When promoting his new TV comedy series 'Young Rock', the 'Skyscraper' star looks back at the time he told his family about making a living from becoming a fighter on the ring.
- Feb 16, 2021
AceShowbiz - Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. The Rock endured "the biggest fight" with his wrestler father after sharing his dreams of following his dad into the ring.
Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson was a regular in the wrestling world from the mid-1960s until his retirement in 1991, and although he was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008, his struggle to make a real living from the profession led him to staunchly object when a young Dwayne revealed his plans to become a fighter too, following a failed American football career.
"We had the biggest fight between a father and a son over this and essentially..., he said, 'Look around. Look what I have after all these years and I want more for you,' " the action man told U.S. breakfast show "Today".
"And I said, 'I know, but, and I appreciate that, but I feel like I have something to offer.' And we fought and fought and fought."
It was only after Dwayne's mother, Ata, whose family also has roots in professional wrestling, stepped in and convinced Rocky to give their boy the best fighting chance by becoming his trainer.
"Finally, after my mum said (to Rocky), 'Let me talk to you for a second. Let me talk to you, husband. Let me talk to you about how this whole thing is gonna go down.' And then he said, 'OK, I'll train you.' "
Dwayne rose to fame as The Rock in the mid 1990s, and has since parlayed his popularity into a hugely successful acting career, starring in blockbuster films like the "Jumanji" and "The Fast and Furious" franchises, and Disney hit "Moana".
He's also turned his life story into a new TV comedy series, "Young Rock", which is based on his childhood and early college football career.
Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson died last year (20).
