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Entertainment August 10, 2017
Here's why the show "Ballers" suits him perfectly.
Photo via Instagram/@therockBefore Hollywood and WWE, Dwayne Johnson was a football player. He started off in high school and went on to play for the Miami Hurricanes in college. After college, he played in the Canadian Football League, making $250 a week.
But due to serious back and shoulder injuries, The Rock’s football career was cut short. When his pigskin days came to a close, he flew to Miami and found a meager $7 in his pocket. He has called this the worst time of his life, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Dwayne Johnson was practically destined for wrestling greatness because it’s in his blood. His grandfather, Peter Maivia, was the first Samoan wrestler. And his father, Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson, was part of the first African American tag-team champions.
Dwayne debuted as Rocky Maivia on WWE’s Survivor Series in 1996. His wrestler name, Rocky Maivia, combined those of his father and grandfather. During these days, his signature move was an elbow to the face that the fans called “The Rock Bottom.”
Here’s what it looked like.
With a strong legacy to live up to, The Rock has held his ground quite well. During his career, Johnson is a six-time WWE heavy weight title champion. He has also won the tag-team title on five separate occasions.
But even when he was wrestling, he was still acting.
Johnson was rotating between starring in films and WWE for the entirety of his career in entertainment. However, in 2016, he officially retired from wrestling.
His hilarious facial expressions and drop kicks will surely be missed, but we’re glad to see him on the big screen.
In 2001, The Rock made his acting debut in “The Mummy Returns,” where he played an evil ruler. His role was then brought back to life in the film “The Scorpion King.” He made $5.5 million from the sequel, which is the highest any actor has earned for their first time in a leading role.
He earned $32.6 million for starring in the film “Fast Five.” He also starred in “Furious 7,” which was the sixth highest grossing film of all time, earning $1.5 billion worldwide. His recent film, “The Fate of the Furious” wasn’t far behind, bringing in $1.2 billion since its release in April 2017.
He starred in the highest grossing comedy of 2016, “Central Intelligence,” which raked in over $110 million. He also acted in the wildly popular film “San Andreas,” which grossed roughly $400 million worldwide.
In 2016, The Rock got out of his comfort zone and entered the world of animated movies. He played the voice of the shape-shifting demigod Maui in the film “Moana.” This film earned over $500 million by the beginning of 2017.
Most recently, The Rock starred alongside Zac Efron in the film “Baywatch,” which was released in May 2017. Worldwide, the film has grossed $164 million to date.
And of course, in the world of Dwayne Johnson, there is no such thing as a break. From now until 2019, he has three films in post-production, two in pre-production and seven that have been announced.
The Rock currently has a deal with Ford to star in their commercials. It is estimated that Johnson’s sponsorship with the automotive brand adds $15 million to his net worth yearly.
In 2016, he signed a partnership contract with the fitness brand Under Armour. As a part of the deal, The Rock will have his own line of apparel, footwear and other exercise accessories for men, women and children. He also has to advertise these products to his 90 million followers on Instagram.
Currently, Johnson plays the financial manager and former NFL player, Spencer Strasmore, in the hit HBO series “Ballers.” The show was renewed for a third season, which aired on July 2017.
The Rock has also hosted “Saturday Night Live” on five different occasions. In 2009, there was a viral SNL sketch where he played former president’s enraged alternate personality, “The Rock Obama.”
And though The Rock has been more involved in films lately, he is still paid millions for brief appearances on WWE.
With a net worth of $190 million and seven movies on the way, The Rock is not doing too bad for himself. After a failed career in football, he went on to be one of the most respected wrestlers of all time.
And with his production company, 7 Bucks, rising and his constant roles in film and TV, he is taking the industry by storm. There seems to be no stopping “The People’s Champion.”
