How The Rock Went From WWE Superstar to Hollywood Leading Man

Intro:

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is a third generation wrestler. His father is Rocky Johnson and his grandfather, on his mother's side, was the late Peter Maivia. He was a member of the 1991 national champion Miami Hurricane football team. While attending Miami, he met and later married Dany Johnson (Garcia). In 2001, they had a daughter named Simone Alexandra.

The couple got divorced in 2008.

Rocky Maivia:

Dwayne was trained to wrestle by his father and Pat Patterson. He started wrestling in 1995. As Rocky Maivia, he made his WWE debut at the 1996 Survivor Series. He quickly went on to become the Intercontinental champion. Even though he was a face (good guy), the fans hated him. During his matches, the fans would chant "Rocky Sucks". After a brief absence, Rocky Maivia turned into the Rock.

The Nation of Domination:

The Rock was an arrogant heel that spoke about himself in the third person. As a bad guy, his promos were incredible and he seemed to come up with a new catch phrase on a continual basis. It was during this time that he came up with his signature gimmicks "The People's Eyebrow" and "The People's Elbow" with the joke being that he was the bad guy that the people hated.

The People's Champ:

While Steve Austin was the top performer in the company, it was obvious that The Rock was about to reach that level. The Rock became WWE Champion at the 1998 Survivor Series, which was his second anniversary in the WWE.

He would go on to main event 3 WrestleMania shows against Austin. Starting in 2000, the Rock would take a lot of time off due to his new film career.

Best Selling Author and the Start of a New Career:

In 2000, his autobiography, The Rock Says, went to number 1. Hollywood took notice and he hosted Saturday Night Live to promote WrestleMania 2000. His performance was so good that he received the role of the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. While it was only a cameo role, he stole the movie and starred in the prequel, The Scorpion King.

The Transition From Wrestler to Actor:

By 2001, his wrestling career was a few months on and a few months off. However, his matches were always the main event and while his feuds were short they were memorable. In 2002, the fans were treated to a dream match when he finally got in the ring against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. In 2004, he wrestled what many thought would be his final match at WrestleMania XX. Over the course of the next few years, Dwayne Johnson starred in several successful movies and became a bona-fide movie star.

The Return of the Rock:

For several weeks in 2011, the WWE teased a huge announcement for WrestleMania XXVII. After weeks of speculation over who would be the celebrity guest for the show, it was finally revealed that the Rock was going to host the show. The Rock got involved in the main event of that show and cost John Cena the chance to become the WWE Champion. The following night, the two men agreed to fight one another the following year at WrestleMania XXVIII. The Rock made will be making his return at Survivor Series 2011 as the tag team partner of his upcoming foe, John Cena.

Box Office History (Domestic and World Wide Grosses in Milions):

5/4/01 The Mummy Returns - $202, $433
4/19/02 The Scorpion King - $91, $165
9/26/03 The Rundown - $48, $81
4/2/04 Walking Tall - $46, $57
3/4/05 Be Cool - $56, $95
10/5/05 Doom - $28, $56
9/15/06 Gridiron Gang - $38, $41
9/28/07 The Game Plan - $91, $146
11/9/07 Southland Tales - less than $1 million
6/20/08 Get Smart - $130, $100
3/13/09 Race to Witch Mountain - $67, $106
11/20/09 Planet 51 (Voice) - $42, $105
1/22/10 Tooth Fairy - $60, $112
8/6/10 The Other Guys - $119, $170
11/24/10 Faster - $23, $23
4/29/11 Fast Five - $209, $626

Title Victories:

WWE Championship

11/15/98 Survivor Series - beat Mankind in the tournament final to win the vacant title
1/24/99 Royal Rumble - beat Mankind in an "I Quit" match
2/15/99 RAW – beat Mankind in a ladder match
4/30/00 Backlash - beat Triple H
6/25/00 King of the Ring - Six-Man Tag Match for the WWE Title: The Rock became champ by pinning Vince McMahon in a match featuring the Rock, Kane, & the Undertaker vs Champion Triple H, Vince McMahon, & Shane McMahon
2/25/01 No Way Out - beat Kurt Angle
7/21/02 Vengeance - beat WWE champion the Undertaker & Kurt Angle
1/27/13 Royal Rumble - beat CM Punk