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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a professional WWE wrestler before making his theatrical debut as an actor in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns.
Since then, he has gone on to star in a number of successful lead roles, including Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise, Mitch in the movie adaptation of Baywatch, Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Dr. Smolder Bravestone in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Frank Wolff in Disney's Jungle Cruise.
He has also voiced the character Maui in Disney’s animated film Moana.
Johnson is now set to join the DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) with Black Adam. He portrays the title character, an antihero best known for opposing the heroes, Shazam and Captain Marvel. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film also stars Pierce Brosnan and is scheduled to be released on October 21 2022.
Before you catch him in Black Adam, check out these cool lesser-known facts about the former wrestler.
5 lesser-known facts about Dwayne Johnson that you might not know
1) He is the first third-generation wrestler in the history of WWE
Dwayne Johnson comes from an Anoa'i family of professional wrestlers originating from American Samoa. His maternal grandfather, the American Samoa-born Peter Maivia, was a NWA Hawaii heavyweight champion in 1960s. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was a pioneer of Polynesian Pro Wrestling.
Dwayne's father, the Nova Scotia-born Rocky Johnson, was a NWA Georgia Champion and a member of the first black tag team to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. His cousins were also wrestlers, including Yokozuna (Rodney), Rikishi (Solofa), Umaga (Eddie) and Nia Jax.
Dwayne made his WWE debut in 1996 under the name Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father's first name and his grandfather’s last name. Now his eldest daughter Simone is set to step into the world of WWE wrestling, becoming the first fourth-generation wrestler in WWE history. Simone started training at the WWE Performance Center in February 2020 and signed a contract with WWE in May 2022.
2) He has a degree in criminology
Dwayne Johnson initially wanted to work for the FBI. Since that didn't work out, he earned a Bachelor of General Studies in Criminology and Physiology from the University of Miami.
3) He started as a TV actor
Johnson started his acting career with small roles in television. In 1999, he played his own father (Rocky) in the fifteenth episode of That '70s Show called “That Wrestling Show”.
In 2000, he also starred in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager called “Tsunkatse”, where he played an alien gladiator.
4) He has a minister's license
Johnson also has a minister's license in the state of California, which means he is eligible to officiate weddings in the state of California.
5) He has an NBC show based on his life
The NBC show, Young Rock, is based on his life. Apart from that, Johnson is also a best-selling author. His 2000 autobiography, The Rock Says… has spent multiple weeks at the top of the NY Times bestsellers list.
Don't forget to watch Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam in theaters on October 21.
