Images via Holly Maistros/CNBC
As a fan of Dwayne Johnson, you probably know about his pro-wrestling days before he became one of Hollywood’s top-paid actors. Some of you might have even followed his entire wrestling career!
However, there are some things which superfans might not even know:
#1 He was so big since young, nobody believed he was a normal teen
When Dwayne was in high school, he weighed 102kgs and was 193cm tall. All of his schoolmates thought he was some kinda undercover cop.
#2 He really wanted to become a CIA agent!
He studied criminology and physiology at University of Miami, but his professor told him to also get a law degree to achieve his dream career in the CIA. His bad grades hindered the law school idea and he just graduated with Bachelor of General Studies in criminology and physiology instead.
#3 He comes from a lineage of amazing fighters
Image via Indra/Pinterest
Dwayne’s father, Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson, and grandfather, Peter “High Chief” Maivia, were pro-wrestlers too! Meanwhile, his grandmother was a pioneer in the Polynesian Pro-Wrestling scene as she was the first person to promote it as a business.
After retiring in 1991, Daddy Rocky trained Dwayne personally in wrestling.
#4 His pro-wrestler name was originally Rocky Maivia
When he first debuted in WWE in 1996, he was introduced as Rocky Maivia to pay homage to his father and grandfather. However, he suffered a knee injury which made him unable to fight until 1997.
When he went back into the ring, his name turned into the legendary ‘The Rock’.
#5 He might have become a pro-footballer instead!
When he was in high school, his teacher encouraged him to join the school’s football team (obviously, American football, lah…).
He was very talented in it and earned a full scholarship to the University of Miami, a top football college. However, he suffered injuries and became very depressed because of it. He played for the Calgary Stampeders but two months later got kicked out of the team.
At that time, he only at 7 dollars in his wallet.
#6 He named his production company Seven Bucks Productions
“The term ‘seven bucks’ has a lot of meaning,” he said in an interview when he founded the studio in 2012. The seven bucks stemming from the amount of money he had in his wallet when he was removed from the football team.
“It was like the success I wanted so badly and worked so hard for years was happening all around me to everyone else but me. And I'll never forget that.”
#7 His childhood nickname was ‘Dewey’
Image via Holly Maistros/Pinterest
Usually, you’d hear of cute nicknames for children, but Dwayne’s has an embarrassing origin. Before he was the tough and buff ‘The Rock’, his godmother gave him the name ‘Dewey’.
At about 6 months old, his mum asked if his diaper was wet and his godmother replied, “No. He’s just a little dewy.”
#8 He has the Guinness World Record for most selfies taken!
Image via Guinness World Records
On May 22, 2015, he captured 105 selfies in 3 minutes on the red carpet at the world premiere of his new film San Andreas.
Wanna know more about Dwayne Johnson’s life?
Check out Young Rock, a TV show on his upbringing that moves into his adult life. You’ll get to see his complicated relationship with his father, how his career evolved from football to wrestling, and eventually a Hollywood star.
Rent the series via Astro Best CH481 and On Demand Store!
There are also other shows you can binge-watch such as 4 Weddings And A Funeral, Saved By The Bell, and I Hate Suzie, exclusively available to rent via the On Demand Store. They’re not available elsewhere, okay…
Image via Astro
All of these start from RM15 and you can watch for up to 2 weeks!
Go to the STORE on demand on Ultra Box or Astro GO app to find all these titles (not applicable for Apple devices).