Cody Rhodes & Goldust def. The Real Americans in a WWE Tag Team Title Match
ATLANTA, Ga. – Two days before Survivor Series, SmackDown played host to a WWE Tag Team Title Match, Rey Mysterio’s Friday night return, 2-on-1 Divas action and a destructive main event between Daniel Bryan and The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper.
Scoring a win over The Miz & Kofi Kingston on Raw, The Real Americans marched into a WWE Tag Team Title opportunity against Cody Rhodes & Goldust on SmackDown. However, when disorder took over between all four Superstars, Goldust hit The Final Cut on Jack Swagger to secure the victory and destroy their controversial opponents’ title hopes.
Informing the WWE Universe that he enjoyed being a bully, Ryback proceeded to issue an open challenge to anyone in the locker room to come out and face him – and The Great Khali would answer that call. Despite the all-out Punjabi thrashing that followed, The Human Wrecking Ball would roar back, leaving the SmackDown crowd collectively speechless by delivering Shell Shocked to the enormous Khali for the victory!
The Funkadactyls def. AJ Lee in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match
Four days after Vickie Guerrero was punished by The Authority – being forced to compete against Divas Champion AJ Lee in a No Disqualification Match on Raw – the SmackDown General Manager placed the unpredictable titleholder in a Handicap Match of retribution against The Funkadactyls. And once Cameron took out Tamina Snuka on the outside, Naomi hit AJ with The Rear View to score a huge pin on the Divas Champion!
But first, The Ultimate Underdog returned home to SmackDown, warming up for WWE’s fall classic by teaming with Jey & Jimmy against the dangerous Hounds of Justice. At the height of the six-man chaos that ensued, Mysterio hit a 619/Splash combination on United States Champion Dean Ambrose for the three-count.
Big Show and Randy Orton sounded off before their WWE Title Match at Survivor Series
Though WWE Champion Randy Orton promised to punish Big Show at Survivor Series, The World’s Largest Athlete emerged to remind The Viper that The Authority had put him on his own at this Sunday’s pay-per-view and that no one will be coming to save him. Showing footage of how he tended to destroy Orton whenever WWE’s Apex Predator was left on his own, the giant promised to take the title at Survivor Series.
On SmackDown, two days before Axel gets his title rematch at Survivor Series, Dolph Ziggler blasted the third-generation Superstar with the Famouser and paved the road for Big E to hit The Big Ending on Damien Sandow for the tag team victory. And when the sneaky son of Mr. Perfect attempted to attack Langston after the bell, he quickly found himself exiled from the ring.
Two days before he and CM Punk take on The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper & Erick Rowan at Survivor Series, The Beard went one-on-one against Harper in SmackDown’s main event – and by one-on-one, we mean that Bray Wyatt and Rowan were lurking in close proximity to the ring.
However, when The Eater of Worlds’ distraction allowed Harper to regain his advantage over Bryan in the final moments of the match, Punk emerged. His distraction proved to be even more effective, kicking up the dust enough for The Beard to pick up the quick pin on his opponent.
But, after the bell rang, The Wyatt Family would make both former World Champions pay for their actions, hitting Punk with a wicked clothesline and Bryan with Sister Abigail and leaving their Survivor Series opponents in a heap in the middle of the ring.
He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, his father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valleyregion. He began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference.[17]He was also a member of the school's track and field and wrestling teams.[17] On April 17, 2009, changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect, making all people born in the first generation abroad after 1947 to Canadian-born parents automatically (and retroactively to date of birth) Canadian citizens.[19] Johnson, through his father, thus became a Canadian.
Johnson was a promising football prospect, and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs. He decided upon a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes' national championshipteam.[20] After an injury kept him sidelined, he was replaced by future National Football League (NFL) star, Warren Sapp.[17] While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992 and later became a member of its Board of Trustees.[21] She also founded a Miami-based wealth management firm. In 2006, the couple donated $2 million to build a living room at the University's Newman Alumni Center. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995, with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in criminology andphysiology.[22]
Johnson joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 1995, after being passed over by the NFL. He was cut two months into the season.[7][17] On November 10, 2007, Johnson returned to theMiami Orange Bowl to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium. Johnson has two nephews who play football: Kaluka Maiava played at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and his brother, Kai Maiava, currently plays atUCLA.
After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28, 1997 Raw is War,[30] and suffering a knee injury in a match against Mankind,[1] Maivia returned as a heel. Along with Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, and Kama, he formed a stable called The Nation of Domination.[31] During this time, he refused to acknowledge the "Rocky Maivia" name, instead referring to himself in the third person as "The Rock". He insulted the audience in his promos, as well as WWF television interviewers, once calling Kevin Kelly an "ugly hermaphrodite".[31]
At In Your House: D-Generation X, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship.[32] The next night, on Raw is War, Austin was ordered by Mr. McMahon to defend the title in a rematch, but forfeited it to The Rock instead, handing him the belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner.[33][34] The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998.[35][36] In March 1998, The Rock overthrew Faarooq as leader of The Nation of Domination, sparking a feud. He successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at In Your House: Over the Edge on May 31, 1998.[37]
The Rock's entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn, in which he called himself "The People's Champion". This led to a feud with Mr. McMahon, who said he had "a problem with the people" and would thus target "The People's Champion". A double turn occurred at Survivor Series, when The Rock defeated McMahon's associate, Mankind, in the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament[42] for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of theMontreal Screwjob.[42][43][43] The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable, The Corporation.[42][44]
On December 13, 1998, at the pay-per-view named for him, Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship. Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission move, but Mr. McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out, he retained his title.[44][45] The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, which was traded back and forth between them. First, in the main event of the January 4, 1999 Raw is War, Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Steve Austin.[46] Then, in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble on January 24, The Rock regained the title, when a recording of Mankind saying "I quit" from an earlier interview was played over the PA system.[47][48] On Halftime Heat (an episode of Sunday Night Heat aired in the same timeslot as the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show) on January 31, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match.[49] The two faced off again, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, with the stipulation being a last man standing match. The bout ended in a draw, meaning Mankind retained the title. Their feud ended on the February 15 Raw is War, when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off the ladder.[50][51]
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV.[52] He also lost the title rematch at Backlash: In Your House.[53] Though he was a heel, his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock. He turned face again after being betrayed by Shane McMahon and began a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker, and The Corporate Ministry. He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge, then lost to the WWF Champion, The Undertaker, at King of the Ring.[54][55] He lost a number one contender's match to Triple H at Fully Loaded, after interference from Mr. Ass.[56] This sparked a feud with Mr. Ass, culminating in a "Kiss My Ass" match atSummerSlam, which The Rock won.[57]
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection and WWF Championship feuds (1999–2001)
Toward the latter part of 1999, The Rock had several singles and tag team championship opportunities. He teamed with former enemy Mankind as The Rock 'n' Sock Connection, after he challenged WWF Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and The Big Show, and Mankind offered his help.[58] They won the title for the first of three times.[59][60][61] The two performed numerous comedic skits together, including one on Raw is War called "This Is Your Life" (based on the TV show), in which Mankind produced people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating, one of the highest ratings ever for aRaw segment.[59][62]
The Rock's popularity was fuelled by his charisma and speaking abilities, which led to many catchphrases and merchandising opportunities.
At Royal Rumble on January 23, 2000, The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining, along with Big Show. Big Show seemingly intended to throw The Rock over the top rope in a runningpowerslam-like position, but The Rock countered the move on the ring apron, sending Big Show to the floor before re-entering the ring as the winner.[63] However, The Rock's feet hit the floor first, although those watching the event on TV did not see that. Big Show proved this with additional video footage, and claimed to be the rightful winner. Despite this proof, the original decision could not be reversed, so a number one contender's match for the WWF Championship was held at No Way Out, which The Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered and hit The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to execute a People's Elbow.[64] The Rock defeated The Big Show on the March 13 Raw is War to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a fatal four way elimination match, also including The Big Show and Mick Foley.[65][66]Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner; Triple H had his wife, Stephanie, Foley hadLinda, The Rock had Vince, and Big Show had Shane.[66][67] Triple H retained the title after Vince betrayed The Rock by hitting him with a chair.[67][68]
Over the next few months, The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship. On April 30, at Backlash, The Rock defeated Triple H for his fourth WWF Championship reign, after Steve Austin intervened on The Rock's behalf.[69][70][71] On May 21, atJudgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.[72] With the score tied at five falls each, and with seconds left on the time limit, The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H, giving Triple H the 6-5 win and the title.[72] The next night onRaw is War, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Factionwith The Undertaker's help.[73] He won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25, by scoring the winning pin in a tag team match, teamed with Kaneand The Undertaker against Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H.[74][75] He successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit at Fully Loaded, Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam, and Benoit, Kane, and The Undertaker atUnforgiven.[76]
The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October.[70][77] Around this time, he feuded with Rikishi, and defeated him at Survivor Series.[70][78] He wrestled a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon, which Kurt Angle won to retain the title.[70][79] On December 18 on Raw, The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker, defeating Edge and Christian, then losing it back to them the next night at aSmackDown! taping.[70][80] In 2001, The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship, culminating at No Way Out in February, where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time.[70][81][82]
He then feuded with the Royal Rumblewinner, Steve Austin. The Rock lost the title to Austin at WrestleMania X-Seven after Austin allied with Mr. McMahon, who interfered on his behalf.[70][83] On the next night's Raw is War, during a steel cage title rematch, Triple H came to the ring with a sledgehammer. It seemed he would help The Rock, due to the rivalry between Austin and Triple H (and an argument with McMahon earlier in the night), but he attacked him instead, allying with McMahon and Austin.[84] Austin and Triple H formed a tag team called The Power Trip,[85]while The Rock was indefinitely suspended. Johnson used this time off to act in the movieThe Mummy Returns.[3]
Championship pursuits and final storylines (2001–2004)
The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 Raw for his second WCW Championship.[91] As part of the WWF's battle against The Alliance, The Rock wrestled in a "winner takes all" ten-man elimination match at Survivor Series. In the end, it came down to a one-on-one with Steve Austin (who had recently joined The Alliance). The Rock seemed to have the upper hand, until Jericho (a member of Team WWF, who was eliminated a few minutes earlier), entered the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a Team Alliance member, revealed his true allegiance by hitting Austin in the head with a title belt. The Rock then pinned Austin, forcing The Alliance to disband.[70][92]
The Rock closed out 2001 by losing the WCW Championship to WWF Champion Chris Jericho at Vengeance, in a title unification match.[93] The Rock unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for both titles, now the Undisputed WWF Championship, at Royal Rumble, ending their feud.[94] The Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out.[95]He then feuded with the New World Order, after challenging Hollywood Hulk Hogan to a match at WrestleMania X8. The match was billed as icon versus icon, with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling; ultimately Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8.[96] After the nWo turned on Hogan for losing the match, The Rock allied with him and then took a short sabbatical from wrestling.[97]
When he returned, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh WWF Championship (now the WWE Undisputed Championship)[98] atVengeance, defeating Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match.[98][99] He successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H. After the match, Lesnar attacked The Rock, until Triple H saved him.[100] At SummerSlam, after interference from Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman and the use of a steel chair, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Lesnar along with the record for being the youngest WWE Champion, which Rock had set in 1998. Following the loss, The Rock publicly declared that whether or not the crowd booed him he would always be the People's Champion, criticizing the fans in the arena and again taking a sabbatical from wrestling in order to focus on his film career.[101]
The Rock returned on the January 30, 2003 episode of SmackDown! to publicly criticize Hulk Hogan and make it clear that due to the success of his Hollywood career, WWE was no longer a priority. This reestablished him as a heel.[102] The Rock defeated Hogan again atNo Way Out[70][80] and drafted himself to theRawbrand where he had various feuds, including one with The Hurricane.[103] He also performed "Rock concerts", segments in which he played the guitar and mocked the show's host city.[104]
After failing to win number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock turned his attention to Steve Austin who, to The Rock's chagrin, had been chosen as "Superstar of the Decade". This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX, which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters, both of which Austin had won. The Rock won after delivering three consecutive Rock Bottoms, ending their long-running feud in what turned out to be Austin's final match.[70][105] The next night, Raw was billed as "The Rock Appreciation Night", in honour of his victory over Austin. That night, he was attacked by a debuting Bill Goldberg. At Backlash, Goldberg defeated The Rock, who then took another hiatus from WWE.[70][106]
The Rock then occasionally returned to WWE in non-wrestling roles, gradually turning face again by engaging in one night feuds against heels such as Chris Jericho andChristian.[107][107][108] The Rock aided Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution,[2][70][109]leading to a reunion of The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. They faced Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista in a handicap match atWrestleMania XX, losing when Orton pinned Foley after the RKO.[70][110]
On the February 14, 2011, episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host ofWrestleMania XXVII, appearing live on Rawfor the first time in almost seven years. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans,Michael Cole, The Miz and John Cena, calling Cena a "big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles", inspiring a popular crowd chant and sign.[115]The Rock claimed to love wrestling, having has been born into the business, a claim Cena argued.[116] After numerous appearances via satellite, The Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena, with whom he had been feuding with through Twitter, making fun of Cena's clothing and calling him a "homelessPower Ranger" and "Vanilla Ice". After he and Cena exchanged insults, The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindsid him with an Attitude Adjustment.[117]
The Rock and John Cena agree to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII, one year in advance.
On April 3 at WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, The Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and The Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a draw. As revenge for the Attitude AdjustmentCena had given him on Raw, Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing The Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, Rock attacked Miz and hit him with the People's Elbow.[118] The following night on Raw, Cena challenged The Rock to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year, which Rock accepted. They then worked together to fend off an attack by The Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, andEzekiel Jackson.[119] The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami on May 2, to celebrate his 39th birthday.[120]
On September 16, WWE announced The Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November.[121]However, on the October 24 episode of Raw, Cena instead chose The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth),[122]which Rock which agreed to the following week via satellite.[123] On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, The Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth.[124] Despite their rilvary, The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when The Rock pinned The Miz with the People's Elbow. After the match, The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.[125]
Leading up to Wrestlemania, The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations onRaw.[126][127] On the March 12, 2012, episode, The Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. He opined that, having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at previous Wrestlemanias, beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time.[128]On April 1 at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock faced Cena in the main event hyped for a year and billed with the tagline "Once in a Lifetime". When an overconfident Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The Rock, he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin and the win.[129] The following night on Raw, The Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.[130]
WWE Champion (2012–2013)
On July 23, 2012, at Raw 1000, The Rock announced he would face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble. During the show, he encountered WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena, all of whom expressed a desire to face him. He later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show, only to be laid out by CM Punk.[131]
On the January 7, 2013 Raw, The Rock returned to WWE to confront his Rumble opponent, the reigning champion CM Punk.[132] He also made his first SmackDownappearance in ten years on the January 9 episode, attacking Team Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and a People's Elbow to Cody Rhodes.[133] The Rock closed out the 20th anniversary episode of Raw on January 14 with one of his famous "Rock concerts", leading to a brawl with CM Punk.[134] The following week on Raw, The Rock was attacked by The Shield. Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk, Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship.[135]
On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield interfered. McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship, however, at The Rock's request, he instead restarted the match. This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship, a win which marked The Rock's first WWE Championship reign in over ten years.[136] Punk received a title rematch with The Rock at Elimination Chamber, with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship.[137] The following night on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration, with an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates.[138] The Rock then resumed his rivalry with John Cena, with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his loss to The Rock the previous year.[139][140] On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Cena, ending his reign at 70 days.[141]
Despite being advertised for the Raw after WrestleMania, where it was stated by then SmackDown General Manager Booker T that The Rock was still entitled a re-match for the WWE Championship,[142] The Rock did not appear due to a legitimate injury sustained during WrestleMania, in which his abdominaland adductortendons tore from hispelvis.[143] In August 2013, The Rock said that "if [he would] never wrestle again, [he would] be very content with that", but ultimately did not rule out a return.[144]
Dwayne Johnson during a photo shoot for Vanity Fair during 2001.
Johnson's motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. The character appears in the movie's climax in CGI form.[2][148] The movie's financial success led to his first leading role, in the sequel The Scorpion King.[2] He was listed in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Recordsas the highest-paid actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million for this movie.[152][153] He was considered for the title role in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.[18]
Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. He appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode, "Art Teacher", as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. He has made several guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of "The Rock Obama", a spoof of both President Barack Obama and The Hulk.[158] Also in 2009, Johnson played ex-con cab driver Jack Bruno in Las Vegas inRace To Witch Mountain. He provided the voice of Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker inPlanet 51. In 2010, Johnson starred in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy. He made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film, Why Did I Get Married Too? as a psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He briefly appears in The Other Guys, as an action-seeking detective. He returned to action films with the 2010 filmFaster.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fifth film ofThe Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed the role after series star Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release,[159] and the biggest opening for a Johnson movie.[160]
Johnson is set to star in Hercules: The Thracian Wars in 2014,[166] and has confirmed that he will once again reprise his role of Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 7.[167]He will star in the upcoming film adaptation of the 1980s television series The Fall Guy.[168]He is set to host another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call, which will see him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives".[169] He will also executive produce and star in the horror film Seal Team 666,[170] and is set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope.[171]
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, a day after his 25th birthday.[172] Their daughter, Simone Alexandra, was born August 14, 2001.[172] On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably and intended to spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.[172] Johnson co-wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden, titled The Rock Says.... It was published in 2000, debuting at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks.[12]
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of Seiuli during his visit there in July 2004.[178] He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo in 2003.[179]
Philanthropy
In 2006, Johnson founded "The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation", a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children.[180] On October 2, 2007, he and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.[181]
"WWF Monday Night Raw". March 31, 1997. USA Network. The camera goes backstage after Steve Austin's in-ring interview, and Jim Ross says: "There, you seeThe Rock."
Meltzer, Dave (January 30, 2012). "Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter(Campbell, CA). ISSN1083-9593.