Dwayne Douglas Johnson, better known by his ring name, The Rock, has unquestionably climbed the ladder of success and excellence in the last two decades. His ring name The Rock has become a household name in many countries and continents worldwide.
The Rock’s Birthday, Parents, Ethnicity
Born on May 2, 1972 in California, United States, Dwayne Johnson Johnson is from a wrestling family of Ata Johnson and Rocky Johnson.
The Rock’s ethnicity is a blend of Irish, Black Nova Scotia, and Samoan. The Rock’s father, Rocky Johnson, was a Black Nova Scotian of some Irish descent. His mother, Ata, is of the Samoan tribe.
As a result of these two distinct tribes, The Rock’s nationality and race is split between American and Canadian.
The Rock’s Wrestling Heritage
Dwayne Johnson’s father was one of the early black tag team champions in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment. His mother was the adopted daughter of professional wrestler Peter Maivia.
Additionally, Dwayne’s grandmother Lia was the first female professional wrestling promoter.
There’s no doubt that wrestling runs in his family, and all of these factors influenced Johnson’s career as a world champion wrestler.
This branch of the family also significantly impacted The Rock’s extraordinary height and weight.
The Rock in Primary and Middle School
Johnson attended a variety of schools during his primary and middle school years. Young Johnson began his elementary schooling at Richmond Road Primary School in Auckland before relocating to the United States as a child.
Dwayne later went to Montclaire Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then to Shepherd Glen Elementary School and Hamden Middle School in Hamden, Connecticut.
After his primary and middle school education, The Rock enrolled at the renowned President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He then moved to Glencliff High School and McGavock High School in Nashville, Tennessee. Lastly, he ended up at the Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
All this moving was difficult on young Dwayne, as he had to make friends over and over again in each new city.
The Rock in High School
The Rock’s high school life was even more challenging. He was arrested by the police on different occasions for fighting and theft, which greatly affected his high school grades.
Despite these dark times, Johnson was a talented athlete in high school, becoming a high school football star. It became clear that he could only further his education through football due to his average grades, which only inspired him to try harder.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Dwayne’ The Rock’ Johnson said, “That was a whole shift in my psychology. Suddenly I had a chance to become the first person in my family to go to college. I became obsessed with making it.”
Where Did The Rock Go To College?
Fortunately, football paid off. He received a fully-funded football scholarship offer from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, which he took. While at the school, he studied Criminology and Physiology, wanting to become an FBI agent or a CIA officer and deal with ‘bad boys.’
Dwayne later graduated with a 2.9 GPA.
The Rock’s College Football Career
The Rock was a defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes football team, where he was called Dewey by his teammates. Playing for about four years on the school’s team, “Dewey” had an astonishing 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks.
The Rock had high aspirations for himself.
As he said in an interview with Daily Express, “I’d always had a very specific vision of my future, I was going to be Michael Strahan: I would win a Superbowl with the Giants.”
Unfortunately, this vision for a football career did not go as The Rock planned.
First, he could not get into the National Football League due to health issues. This broke the young athlete’s heart, but he still hung on and kept trying, opting to play for the Canadian Football League. He was cut within a few months.
Due to many injuries, including a complete shoulder separation that required a total reconstruction, a torn Achilles heel, and five separate knee surgeries, The Rock was forced to abandon his dreams of football stardom.
The Rock’s Early Wrestling Career
After quitting football, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson went to his father and stated his intention to go into wrestling. His father Rocky disagreed at first, but later on agreed to train his son.
Eventually, a friend of his father’s, an executive at the World Wrestling Federation, saw The Rock’s strong will and talent and signed him to a deal with the WWF. He initially wrestled under the ring names Flex Kavana and Pidlaoan Rock.
He found success early on. On November 16, 1996, he had his first official match at the Madison Square Garden in New York City against Paul Levesque, popularly known as Triple H.
He won the Intercontinental Championship three months later. This victory earned him the crowd’s attention.
Dwayne Johnson quickly gained fame for his exceptional and extraordinary size, agility, speed, and entertaining personality. He became a crowd favorite, known in wrestling as a “babyface,” or simply “face.”
However, The Rock, then Rocky Maivia, began to have problems with the audience. They began to nag him about his ‘cool-guy’ character. The crowd began to boo and jeer “Rocky Sucks!”
This continued until he lost the Intercontinental title to Owen Hart and sustained an injury.
In response, he changed his stage name to what is known today, The Rock. His character became more rigid, a “bad guy” or “heel” as it is known in the wrestling world.
At this point, he became one of the top wrestlers in the industry.
The Rock’s Wrestling Stardom
By 1998, The Rock seized several world championship titles. Dwayne was also great on the microphone, delivering popular lines like “Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?!”
The Rock went on to win a combined 17 WWE titles, including ten as a world heavyweight champion. He won the WWF/WWE Championship eight times, the WCW Championship twice, the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. He is the sixth WWF/WWE Triple Crown Champion and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble, according to prowrestling.com.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did amass massive fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1996 to 2004. To this day, he is referred to as the first third-generation wrestler in the industry’s history. He is well known for his promos and riveting interviews.
In 2004, The Rock left the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for the film industry.
The Rock’s Acting Career
Today, if you Google the name Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he is described as “an American actor.” He is also described as such on Wikipedia.com.
As he explains in an interview with CinemaBlend.com, “I wanted to have a real, long-lasting career that had weight and had value. And I wanted to become a real box office presence.”
Interest in The Rock as an actor began after he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2000. His first acting role was as Mathayus, the Scorpion King, in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns.
The Rock did well in movies throughout the 2000s. He starred in Be Cool (2005), Gridiron Gang (2006), The Game Plan (2007), and Tooth Fairy (2010). He proved himself versatile, starring in action, comedy, and dramatic films.
The Rock’s standing in the filming industry became solid in 2011 when he played the role of Luke Hobbs in the fifth Fast and the Furious film, Fast Five.
These roles have made him one of the most successful actors in the world.
In fact, According to Forbes.com, Johnson earned $89.4 million in 2018 and 2019, making him Hollywood’s highest-paid actor.
The Rock’s Tequilla
The Rock launched his tequila in March of 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Rock’s tequila, Teremana Añejo, has thrived. Its manufacturing house is in Jesus Maria, Jalisco, and it sells for about $29.99-39.99.
The brand is co-owned by The Rock’s ex-wife, Dany Garcia, and his friends Ken Austin and Jenna Fagnan.
The Rock on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 2017, The Rock received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Rock’s Height, Weight, and More
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy on the internet regarding Dwayne Johnson’s height and weight, as well as how much he can bench press.
The Rock said this on a recent social media post: “I am approximately 6’4”, which is why every time people see me, they go, “You’re a lot taller than I thought you would be.” I think (it’s) because all Hollywood actors are generally little shorty shorts… I’m 6’4″…and as of this morning [March 24 2020], I weigh 277 pounds.” That is, The Rock weighs over 277 pounds and is approximately 190cm tall.
Also, according to Men’s Health, Dwayne Johnson spends six days a week in his home gym, which he calls “The Iron Paradise.”
He works out with his gym instruments that he calls the “giant sets,” working on his chest, back, legs, and biceps.
How Much Can The Rock Bench Press?
According to BenchPress.net, “it’s also been reported that Dwayne can also bench press up to 450 lbs for a one-rep max on a good day if his energy levels are up.”
The Rock’s Eating Habits
You might wonder how Dwayne Johnson eats.
The Rock says he eats five to seven meals in a day and consumes about 5000 to 8000 calories.
Dwayne Johnson Net Worth
Dwayne Johnson’s net worth, as of 2022, is estimated to be $320 million.
The Rock’s First Wife
Aside from being an actor, a businessman, and an ex-wrestler, Dwayne Johnson is also a family man.
The Rock has been married twice. The first was to Dany Garcia, whom he met during his days at the University of Miami.
Garcia majored in International Marketing and Finance at the University of Miami and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree.
They got married on May 3, 1997, and at that time, Dwayne was 18 while Garia was 21.
The marriage was fruitful. They conceived a daughter in August 2001, Simone Garcia Johnson.
Unfortunately, the duo got divorced in 2008 but stated that they will keep it amicable. True to their word, they are still best of friends. In fact, Gracia is The Rock’s manager. She started managing his acting career after their divorce in 2008. They also founded the production company Seven Bucks Productions in 2012.
Who is The Rock’s Wife?
The Rock tied the knot again with Lauren Hashian, a 36-year-old singer, songwriter, and music producer, in 2019.
Sources reveal that they met while filming his movie The Game Plan, though at that time Dwayne was still married to Garcia.
He started dating Lauren the same year he got divorced from Gracia.
Their marriage is already fruitful, too. With Lauren, The Rock has two kids, Jasmine Johnson, whom they welcomed in 2015, and Tiana Gia Johnson, who was born in April 2018.
In total, Dwayne Johnson has three kids: Simeone, Jasmine and Tiana.
On August 18, 2019, the beautiful couple officially wedded in Hawaiian style.
The Rock’s Immediate Family
Dwayne Johnson has siblings, Curtis and Wanda Bowles. Unlike The Rock, both of them keep a private life. The Rock’s brother, Curtis Bowles, is also an American actor.
The Rock’s Mansion
Johnson spends much of his time with his family in his Beverly Park mansion in Los Angeles. The mansion is worth over $30 million and has six bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a tennis court, a spa, a world-class gym, a baseball diamond, a music studio, a movie theatre, an elevator, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, and a guest house.
The property was formerly owned by the notable actor Paul Reiser. Some of Johnson’s neighbors are the well-known Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy.
