Dwayne Douglas Johnson is an icon in the entertainment industry but also the greatest wrestler of all time. Known by his ring name, The Rock, Dwayne is a retired professional wrestler, an American film producer, and an actor. He contributed significantly to WWE by being a top performer during the Attitude era when WWE was WWF.
Dwayne is one of the highest-grossing and highest-paid actors. For instance, the films he worked in grossed over $10 billion internationally. Dwayne has been active since 1996, dedicating thirteen years (1996 to 2019) to wrestling and 1999 to present to acting. However, he quit wrestling step-by-step.
Dwayne stopped performing in the ring for WWE in 2004. He again worked for WWE from 2011 to 2013, but only as a part-time performer, making occasional appearances. He finally retired from wrestling in 2019. He is known for his busy schedule and working on multiple projects simultaneously.
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Early Life And Football Career
Dwayne’s father, Rocky Johnson, was Black Nova Scotian and a Canadian wrestler. He became the first black tag team champion in WWE besides Tony Atlas in 1983. Born in Hayward, CA, Dwayne lived with his Samoan mother’s (Ata Johnson) family in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand.
Dwayne’s maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, was a Samoan-American stunt coordinator, actor, and wrestler. He founded NWA Polynesian Pro Wrestling in 1979 and died in 1982. Dwayne’s maternal grandmother, Lia, promoted pro wrestling and looked after Peter Maivia’s company from 1982 to 1988. It is how she became the first female, alongside other females, to promote pro wrestling.
Dwayne first attended Richmond Road Primary School. After moving to the United States, he joined Montclaire Elementary School in Charlotte, Shepherd Glen Elementary School in Connecticut, Glencliff High School in Nashville, Hamden Middle School in Connecticut, President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, and McGavock High School in Nashville.
Dwayne finally graduated in 1990 from Freedom High School in the Lehigh Valley. He was only seventeen when he was suspended from Freedom High School and arrested for indulging in criminal activities such as check fraud, robbery, and fighting.
Moreover, the local newspaper added oil to the fire by spreading the news. However, Dwayne got on the track and started thinking about real-life goals when his football coach, Jody Cwik, diverted Dwayne’s energy into football instead of crime.
Dwayne learned defensive tackle (in football) and participated in wrestling at Freedom High School after his perspective on life changed. The University of Miami offered him an athletic scholarship two years before graduation. Thus, he joined the Miami Hurricanes Football team and played football at the University of Miami.
On the one hand, Dwayne became a one-time national championship winner. On the other hand, he could not overtake the future American Football Defensive Tackle player for the NFL, Warren Carlos Sapp. Besides football, Dwayne became a student speaker and encouraged other students to quit drugs and find a goal in life, mentioning his own example.
Dwayne majored in psychology and criminology and got his bachelor’s degree in General Studies in 1995. He played Linebacker for a few months for a professional Canadian football team, Calgary Stampeders, based in Calgary, Alberta.
Wrestling Career
Calgary Stampeders removed Dwayne, and he joined professional wrestling in 1996. Initially, Pat Patterson, a Canadian-American producer and professional wrestler, helped Dwayne get matches. Further, he got into the ring under the name ‘Flex Kavana’ for the United States Wrestling Association.
Mark Henry, Achim Albrecht, and Tom Prichard were Dwayne’s trainers. Meanwhile, he agreed to play for the WWF, where he combined his father’s and grandfather’s ring names and stepped into the ring as Rocky Maivia. Announcers still called him by his real name.
Further, the third-generation professional wrestler played as ‘The Blue Chipper.’ His broker made him participate and win more matches from the beginning, though he hardly had experience in wrestling. He performed for the first time under WWF in Monday Night Raw in November 1996.
After some time, Dwayne’s fan following decreased and increased again. By this time, the WWF fans started chanting ‘Rocky Sucks’ and ‘Die, Rocky, Die’ after seeing Maivia (Dwayne) in the ring. He spent several months, from June 1997 to August 1997, recovering from a knee injury he got while performing against Mankind.
People like to see the wrestlers performing as heroes or villains. Accordingly, Maivia appeared as a villain for the first time after healing from his knee injury in August 1997. He started referring to himself as ‘The Rock’ instead of ‘Rocky Maivia.’ He also joined a professional heel faction, Nation of Domination. It is a group of professional wrestlers who fight as antagonists.
Lashing out at WWF performers, audience, and interviewers during the promos became a habit for The Rock. The stable named Nation of Domination began referring to itself as ‘The Nation’ in May 1998 after The Rock defeated Faarooq. The Rock’s fan following increased by the end of 1998, and he tried to keep it intact till 2000.
Thus, The Rock got into a feud with his fellow Nation members, and the stable broke in 1998. By 1999, people cheered The Rock, though he was a heel. In 2018, The Rock saw a dip in fan support because they knew his further plans of pursuing a career in acting. Accordingly, the crowd turned negative during his match with Lesnar.
On the other hand, The Rock was angry at the crowd, who booed at him during his post-show speech. After that, he turned to acting. During his wrestling career, Dwayne won the world championship ten times, the Tag Team Championship five times, and the Intercontinental Championship two times.
Dwayne also won the 2000 Royal Rumble. He is the first of African-American descent in the ring and the sixth to win WWE’s Triple Crown Championship. People watched Dwayne Johnson’s episodes more than any other wrestler featured on WWE Smackdown and WWE Raw, the American professional wrestling television series.
The Rock returned in January 2003 with a shaved head and stepped as a heel into the ring due to previous negative fan reactions. He again left WWE to film Walking Tall (2004). So, he made occasional appearances that year. Then, he directly appeared in 2007 on a WWE show.
After a feud with John Cena in 2013, The Rock underwent surgery to reattach his adductor and abdominal tendons torn from his pelvis. He appeared in WrestleMania XXX in April 2014. He announced his official retirement in August 2019 and returned surprisingly to SmackDown to fight Austin Theory on 15 September 2023.
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Acting Career
Dwayne initially got roles due to his wrestling career. He began with the television roles in 1999 while wrestling. He appeared in ‘The Wrestling Show’ and ‘Star Trek: Voyager.’ Meanwhile, WWE did not let Dwayne’s fans forget him and sold ‘The Rock’ merchandise.
Dwayne had a notable entry in Hollywood through his film acting debut in The Mummy Returns (2001). He played an ancient fearsome warrior, The Scorpion King, who sold his soul to Anubis. The film grossed $435 million internationally and received mixed reviews.
Dwayne played the title role in The Mummy franchise spin-off, The Scorpion King (2002). The events take place five thousand years before events in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. So, it is about the rise of the historical King Scorpion of Egypt. It grossed $180.6 million. Some viewers found the action-adventure cheesy, while some did not like it.
Dwayne had a straight face in The Scorpion King. Thus, some viewers wished him to be a durable action star in the future. He starred as The Rock in The Rundown (2003) and Walking Tall (2004). The former is the buddy action comedy that collected only $80.9 million, and the latter is a vigilante action film that grossed $57.2 million.
Dwayne played a supporting role in Be Cool (2005) and the main villain, The Rock, in the science fiction film Doom (2005). Dwayne’s tattoos were covered with acrylic paint, and he went through five hours of makeup to conceptualize his demon makeup for Doom (2005).
Doom received negative reviews, and Dwayne considered it a failed video game adaptation. It grossed $58.7 million, though the budget was between $60 million and $70 million. Further, he appeared in Gridiron Gang (2006), Reno 911!: Miami (2007), Southland Tales (2006), The Game Plan (2007), and Get Smart (2008).
Dwayne Johnson came into the limelight after playing a DSS agent named Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (2011). It grossed $626.1 million at the box office. Vin Diesel, the producer and protagonist of Fast Five, wanted to cast someone else as Luke Hobbs. However, he fulfilled a fan’s wish to see him and Dwayne together in a film.
Thus, Vin Diesel chose Dwayne. Meanwhile, Dwayne bulks his body and has an extreme workout to look like a threat to the protagonists in Fast Five (2011). He appeared
in Fast & Furious (2013), playing the same role in Pain & Gain (2013) and Empire State (2013).
Dwayne executive produced and starred in Ballers, the sports comedy-drama that aired from 21 June 2015 to 13 October 2019. He played a retired NFL player turned NFL financial manager named Spencer Strasmore. He played the titular character in Hercules (2014). The film received mixed reviews and some praise for Dwayne’s action sequence and acting.
Dwayne stated he trained harder for eight months and remained isolated for six months in Budapest. He wanted to transform into a character. He would do it again, though it would be painstaking. His hard work paid off, and the film grossed $244.8 million.
Dwayne played Luke Hobbs in Furious 7 (2015), Fate of the Furious (2017), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and Hobbs & Shaw 2. He co-starred as Bob Stone / Robbie Weirdicht in Central Intelligence (2016). 2017 was a notable year in Dwayne’s career because he appeared in two more blockbuster films, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Dwayne will appear as a guest in the post-credits scene of Fast X, as reported in May 2023. He appeared as Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise (2011). He collaborated with the director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, for the third time through Red Notice (2021), Netflix’s action comedy film. Previously, they worked together for Central Intelligence and Skyscraper.
Dwayne starred as Teth-Adam / Black Adam in Black Adam (2022), based on a DC character, Black Adam, a historic superhuman freed by the archeologists to fight against the evils. Dwayne also served as the producer for the film. According to some critics, Black Adam leads the DC films to a bright future but fails as a standalone film.
Career Besides Acting
Dwayne and Joe Layden wrote the former’s autobiography, The Rock Says…, which became The New York Times Best Seller. He hosted three television shows in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He has a YouTube Channel from 2016.
Dwayne and Dany Garcia, his ex-wife, announced a bodybuilding show, Athleticon, in 2019 to compete with Joe Weider and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding shows. The show was supposed to begin in October 2020, but it did not happen due to the pandemic. Dwayne appeared in the rapper’s Tech N9ne music album in 2021.
Dwayne Johnson founded a production company called Seven Bucks Production in 2012. He produced Fighting With My Family (2019) under his production company. The sports comedy-drama film is about an English professional wrestler, Saraya Jade Bevis (Paige). It was made with $11 million and collected only $41.5 million. Dwayne also appeared as himself in the film.
Dwayne appeared as himself in Young Rock, an American television sitcom based on his life. He also created and narrated the series Young Rock, which aired on NBC from 16 February 2011 to 24 February 2023. It reveals the behind-the-curtain stories of Dwayne’s life. Thus, it received generally neutral reviews.
Dwayne produced the superhero film based on the DC comic character Shazam! (2019). The Janson Detective, a posthumous novel, will be adapted into a film by Dwayne. Akiva Goldsman will write it, and John Cena will appear as the lead character.
John Henry & The Statesmen is the upcoming exclusive Netflix film produced and starred by Dwayne, written by Tom Wheeler, and directed by Jake Kasdan. Jake will also contribute to scriptwriting. Dwayne worked with Jake in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumaji: The Next Level. Thus, the upcoming film will mark their third collaboration.
The King, based on the first ruler of Hawaii, King Kamehameha Kūnuiākea, will be co-produced by Dwayne, written by Randall Wallace, and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film is still under development because production was halted during the spread of COVID-19.
Big Trouble In Little China (1986) is a fantasy comedy-action film. It turned out to be a box office bomb because it grossed only $11.1 million, below its estimated budget of $19 million to $25 million. It brimmed with energy and packed with humor.
Dwayne Johnson will produce and star in an upcoming sequel to Big Trouble In Little China. Dwayne is also working on an adaptation of a fictional character, Doc Savage, who appeared in American magazines in the 1930s and 1940s.
Dwayne advised the young people to vote in 2000. He voted for Barack Obama during the presidential elections in 2008 and 2012 and endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. However, Dwayne is an independent voter not inclined toward any political party. He also expressed his wish to compete in the presidential elections.
Dwayne won the NCAAF National Championship while playing for Miami Hurricanes in 1991. In 2001, he received the Teen Choice Award for his negative role in The Mummy Returns. CinemaCon considered him the Action Star of the Year in 2012. Muscle & Fitness, an American Bodybuilding and fitness magazine, addressed him as the Man of the Century in 2015.
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Dwayne Johnson’s Net Worth
Forbes confirms that Dwayne Johnson’s Net Worth will be $800 million in 2023. His jaw-dropping fortune comes from his acting, wrestling, and entrepreneurship. Moreover, thanks to Teremana Tequila, The Rock has a thirty to forty percent stake, and the estimated valuation is over $2 billion. It is more than what he must have made throughout his career.
Dwayne is one of the highest-paid actors on the Earth. His annual income is over $100 million due to his appearances in various films and endorsements. Dwayne is one of the actors whose net worth increased every year. His films grossed $1.3 billion in 2013, and Forbes named him the top-grossing actor of the year.
For instance, his net worth was only $30 million in December 2009, $50 million the following year, and $75 million in 20112. It made him the wealthiest wrestler. He learned to make better judgments before signing for a movie, and his net worth reached $160 million by 2015. By 2018, Dwayne’s net worth reached $280 million.
Dwayne earned over $22.5 million by starring in and producing Black Adam (2022). He got a commission by promoting it on social media.
Dwayne Johnson’s Other Sources Of Income
Dwayne launched Seven Bucks Productions with his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, in 2012. Its annual revenue per year is estimated to be $3.5 million. It has produced several popular films such as Baywatch (2017), Skyscraper (2018), Shazam (2019), Red Notice (2021), Red One (2023), and more. More than twenty films are still in development under Seven Bucks Productions.
The Scorpion King, played by Dwayne in The Mummy Returns (2001), was loved by the people. Thus, he played the same character in the spin-off, The Scorpion King (2002), and earned $5.5 million. He holds a Guinness World Record for getting the highest payment in the first leading role. Dwayne had over 280 million followers on Instagram in 2021.
Dwayne also earns through his endorsements for Under Armour, Ford, Apple, and more. He, his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, and other partners established Teremana Tequila in 2020. The company sold 300,000 cases within a year and planned to sell over 600,000 in 2022. Its net worth is $3.2 billion. Dwayne must own at least thirty percent of Teremana Tequila and earn over $1 billion, excluding tax.
Dwayne owns a 15,000-square-foot estate in Powder Springs, Georgia, spread across forty-six acres. He purchased it in 2019 for $9.5 million and sold it within fourteen months for $7.5 million. Dwayne also sold his Fort Lauderdale house for $4.5 million in 2019. After two years, he purchased the Beverly Park mansion from Paul Reiser for $28.7 million.
Dwayne partnered with Under Armour, an American Sportswear company, to launch ‘Project Rock,’ which sells t-shirts, sneakers, headphones, gym bags, and other apparel. He appeared as a host in The Hero (on TNT), Wake Up Call (on TNT), and The Titan Games (on NBC).
Philanthropy
Like other millionaires, The Rock knows he must give a helping hand to the poor ones. Accordingly, in 2006, he started helping terminally ill children by establishing the Dwayne Johnson Foundation. The University of Miami got the largest donation from its alumni when Dwayne donated $1 million to renovate the football facility in the school.
Dwayne donated $1,500 to treat an abandoned dog in 2015 and $25,000 to help people face the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. He also donated to Malama Kauai and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The military base at Oahu, Hawaii, got a gym from Dwayne Johnson.
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation provides educational assistance to the SAG-AFTRA professionals. Dwayne donated the largest amount to the foundation at one time.
Personal Life
Dwayne has a tattoo on the right arm and left chest and arm. The Brahma Bull and a bull’s skull are on the right arm. The tattoo on the left of his chest and left arm is a partial Samoan pe’a tattoo. He got the one at the left in 2003 and right in 2017.
Dany Garcia, a professional bodybuilder, producer, and businesswoman, and Dwayne Johnson studied at the University of Miami. It is how they met, fell in love, and married in 1997. Their daughter, Simone, was born in 2001. Dwayne and Dany announced their separation in 2007 and officially separated the following year.
Simone became the first fourth-generation wrestler. According to an announcement by WWE in 2020, her training started at the WWE Performance Center. She signed a contract with WWE the same year and will get into the ring as Ava Raine.
Dwayne met Lauren Hashian, Sib Hashian’s daughter, at the set of The Game Plan in 2006. They started dating in 2007, married in 2019, and have two daughters.
The couple owns properties in Southwest Ranches (Florida), Virginia, and Los Angeles. Dwayne’s father is Canadian, and his mother is Samoan. Thus, he holds Canadian citizenship according to the changes in law, though he is American and born in California.
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