10 things you didn't know about Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

The Great One is back home!Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE. This is what the Wikipedia page of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson lets you know about the man himself. The Great One returned to WWE TV in his hometown edition of RAW in Miami and hyped up his much-anticipated WrestleMania 32 appearance.So as we are on the road to Wrestlemania and with the Brahma Bull gracing the mega event, here are 10 things that Wiki doesn't really tell you about the WWE Superstar, which you should know as a fan.

#10 Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga and Roman Reigns are The Rock\'s family

The Rock who was born in Hayward, California is half Black Nova Scotian and half Samoan.The Rock’s father was “Soulman” Rocky Johnson, while his maternal grandfather was “High Chief” Peter Maivia.

His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia is one of the few female wrestling promoters. In all, he has 3 uncles and 6 cousins who are also wrestlers, which includes WWE stars like Yokozuna, Rikishi and Roman Reigns amongst others.

The Rock is the first third-generation wrestler in the history of wrestling entertainment.Dwayne has played his own father, Rocky Johnson on ‘That 70’s Show

#9 In 2009, he became a Canadian citizen

Due to changes in the Canadian nationality law in 2009, which stated that all people born in the first generation abroad after 1947, to Canadian-born parents, will be automatically granted Canadian citizenship, The Rock became a Canadian citizen at the age of 37.

#8 He slept on a mattress recovered from a dumpster while attending team meetings for free sandwiches

The Rock was an outstanding athlete during his school days, when he pursued track and field and wrestling. In his senior year at the Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he was named in the USA Today’s high-school All-American team.

The Rock chose to attend the University of Miami because it as the only school that didn’t actively pursue him.

He earned a scholarship to the University of Miami.

The Rock was an integral part of the University of Miami’s national championship team in 1991, where he played alongside stars like Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis and Rohan Marley (Bob Marley’s son). He played defensive tackle there for the Hurricanes and led them to the title in 1991. He was eventually sidelined due to a shoulder injury, but made it to the roster for the 1995 NFL draft, where he went unpicked.

He then moved on the Great White North, where he briefly played for the Calgary Stampede of the CFL, alongside Doug Flutie. In a few months’ time, he was cut from the team to make room for another ex-NFL player.

During this time, Johnson was so broke that he had to sleep on a mattress that he came across in a dumpster outside his low-rent apartment. He also attended every Stampede team meeting, even if it wasn’t required because of the free sandwiches that were made available.

#7 He has a degree in Criminology

The Rock has a degree in criminology, whilst also having a criminal record. The Rock has even admitted that his shady past played a huge part in him electing for a degree in this field. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1995 with a degree in criminology.

In an interview, he had said: "I struggled to stay on the right path.”

"I had multiple arrests by the time I was 17. The last time I was arrested, my parents came down to the police station to get me. My parents were struggling at that time, even to put food on the table. That was a lot of stress at that time and I was adding to it. "

#6 His grandfather was a James Bond villain

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The grandfather of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Peter Fanene Maivia played the role of a never-do-well car driver in the James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice.”

The Rock hopes to play a much more significant role in the James Bond series one day and without a doubt, he would accomplish that considering the star power of his and also for the fact that fellow WWE superstar Batista holds the distinction of being a James Bond villian.

#5 He is good friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Rock is a close friend of legendary actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A fortunate lunch date led to Dwayne having the action hero torch passed to him onscreen by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. While making “The Rundown,” Johnson got a call from Arnold saying he was in the area and wanted to have lunch with Dwayne and director Peter Berg.

During the meal, Berg nudged Johnson to ask Arnold if he’d appear in the movie. Arnold dabbed his mouth with a napkin and said, “Let’s go. I’ll do it right now.” The scene showed Dwayne entering a nightclub only to walk past Arnold.

The Governor smirks and says, “Have fun.” When asked about it later, Johnson recalled, “Interestingly enough, I asked him 'Where did that come from, 'have fun', Why do you want to say have fun?' He told me, 'You're going where I've been.' So that was great, really cool."

#4 If you smell what Flex is cooking?

Yes! Flex Kavana was the ring name with which The Rock had initially started wrestling.

He didn’t want to ride on the legacies of his father and grandfather, thus, he initially balked at the WWF’s initial suggestion that he call himself “Rocky Maivia.” He eventually rechristened himself The Rock and the rest is history.

The name Rock is now synonymous not only to pro wrestling fanatics but to movie buffs and the entertainment world in general.

#3 He played an alien wrestler on Star Trek

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his acting debut while, playing his father Rocky Johnson in a 1999 episode of “That ‘70s Show”. He has also appeared on an episode of “Star Trek: Voyager” as “The Champion”, wherein he plays as an alien wrestler.

His stunt double for many of his movies is his cousin Tanoai Reed.

#2 His merchandise sale alone made a whooping $120 million per year during the 2000s

The Rock became a pro wrestler only after being rejected by the Canadian Football League, wherein he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He became the then youngest wrestler to ever win a title, at the age of 24, when he captured the WWF title in 1997.

His popularity was at its peak during the 2000s, when he was reportedly earning the WWF/WWE an average of $120 million in merchandise sales alone per year. He still owns the rights to his nickname, “The Rock,” although he prefers to be called by his real name. In a 2006 interview, he had said, "I no longer am a wrestler."

"I am now pursuing a future as an actor and someday as a director. I am not The Rock. I am Dwayne Johnson."

Some quick facts about The Rock:

The Rock married Danu Garcia in 1997, whom he had met during his time at the University of Miami. The couple, who divorced in 2008, were blessed with a daughter Simone Alexandra in 2001. Dwayne who shares the custody of his daughter with Garcia, pays $22,000 a month in child support, while also paying $5,000 a month towards Simone’s education.

The Rock is currently in a relationship with Lauren Hashian, who recently conceived a daughter named Jasmine Johnson.

He is the author of a New York Times Bestseller in “The Rock Says”, which hit #1 upon its release in 2000. He has a wax figure likeness at the Madame Tussaud’s museum.

#1 He has a Guinness World Record to his name

Thanks to his debut Hollywood movie, “The Scorpion King”, for which he raked in a reported $5.5 million, he holds the Guinness World Record for the highest salary ever received by an actor in a debut starring role.

Even though his movies “The Rundown” earned him a cool $12,500,000, and in “Walking Tall”, his pay was $15,000,000, the $5.5 million he got for The Scorpion King was a world record.