Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest and most wealthy industry giants in all of Hollywood. Not just an actor-cum-producer but also a retired professional wrestler, the Rock has earned everything he owns now and gone from rock bottom to the top just by his hard work and competent spirit.
But most of all, it wasn’t his hunger to be a millionaire like he is today, but rather to make enough money to just not be broke. In fact, his first paycheck of $40 was what made him desperate to hustle his way into the industry and make anything ‘more than 7 bucks’, as long as he wasn’t broke.
Dwayne Johnson’s First Paycheck In Wrestling Was Only $40
Although Dwayne Johnson is ranked today among one of the most wealthy celebrities of all time with a whopping net worth of $800 million, it wasn’t always this way for him. For what it’s worth, his first paycheck in wrestling was a mere $40.
Appearing on The Pivot Podcast, he shared how before WWE, when he was just starting out, he earned a meager forty bucks every night. He said,
“So, this was before WWE. As you’re starting out, I, of course, wasn’t ready for WWE. So I started and made my bones down in Tennessee. There was a wrestling company down there. It was called the USWA. Famous, everybody came through there: Jerry King Lawler – everybody who became somebody went through there. And that’s where you made your bones and cut your teeth. The guarantee every night was $40. Doesn’t matter where you’re at on the card, that was your guarantee.”
Since $40 wasn’t enough for sustenance, he then revealed how he would make additional money.
“We’d go to what’s called the ‘Gimmick Table.’ And we’d have our Polaroid. So, if we were wrestling on the card, and say we already wrestled for the night, you get forty bucks, that’s guaranteed. We can stay till intermission, the four of us as wrestlers who would go out to the Gimmick Table. We’d have our polaroids and anyone who wanted to take a Polaroid with you, you’d sign it [for] five bucks. Take it: five bucks, sign it: ten bucks. That’s how we made our additional money. So, on a good night, I could make maybe 80 bucks.”
While it is quite unbelievable, Dwayne the Rock Johnson did, in fact, start by earning only $80 at max a day!
Dwayne Johnson Never Intended To Be A Hollywood Millionaire
Though he did intend to earn enough money to sustain himself, Dwayne Johnson’s goal was never to be a Hollywood millionaire. He told The Pivot Podcast:
“My goal wasn’t to be here – in Hollywood, making movies, hopefully, with a little bit of longevity – that was never my goal. And [to be] completely honest with you, my goal was just to not be broke. I used to tell myself this all the time specifically, ‘I cannot be f—ing broke.’ I think because I struggled a lot growing up […] and I saw what the end of the road was. So, for me, it was: I cannot be broke. I don’t want that for them, and I don’t want that for my family.”
Growing up, he went through a lot of hard stuff watching his parents struggle to earn an affordable life. But that wasn’t all: being not enough and among those who were always just a bit behind and never being able to make it also acted as a strong motivation for him to hustle his way to the top.
“I think also not being drafted, not being picked up, never getting that call from the league put a chip on my shoulder – Player 54. I was that dude. So that the chip that they put on my shoulder and the drive? I was going to scratch and claw and kick and bite and fight my way to have more than seven bucks. It was never, ‘I want to make millions.’ It was, ‘I need more than seven bucks.'”
Just like this, with his immense hard work, full commitment, and utter dedication, the Rock did find its way to becoming one of the most highly regarded celebrities in the entire industry!
Source: The Pivot Podcast
