The Rock is one of professional wrestling's most enduring Superstars. His charisma alone has captivated audiences for nearly 17 years. He has competed in some of the industry's most memorable matches, won its top prizes, and headlined its most prestigious pay-per-view events.
As he prepares to challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Sunday's Royal Rumble, it is important to remember some of "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment's" greatest moments. They are the matches that made him a champion, the promos that made him a star, and the sounds and images that made him an icon.
Survivor Series 1996: Rocky Maivia Debuts
When Rocky Maivia stepped foot inside Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17, making his debut for the World Wrestling Federation at the 1996 Survivor Series, he did so with the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were great expectations set for him as the company wasted little time hyping him as the industry’s next breakout star.
The business’ first third-generation Superstar, he not only had the marketing machine of Vince McMahon’s empire behind him, he also had the legacies of his father and grandfather to live up to.
In his first televised bout, he took several steps towards meeting those expectations. The sole survivor of his team, he overcame a two-on-one disadvantage, eliminating both Goldust and Crush to capture the win for Team Mero.
That night, on the grand stage of one of the company’s signature pay-per-view events, and in the “Mecca” of sports-entertainment, he excelled.
It would not be the only time he lived up to the moment.
We go to the ring and out first comes WWE Champion CM Punk with Paul Heyman. Out next comes The Rock to a big pop from the crowd.
The bell rings and they start brawling. Punk comes back with kicks and beats Rock down in the corner. Rock with a big clothesline out of the corner. Punk blocks a Rock Bottom. Rock sends Punk to the floor in front of Heyman. Rock follows and slams Punk's face into the announcers table. Rock hits a big right hand and starts taking the Spanish announce table apart but Punk rolls him into the ring. Dueling chants from the crowd now. Punk comes back in but Rock meets him with a right hand. Rock works Punk over and whips him into the fan barrier on the floor. Heyman runs over and attacks Rock from behind while the referee isn't looking. Rock backs Heyman up but Punk attacks from behind and lays Rock out on the floor.
Punk drops Rock's ribs over the top of the barrier and brings it back in the ring. Punk with knees to the gut and a kick to the back. Rock fights out of a body scissors but Punk drops him again and applies another submission. Punk breaks the hold and Rock meets him with big right hands. Rock with an inverted atomic drop but Punk stops him with a heel kick to the face. Punk keeps control and wails away with forearms to the chest. Punk with more offense on the midsection. Heyman with another cheap shot as the referee is distracted. Punk kicks Rock out of the ring but lands odd on his recently injured knee. Punk goes to the top and leaps out onto Rock with a forearm.
They come back in and Rock starts working on Punk's injured knee. Punk sends Rock right back out to the floor. Punk leaps out to the floor again and takes Rock out with a suicide dive. Punk brings it back in the ring. Punk springboards in but misses. Rock starts stomping and working on Punk's knee. Rock with a leg sweep and a 2 count. Rock goes for a Rock Bottom but Punk fights him off with elbows. Punk goes for a GTS but Rock catches the leg and applies a Sharpshooter but Punk rolls through that. Punk applies the Anaconda Vice.
Rock rolls through for a 2 count. Rock with right hands now. Rock nails a DDT as Heyman looks on. Rock readies for another Rock Bottom attempt but Punk catches it and rolls Rock up. Rock rolls through and goes for another Sharpshooter. This time he gets it locked in. Punk makes it to the bottom rope and breaks the hold. Punk rolls out to the floor and Rock follows. Rock with a clothesline on the floor. Rock takes apart the Spanish announce table again. Punk crawls in the ring but Rock pulls him back out. Rock slams Punk into the announce table and lays him on top of it. More right hands from Rock. Punk kicks him in the head. Punk takes Rock up on the table and calls for GTS. Rock blocks it. Rock goes for a Rock Bottom but the table collapses and they just fall. Rock clutches his leg as he tries to get up.
Trade shots some more. Rock fires away with punches. Punk with forearms. Rock runs the ropes and hits a flying shot. Rock with a spinebuster. Rock calls for The People's Elbow but when he goes to hit it, the lights go out. We hear a fight going down it sounds like. The lights are still out but Cole is yelling about The Shield. They put Rock through an announce table with a triple powerbomb. The lights come on and Rock is laid outside the ring. No sign of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns. Punk starts smiling and laughing in the ring.
Cole is yelling about The Shield and Punk says he has nothing to do with them. Punk goes outside and brings Rock back in the ring while Heyman looks on. Punk rolls in and covers Rock for the win.
Winner: CM Punk
- After the bell, we see Rock's mother in the crowd looking worried. Punk takes his title and celebrates as his music plays. Punk stomps on Rock a few times in the corner and kicks him out of the ring before posing on the turnbuckles.
- Vince McMahon's music hits and out he comes. Vince says Punk's celebration is over. Vince says if The Shield got involved, he said he would strip Punk. Vince says yes, technically we couldn't see that The Shield got involved. Vince goes to strip Punk of the title as Heyman pleads from his knees. Rock takes the mic from the ground and says we ain't ending this night like that. Rock says Vince don't take the title from Punk, he will. Rock tells Vince to re-start the match now.
Vince restarts the match and here we go. Punk attacks Rock coming in the ring and unloads on him. The crowd is all into it. Punk nails a knee to the head int he corner. Punk goes to the top for the big elbow drop and nails it. Punk covers for a 2 count. Fans chant for Rocky as Punk calls for GTS. Rock slides out of GTS and hits a spinebuster off the ropes. Rock nails The People's Elbow this time and covers Punk for the win and the WWE Title.
Winner and New WWE Champion: The Rock
- After the bell, Rock takes the WWE Title and celebrates as his mother looks on and cheers. Rock holds the title up and says it's for the people.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has reached greater success than most could ever imagine. Professional wrestling brought his charismatic style to millions of people and the wrestling world quickly adopted him as one of their most liked wrestlers. After dominating for years, Dwayne Johnson gained the attention of Hollywood producers, this allowed Dwayne to branch off and find success as an actor. However, there are many reasons why Dwayne rose to fame and high levels of succes. Dwayne Johnson’s Success 1.He Is Very Charismatic
When Dwayne is in public, he is very charismatic. He electrifies the room like no other person can. This has allowed him to appeal to many people. Everyone just wants to see what he will do next and this has been a major point of his success.
Without being charismatic, Dwayne Johnson may never have transitioned from minor fame to the mega success he is today.
2. He Possesses A Competitive Nature
Being competitive has been the driving force behind his success. Everything that he does, he puts his all into it whether it be wrestling or acting.
If people do not work hard, they do not achieve their dreams. This is something that separates him from everyone else. He wants to be the best at all times and will not settle for anything less.
3. He Is Very Entertaining
Personality has a lot to do with his success, especially in acting. Dwayne always finds a way to relate to his fans. Whether it be the “people’s eyebrow” or his radiant smile, he finds ways to make the audience more involved. He is the person everyone roots for simply because he is so likable.
4. He Follows His Dreams
Everything in life has a purpose for Dwayne. No matter what his dreams were, becoming a wrestler, acting or football, he did extremely well because he wasn’t afraid to follow his dreams. Without the drive to succeed and be the best, he might not have excelled the way he has.
Dwayne Johnson followed his dreams, but more importantly, he did everything in his power to transform them into a reality.
5. He Works His Ass Off!
During his “Once in a Lifetime Documentary” on USA, The Rock recalled his football failures. He mentioned that it devastated him, but made him work harder when training to be a wrestler.
Dwayne recalls training for hours each day and contributes his hard working ethic to his success.
6. He Found a Mentor
Dwayne Johnson had a rough childhood and was arrested nine times by the time he was 17. He was headed down the wrong path and needed an immediate change. Luckily, his childhood football coach reached out to him and asked him to join football to stay out of trouble. His coach, a probation officer, started a football team to keep kids off of the streets and doing something productive.
7. He Learns From His Failures
When his football career ended and he hit rock bottom, Dwayne Johnson was forced to move back in with his parents. His life was in shambles, he spent 10 years training to be a football player before his dream ended. However, he attributes this to his success because hitting rock bottom made him realize that he has to work even harder to reach his dreams.
8. He Surrounds Himself With Great People
Deciding to be friends with good people changed his life dramatically. If he would have stayed with the same crowd, he might have been thrown in jail. He knew that certain aspects of his life had to change, so he cut out all of the bad people in his life. This allowed him to feed off of their success and grow as a person
9. Dwayne Takes Risks
Taking risks has enabled Dwayne Johnson to venture from wrestling to acting. If he wasn’t successful in acting, he might have passed up his fame in wrestling. Since the sport is very unforgiving, time away could have resulted in him not being a fan favorite anymore. However, he took the risk and has become a very successful actor.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s formula for box office success is twofold: “I can kick ass better than anyone on the planet,” he says. “And I have a decent smile.”
He flashes his teeth winningly to try to underscore his point. But the numbers are more impressive: This 6-foot-5 wrestler’s 15 movies have grossed more than $2.3 billion at the global box office. Then there’s how he’s done it. Rather than launch franchises, Johnson saves them. Last year he climbed onboard the tired Fast and Furious series and turned Fast Five into the franchise’s highest-grossing film ($626 million). Then he took over Journey to the Center of the Earth from Brendan Fraser, and Journey 2 brought in $81 million more than its predecessor. Next up: the second installment of G.I. Joe.
Producers have taken note: We estimate The Rock earned $36 million in the last 12 months, and his first spot on The FORBES Celebrity 100 seems to be a floor, not a ceiling.
“The second you see Dwayne on screen,” says Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman, “it’s like everything you ever imagined in an action hero and then some.”
A college football star, Johnson broke into entertainment as a pro wrestler in 1996, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (his wrestling moniker, Rocky Maivia, combined their names). While his dad was upset—he had spent years getting pounded in high school gyms nationwide and struggled to support young Dwayne and the family—Johnson recognized that pro wrestling in the 1990s offered more upside than it did for generations past.
Still, cast in the role of a good guy, fans quickly tired of his nonstop smiling attitude and began to chant, “Rocky sucks!” Faced with the prospect of failing, Johnson implored World Wrestling Entertainment head Vince McMahon to give him 30 seconds on live TV to respond to the fans.
Throwing off the sunny, third-generation Rocky character dreamed up by the WWE, he became The Rock, and he antagonized the crowd right back. They ate it up. Now a funny bad guy with a penchant for catchphrases, a star was born. When fans would try to join in on a chorus of “Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?” He would cut them off and yell, “This ain’t sing-a-long with The Rock!” And they loved him for it.
Hollywood came calling in 2001. Johnson took a small part in The Mummy Returns and was immediately bitten by the acting bug. The next year he starred in a Mummy spinoff, The Scorpion King, which earned $165 million worldwide. Johnson continued to wrestle, playing up his new movie fame by pretending to be too big for the WWE and singing songs mocking whatever city he was performing in. And eventually he did get too big: By 2006 he had basically retired from the ring.
Around that time Johnson’s movie career took a strange turn. The Rock found himself at the center of family films like Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan and Race to Witch Mountain.
“When he was wrestling, he was at 270 pounds and the ruler of the world,” says Dany Garcia, his manager and ex-wife. “When he went into movies he dropped to 230 pounds and they told him to stop talking about wrestling.”
To Johnson and Garcia, who’s been an integral part of Johnson’s career since they met as teens, it felt very much like the early days with the WWE when Johnson was encouraged to play a character that didn’t quite fit. “It reached a point where I felt that instead of me trying to conform to Hollywood, I needed to have Hollywood conform to me and embrace my past,” says Johnson.
So last year Johnson took matters into his own hands. He ditched his agents at CAA in favor of Ari Emanuel’s WME, decided to focus mostly on action movies—and decided to start wrestling again. “People love him as a wrestler,” says WME’s Brad Slater, “and because he left seven years ago, there’s a whole generation of young fans who never saw him.” In April The Rock fought John Cena in a Wrestlemania battle, the most-watched in the history of the 27-year event, which raked in $67 million, thanks to 1.3 million pay-per-view downloads in 105 countries.
Such wrestling cred only burnishes his action hero status, allowing him to become, as Goodman of Paramount says, “toyetic.” And there are many more merchandise-friendly roles lined up in his immediate future. After G.I. Joethere’s Snitch, about a father who goes undercover to try to free his imprisoned son. Then Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain, where Johnson costars with Mark Wahlberg as a couple of former bodybuilders who kidnap a rich man and try to steal his life. After that he’ll hit Fast and Furious 6, and he’s just attached himself to Lore, based on a graphic novel about a man fighting legendary beasts.
The studios are falling over one another not just because of his newfound box office power but also because of his unwavering enthusiasm when it comes to promoting his films. Most stars negotiate how few days they’ll have to be on the road promoting their films. Johnson is happy to talk about how he can help promote the film from day one.
“That’s the wonderful part about being in this business,” says Johnson. “I love knowing the audience and listening to the audience.” Oh, and kicking a little ass, too.
Dwayne 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 Mummyand 2010's Tooth Fairy.
Dwayne Douglas Johnson 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.
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.
Outside the ring, The Rock 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.
