The Sad Reason Dwayne Johnson Once Said He No Longer Wanted To Be Referred To As The Rock
Dwayne Johnson first changed into well-known in the global of the WWE. He gained consideration as The Rock, turning into one in all the most famous and talked-about wrestlers of all time. With this kind of repute, Johnson made up our minds he wanted to cross in a new course.
He in the end retired from wrestling and transitioned into performing. Johnson's movie occupation blew up and he is now seen as a successful actor in his own right.
However, so as to get there, Johnson took some extreme steps to distance himself from his wrestling persona. At one point, this incorporated fighting other folks from referring to him as The Rock.
Dwayne Said He Didn't Like The First Wrestling Name That Was Chosen For Him
With a reputation like The Rock, Johnson attracted a ton of attention. It made him right into a pop culture icon ahead of his acting occupation was even launched. However, there has regularly been a mystery as to the title's beginning.
According to FandomWire, Johnson explained how he were given the title in an interview.
"The birth story of The Rock is before I did what I do now, many moons ago, I used to throw around 300-pound men for a living and get my ass kicked," Johnson said. "And then my original nickname was ‘Rocky Miavia’ which was a combination of my dad’s first name and grandfather’s last name because both of them were pro wrestlers."
Johnson went on to say that the name used to be given to him via Vince McMahon, CEO of the WWE. However, Johnson said that he hated the name.
"The lineage I had gave me the opportunity to at least knock on the door," Johnson explained. "I wanted my own identity."
McMahon informed Johnson to stick with the name at first. He would later grant Johnson's wish and alter the name, since it did not appear to be resonating with fans. That's when he was known as The Rock.
Dwayne Told Howard Stern That He Owns The Rights To The Rock Name
The WWE is known for proudly owning the rights to the names of their performers. John Cena once said that the WWE owns the trademark for John Cena, despite the indisputable fact that he performs below his actual identify.
Given Johnson's involvement in the WWE, many have wondered if he too didn't personal the rights to The Rock title.
Johnson set the record immediately when speaking to Howard Stern in 2004. During the interview, Stern asked Johnson about his ownership of The Rock title.
"I actually own it, I do, yeah," Johnson said. "It was an easy conversation. This is how it went down: I went to him [Vince McMahon], I talked to him and he knew what I wanted to do after wrestling because I’d been able to accomplish a lot. Which has always been great for me… I know he doesn’t [give away anything for free]."
Johnson used to be then asked if the WWE may just try to come for the rights to his name. However, he insisted that he didn't have to pay any sum of money to use the name.
"No, no, no. I have my name, I own my own name. And all rights to it… I did not have to pay for it."
Dwayne Once Said He Wanted To Be Referred To By His Real Name So He Could Transition Into Acting
In 2006, Johnson spoke to Entertainment Magazine about his transition from wrestling to appearing. During the interview, he defined that he now thought to be himself an actor due to his retirement from the wrestling trade.
He then said that he didn't need any individual to refer to him as The Rock, because he wanted to differentiate between his wrestling personality and new career as an actor.
"I no longer am a wrestler, I am now pursuing a future as an actor and someday as a director," he said. "I am not The Rock. I am Dwayne Johnson."
In 2019, Johnson was once promoting the movie Jumanji: The Next Level. During the press tour, Johnson explained to Digital Spy why he felt the need to reject The Rock name and where he stands now.
"When I finally realized that I wanted to have a real career in Hollywood and hopefully – fingers crossed – have an opportunity to have real longevity, I did feel that I wanted to be known as my name, Dwayne Johnson, and I also felt that it was just going to take time," he defined. "So I felt like I was not in a rush and I knew that it was going to take time and I didn't want the transition to be disruptive in any way and come out and say for example, make a statement and say from this day forward, I will be known as Dwayne Johnson only, you can't refer to me as The Rock, I never wanted to do that."
Johnson also clarified that he did not intend to distance himself from wrestling, since it's a big a part of his historical past.
"I was very proud of The Rock and what I was able to accomplish in this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling," he said. "And it's a cool name, so I didn't have a problem with it!"
He added, "I realized, well there's no rules and there's no rules about if somebody wants to call me The Rock, they call me The Rock, or refer to me as that or Dwayne Johnson. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to buy into whatever the rules were at that time. And then if I failed, at least I failed knowing that I can sleep better at night that I did in a way that felt good for me."
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