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Dwayne Johnson wasn’t always “The Rock!” He took on the moniker when he began his pro-wrestling career in 1996. The name was inspired by his family.
As he explained in Aug. 2021, “My original nickname was ‘Rocky Miavia’ which was a combination of my dad’s first name and grandfather’s last name because both of them were pro wrestlers.”
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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson At The 199 Emmys
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Pro-wrestling has certainly had a major impact on television, and it dominated the 1990s. The Rock appeared at the 1999 Emmy Awards alongside “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to present Emmy-vote counters. He’s seen doing his signature move, called “The People’s Eyebrow”.
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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Leaves Wrestling In 2004
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Dwayne Johnson left pro-wrestling behind in 2004 to pursue an acting career. Before he left the WWF, he had a few roles, like in an episode of ‘That ’70s Show’ and the film ‘The Scorpion King’.
During a video Q&A on his Instagram in May 2020 he explained, “If I could leave and become successful outside the world of professional wrestling … and then I could come back, this time as a global entity. This time I could bring a greater value to the company of the WWE.”
“I wanted this to be a global success,” he said. “I wanted global influence in a very very real and powerful way.”
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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson In ‘The Scorpion King’
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One of The Rock’s major blockbusters was ‘The Mummy Returns.’ He reprised his role as The Scorpion King to star in the sequel of the same name. The action-adventure film made a respectable $180 million after costing $60 million.
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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson In ‘The Game Plan’
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Dwayne Johnson starred in the 2007 family-comedy ‘The Game Plan’. He went back to his football roots, and he played a quarterback who forms a relationship with his daughter from a past relationship. It’s a heartwarming flick from Disney!
