Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the biggest stars in WWE and Hollywood. His brilliant stardom among WWE fans makes him one of the most followed wrestlers in the world. Rock did extreme hard work to reach that level of stardom as a WWE wrestler. In his matches, he is always full of energy. He won many titles and gained a loyal fan base as a WWE star. By seeing his stardom and fandom, many fans become curious when did the rock start wrestling. Let’s delve into when The Rock start wrestling, his achievements and records, and his WWE wrestler.
Who Is the Rock?
The real name of The Rock is Dwayne Douglas Johnson. The Rock was born in 1972 in California, USA. The Rock’s family has a massive impact on wrestling. His father, Rocky Johnson, was the first black tag team champion. His Grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, was a Samoan wrestling star. The Rock’s maternal family was also involved in wrestling sports.
Rock was growing up in different places, including New Zealand and Hawaii. He also lived in Pennsylvania during his teenage years. The Rock faced many financial problems during his early years, leading to massive difficulties. But he did hard work and started playing football. He became a talented football played and earned a scholarship to the University of Miami. At the University of Miami, he won a national championship in 1991. However, injuries broke his dreams of becoming a professional player in football.
As family background was heavily influenced by wrestling, The Rock joined WWE. Fortunately, with his size, skills, and confidence, he stood out easily in the early age of his WWE career. In short, The Rock became a fan favourite among fans due to his speeches and style. Beside being WWE legend, The Rock is a Hollywood actor and director. His fan following is insane and spread worldwide.
The Rock’s Wrestling Debut
The Rock began his wrestling career in 1996. At that time, his ring name was Rocky Maivia. This name was a mix of his father’s and Grandfather’s names. His official debut happened in Survivor Series 1996. That event happened in iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City. Rocky Maivia started his WWE career as a baby face. In his debut game, Rocky Maivia impressed fans and WWE officials.
His speed, skills, and strength were unmatchable in that game, which was an eye-catching moment for the fans. He survived until the end and ultimately won in his first-ever WWE game. Soon after, Rocky Maivia won the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He achieved that milestone after a short period of his debut game.
It was a very fast-paced start for any wrestler at that time. WWE promoted him as a clean-cut and humble champion. In his short period, Rocky Maivia gained massive popularity worldwide. But a certain fanbase was unhappy with this early version of Rocky Maivia. Therefore, the world later pushed him to change his style and personality. On his debut, Rocky Maivia began a journey that made him one of the biggest WWE stars.
The Birth of ‘The Rock’ Character
In 1997, Rocky Maivia went through a massive change. After a mixed reaction about his character, he decided to reinvent himself. The transformation started when he joined the Nation of Domination. It was a strong wrestling faction with strong personalities.
Rocky drops the “Maivia” part of his name inside the group. And then he started to say, himself The Rock. The new name showed the unique style and attitude of Rocky Maivia. The Rock was no longer a smiling rookie. He changed himself and became a cocky, confident, and aggressive wrestler.
The Rock then embraced the role of the heel. After that, The Rock started his journey to become the greatest black WWE wrestler of all time. He spoke with arrogance and mocked fans and his opponent. The Rock started with clever insults and entertaining speeches. He introduced a famous catchphrase, “If you smell what The Rock is cooking!”.
Fans began to repeat this phrase, even those who dislike his charisma. This character shifted the career of The Rock as a WWE wrestler. The boos he once received turned into cheers. He became one of the most talked WWE’s stars. The 1997 transformation was the turning point of The Rock’s career as a WWE wrestler. It allowed him to show his personality and talent.
WWE Comeback of The Rock
In 2001, The Rock made a massive shift in his professional career. The Rock debuted in Hollywood with The Mummy Returns as the Scorpion King. The role was small, but it made a massive impact on the acting career of The Rock.
From 2001 to 2004, The Rock balanced movies with wrestling. He continued wrestling with action-packed Hollywood projects. During that period, his fan base grew beyond wrestling. The movie audience began to see him as an emerging Hollywood star.
In 2004, The Rock left WWE and joined Hollywood full-time. He wanted to focus more on his acting career. This decision paid off as The Rock became one of the biggest Hollywood stars. After 7 years in 2011, The Rock made his comeback in WWE. He hosted wrestlemania27 and hyped it for future matches.
From 2011 to 2013, The Rock had big matches in WWE, including an intense match against Jone Cena. Both faced each other in WrestleMania 27 and 28. These matches drew a massive fan base worldwide. After 2013, The Rock made occasional appearances in WWE. He only appeared in special events and surprise moments. The Rock is a rare example of excelling in two industries. Fans still hope to see him wrestle again.
Conclusion
The Rock started his career back in 1996. From the beginning, he showed true hard work and determination. He worked hard to improve his skills throughout his career. His journey transitioned from smiling rookie, Rocky Maivia, to “The Rock.” Fans loved his style, attitude, and catchphrase. He won many championships and headlined major WWE events. Later in his career, he became a massive name in Hollywood. His story tells that hard work and effort bring success in every field. The Rock is one of the biggest successes in the history of WWE. Check out the Roman Reigns vs The Rock rivalry of bll
