]
The Rock celebrating his victory at WrestleMania XXVIII
On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November.[136] However, on the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead chose The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth),[137] which Rock which agreed to the following week via satellite.[138] On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth.[139] Despite their rilvary, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz with thePeople's Elbow. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.[140]
Leading up to Wrestlemania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw.[141][142] On the March 12, 2012, episode, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. He opined that, having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at previous Wrestlemanias, beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time.[143] On April 1 at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock faced Cena in the main event hyped for a year and billed with the tagline "Once in a Lifetime". When an overconfident Cena attempted thePeople's Elbow on The Rock, he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin and the win.[144] The following night on Raw, The Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.[145]

WWE Champion (2012–2013)

On July 23 at Raw 1000, The Rock announced he would face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble. During the show, he encountered WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. He later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk.[146]
The Rock revealing the brand new WWE Championship design in 2013
On the January 7, 2013 Raw, The Rock returned to WWE to confront his Rumble opponent, then reigning champion CM Punk.[147] He also made his first SmackDown appearance in ten years on the January 11 episode, attacking Team Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom toDamien Sandow and a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes.[148] The Rock closed out the 20th anniversary episode of Raw on January 14 with one of his famous "Rock concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk.[149] The following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship.[150] On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield interfered. McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request, he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship, a win which marked The Rock's first WWE Championship reign in over ten years, and ending Punk's long reign as champion at 434 days.[151] Punk received a title rematch with The Rock at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship.[152]The following night on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration, with an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates.[153] The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his loss to The Rock the previous year.[154][155] On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days.[156] Despite being advertised for the Raw after WrestleMania, where SmackDown General Manager Booker T said The Rock was still entitled a rematch for the WWE Championship,[157] The Rock did not appear because of a legitimate injury sustained during WrestleMania, in which his abdominal and adductor tendons tore from his pelvis.[158] Johnson underwent surgery on April 23 to reattach the torn tendons.
In August 2013, The Rock hinted at possible retirement, but ultimately did not rule out a return.[159]

Part-time appearances (2014–present)

Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock at Wrestle Mania XXX
In April 2014, the Rock appeared in the opening segment of WrestleMania XXX along with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.[160] On the October 6 episode of Raw, the Rock made a surprise appearance to confront Rusev and Lana; this resulted in the Rock clearing Rusev from the ring.[161]
The Rock appeared at the 2015 Royal Rumble event during the main event match, where he helped Roman Reigns fend off Big Show and Kane, and was booed ("for the first time in forever" as described by Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com) for doing so.[162] The Rock endorsed Reigns' eventual victory, but the crowd still booed both him and Reigns.[163][164] The Rock appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside Ronda Rousey, getting into an in-ring altercation with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (The Authority). Rock and Rousey prevailed after he attacked Triple H and she overpowered McMahon. On June 27, 2015, The Rock appeared at a live eventin Boston where he confronted Bo Dallas, giving him a Rock Bottom in the process.

Mainstream popularity in wrestling

The success of Johnson's wrestling character allowed him to cross over into mainstream pop culture. He appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video.[165][166] He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. 5.[167] In 2000, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[168] Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show.[3][169] Johnson said that episode's success led to offers from Hollywood studios.[170] Johnson had guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as an alien wrestler that uses The Rock's famous moves,[171] and on That '70s Show, as his father, Rocky Johnson.
In 2000, on an Access Hollywood’s prime-time special, The Rock was ranked number six in the Top 10 Celebrities Of 2000.[172]
The Rock made a surprise appearance at the official Xbox unveiling during Bill Gates' keynote speech at the ongoing Computer Electronics Show in 2001.[173]
Johnson's motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. The character appears in the movie's climax inCGI form.[3][168] The movie's financial success led to his first leading role, in the spin-off The Scorpion King.[3] He was listed in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the highest-paid actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million for this movie.[174][175] The Mummy Returns, featuring The Rock, shattered a two-year record by earning $28,594,667, making it the highest-grossing single day for any film in history.[176]
The Rock has appeared on the cover of many magazines, including Rolling Stone,[177] Entertainment Weekly,[178] Newsweek,[179] and TV Guide.[180]

Legacy in wrestling

The Rock is widely considered as one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers[181][182] as well as one of the top box office draws in wrestling history.[183]
The Rock is considered by many to be the biggest superstar in WWE history,[181][182] as well as one of the top box office draws in wrestling history.[183] WWE legend Hulk Hogancalled The Rock "the biggest superstar in this business", 15-time world champion John Cena described him as "the biggest superstar in the history of WWE"[184] and "the most successful WWE superstar ever". WCW icon Diamond Dallas Page described him as "the biggest star in our business, of all time". Vince Russo, the head writer of WWE's most popular era The Attitude Era, stated: "I don't think there's ever going to be a star in the history of this business that is bigger than The Rock".
He main evented the most bought pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide in WWE history (WrestleMania XXVIII),[185] the most bought pay-per-view (PPV) domestically in WWE history (WrestleMania XVII), the second highest attended event in the history of WWE (WrestleMania 29),[186] the highest rated Raw in history,[187][188] and was part of the highest rated segment in Raw history.[189] In addition, The Rock main evented the nine highest rated Raws in history and 10 out of the 15 highest rated SmackDowns in history. His return in 2001 did a 7.1 rating which was the highest rated segment of the entire year.[190]
The Rock was also part of the highest rated match of 2000. His steel cage match with Shane McMahon on May 1 did a 8.3 rating on the regular time and a 9.1 on the overrun making this match the most watched professional wrestling match in the United States of this millennium.[191]
In 2011, The Rock's return generated a lot of buzz, an average of 4.7 million people watched that episode of RAW, but 7.4 million tuned in just during The Rock’s promo.[192] His return also led the following episode of Raw on March 7 to be the highest rated episode of that year.[193] In that same year, The Rock wrestled his first match in years at 2011 Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden. The event sold out in less than 90 minutes[194] and was the highest attended Survivor Series in almost a decade (since 2002). The Rock was also part of the highest rated Raw segment in 2012 in a segment on Raw 1000 with WWE superstars CM Punk and Daniel Bryan which drew a 4.3 rating and was also part of the highest rated overrun of that year (4.4) the same night.[195]
The Rock's highly anticipated WWE title match at the 2013 Royal Rumble led the event to be the most bought non-WrestleMania PPV in 7 years. The night after the 2013 Royal Rumble on January 28 which saw The Rock win the WWE Championship for the first time in over a decade was the highest rated Raw episode of that year.[196] During that night, The Rock's segment with CM Punk did a 4.03 rating which was the highest rated segment since Raw 1000. He was also part of the highest rated segment of 2013, with John Cena on Old School Raw, which did a 4.1 rating.[197]
Rock headlined five WrestleManias (XV, 2000, X-Seven, XXVIII, and XXIX), and wrestled in five additional WrestleManias in non headlining matches. In 2011, he became the first wrestler to ever host a WrestleMania (WrestleMania XXVII).[198]
Derived from one of his catchphrases "lay the smackdown", WWE introduced its second flagship program SmackDown! which later became television's second longest-running weekly episodic program.[199]
The Rock was the first wrestler to win the WWF/E Championship six times[200] then seven times.[201] Rock's Intercontinental Championship's reign in 1997–98 lasted 265 days and is the longest intercontinental title reign of the modern era (the last 24 years).[202] Rock is the only wrestler to introduce a different design of both the Intercontinental Championship (shortly after WrestleMania XIV) and the WWE Championship (on the February 18, 2013 episode of Raw).[203] He was at one point, the youngest Intercontinental Champion (until Jeff Hardy won the title in 2001) and the youngest WWF Champion (until Brock Lesnar won the title in 2002) at the same time.
Rock was also the first wrestler to be part of a title match at five consecutive WrestleManias, having competed for the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 13 and WrestleMania XIV, and for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XV, WrestleMania 2000, and WrestleMania X-Seven.
He is one of two wrestlers (along with The Undertaker) to main event WrestleMania in three different decades, doing so in the 90s (WrestleMania XV), the 2000s (WrestleMania 2000 and WrestleMania X-Seven) and the 2010s (WrestleMania XXVIII and WrestleMania XXIX). He is also one of two wrestlers (along with Hulk Hogan) to win the WWE title in three different decades doing so in the 90s, the 2000s and the 2010s.[204]
The Rock also holds the record for most Raw shows main evented in one year (38 in 2000),[205] most Smackdown shows main evented in one year (36 in 2000)[206] and tied withStone Cold Steve Austin (in 2001)[207] for most PPV shows main evented in one year (12 in 2000).[208]
Rock was on the cover of the first three video games of the WWE games series[209] including WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role which ended up being the best-selling combat sports game on a single format (PlayStation 2) with 3.2 million copies sold.[210]
According to Google metrics, The Rock was the most popular wrestler of 2014.[211]
In 2015, WWE listed The Rock as the funniest WWE superstar in history.[212]

Acting career

Johnson during a photo shoot for Vanity Fair in 2001
Johnson also continued to act on television, including in an episode of the Disney Channel show, Cory in the House, entitled "Never the Dwayne Shall Meet".[213] While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.[27] Johnson played the cocky famous football player, Joe Kingman, in The Game Plan, and Agent 23 in Get Smart. Johnson presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008.[214] He was nominated for the Favorite Movie Actor award at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[215][216]
Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. He appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode, "Art Teacher", as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. He has made several guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of "The Rock Obama", a spoof of both President Barack Obama and The Hulk.[217] Also in 2009, Johnson played ex-con cab driver Jack Bruno in Las Vegas in Race To Witch Mountain. He provided the voice of Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker in Planet 51. In 2010, Johnson starred in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy. He made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film, Why Did I Get Married Too? as a psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He briefly appears in The Other Guys, as an action-seeking detective. He returned to action films with the 2010 film Faster.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fifth film of The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed the role after series star Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release,[218] and the biggest opening for a Johnson movie.[219]
Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
In 2012, Johnson starred in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. He starred in the 2013 film Snitch, which opened to mixed reviews; however, Johnson's performance was praised. He played Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs, in Fast & Furious 6, the same year.[220] He starred in Pain & Gain and Empire State in 2013. In addition to these films, Johnson hosted and produced the reality competition/game show series The Hero, on TNT.[221][222] He won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards on March 23, 2013.[223] In May 2013, it was announced that he would produce and star in Ballers,[224] a HBO comedy-drama series about athletes living in Miami.[225]
Johnson starred in Hercules (2014), as the title character,[226] and once again reprised his role of Luke Hobbs in Furious 7 (2015).[227] He hosted another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call, which saw him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who were facing enormous challenges in their lives" alongside guest experts such as Rocco DiSpirito, Jillian Michaels, and Josh Shipp.[228] He also produced and star in the horror film Seal Team 666,[229] and is set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope.[230]
On December 16, 2013, Forbes named Johnson the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year.Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and Johnson's frequent acting work as primary reasons for him topping the list.[231] In March 2014, Johnson said he would work with DC Entertainment for an untitled film project.[232][233][234] That same year,Forbes listed Johnson #25 in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2013.[235]
In September 2014, it was revealed that Johnson would play Black Adam in a film about Shazam, which he would also produce.[236][237]
In 2015, he starred in the earthquake disaster film San Andreas. The film was his first commercial success as a solo star, making over $155 million in the United States and over $470 million worldwide on a production budget of $110 million.[238]
Upcoming projects include the 8th installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, the action comedy Central Intelligence with Kevin Hart, the animated film Moana and a film adaptation of Baywatch with Zac Efron.

Other work

Johnson co-wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden, titled The Rock Says.... It was published in 2000, debuting at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks.[20]
Johnson attended the 2000 Republican National Convention[3] and the 2000 Democratic National Convention,[239] and gave a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote.[240]
In 2015, Johnson became an ordained minister in order to surprise fan and comedian Nick Fundy of Screen Junkies by officiating at his wedding.[241]
On May 21, 2015, Johnson set a Guinness World Record for most selfies in three minutes, taking 105 selfies with fans during the premiere of San Andreas in London.[19][242]

Charity work

In 2006, Johnson founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children.[243]
On October 2, 2007, Johnson and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The university renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.[244]

Personal life

Dany Garcia and Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997.[245] Their daughter, Simone Alexandra, was born August 14, 2001.[245] On June 1, 2007, they announced they were separating amicably and intended to remain friends.[245] Soon after the divorce, Johnson began dating Lauren Hashian, the daughter of Boston drummer Sib Hashian. They first met in 2006 while Johnson was filming The Game Plan, prompting rumors he left his marriage for Hashian.[246] In September 2015, it was announced that Johnson and Hashian are expecting their first child together.[246][247] In December 2015, Hashian gave birth to a daughter named Jasmine.[248]
In 2000, Jet Magazine listed The Rock in the highest paid black celebrities list.[249]
Johnson is a good friend of actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.[250]
Johnson has two nephews who play football: Kaluka Maiava played at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and Maiava's brother, Kai, currently plays at UCLA. Because Johnson's mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of Seiuli during his visit there in July 2004.[251] He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo in 2003.[252]

Filmography

Fast Five cast members promoting the film in Rio de Janeiro; from left: Johnson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster,Vin Diesel, and Paul Walker
Main article: Dwayne Johnson filmography

Discography

YearSongAlbum
2000"It Doesn't Matter"The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book
2001"Pie"WWF The Music, Vol. 5
2005"You Ain't Woman Enough"Be Cool soundtrack
2010"Wind Beneath My Wings"Tooth Fairy soundtrack
2012"What a Wonderful World"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island soundtrack

In wrestling

The Rock hitting the Rock Bottom onDaniel Bryan
The Rock preparing to execute thePeople's Elbow on John Cena atWrestleMania XXVIII

Relatives in wrestling

Main article: Anoa'i family

Championships and accomplishments

The Rock's eight WWF/E Championship reigns are theequal second-most of all time.
The Rock held the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice during his career.
1 The Rock's seventh reign was as Undisputed WWE Champion.

Other awards and honors

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