Born into a family that bleeds wrestling, Dwayne Johnson had to fight with his father, former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, to pursue a career in wrestling. Johnson was signed by the Calgary Stampeders football team with a contract that earned him 300 bucks a week. However, he made the bold decision to leave his football career behind for wrestling, causing a rift with his father.
His father eventually came around and helped him join the prestigious WWF in 1996. Johnson’s subsequent wrestling journey saw him win several titles, gaining worldwide recognition and launching him into a successful movie star.
Dwayne Johnson’s Dad Didn’t Want Him To Pursue Wrestling
Dwayne Johnson appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and talked at length about his foray into the wrestling business. The Scorpion King actor recounted the clash with his father over his career choice. Johnson narrated the story where he rejected his football coach’s offer to extend his $300 per week contract. His father was taken aback by his decision and was further angered when Johnson announced his desire to pursue wrestling. The Rampage actor told Joe Rogan:
“My dad said, ‘Who was that?’ I said, ‘Oh, it was a coach from Calgary.’ He said, ‘What does he want?’ ‘Oh, he wanted to offer me another contract for next year.’ He goes, ‘So, when are you gonna go?’ I said, ‘I’m not.’ He said, ‘What do you mean you’re not?’ I said, ‘I think I’m done with football and the pursuit of it. It’s just not in my cards.’ He said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I’m going to get in the business.’ He went, ‘What business?’ I said, ‘The wrestling business.’ Dude, we got in the biggest f**king fight. He didn’t want me to do it.”
Interestingly, the Hobbs & Shaw actor’s father was a professional wrestler himself and was part of the first black tag team champions in WWE. Johnson revealed that he got attracted to wrestling after watching his father. The Central Intelligence actor realized that his father’s reluctance was due to the fact that he couldn’t afford to pay $500 rent for his small apartment, despite being a successful wrestler.
Johnson gave an ultimatum to his father: either train him or watch him pick another wrestling coach. Reluctantly, his father agreed to train him and helped him secure a contract with the WWF.
Dwayne Johnson’s Family Roots Lie In Wrestling
Johnson’s father, Rocky Johnson, and Tony Atlas achieved the historic feat of becoming the first black tag team champions in WWE. Not just The Rock’s father, but his mother’s family also had strong ties to wrestling. Ata Johnson was the adopted daughter of professional wrestler Peter Maivia and daughter of Ofelia Maivia, one of the first female pro wrestling promoters.
Through his maternal grandfather, the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle actor shared a non-blood relation with the Anoa’i wrestling family. The famous wrestlers of the Anoa’i family include Smackdown superstar Roman Reigns, his father Sika Anoa’i, and his uncle Afa Anoa’i. Both Sika and Afa Anoa’i were part of the Wild Samoans tag team and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Johnson helped induct his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
Dwayne Johnson briefly stepped away from his wrestling career in 2004 but returned to the ring in 2011. In 2019, he formally announced his retirement from his WWE career.
