The Rock or Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood with several blockbuster movies to his name. But his career as a wrestler before his acting career made him the star he is today. The rock he was a pioneer of WWE’s enormous success in the Attitude Era.
The Great One is a record ten time World Champion in WWE. He has also captured the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship. Coming from a family of wrestlers, The Rock has been associated with the business since childhood, and these are some lovely images of The People’s Champion from his youth.
10/10 Debut as Rocky Maivia
The Rock did not have the same ring name when he made his WWE debut in 1996. Combining his father’s and grandfather’s ring names, he was the first third-generation wrestler to wrestle in WWE. His ring name was Rocky Maivia.
At the age of 24, Rocky Maivia debuted in survival series 1996. Here is a photo of a young Rocky Maivia from his debut. With curly hair and blue wrestling gear, he looks quite different from what fans are used to seeing.
Before The Rock became a WWE megastar, he was a soccer player. While studying at the University of Miami, he played for the team. The Rock played the defensive tackle position in his college days. After his college days, he was with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders for a brief stint.
The Rock is wearing a soccer kit here. The Great One is probably in his early 20s in this photo.
8/10 with the first wife
The Rock is currently with Lauren Hashian who is his second wife. His first wife is Dany Garcia, with whom he has a daughter named Simone Johnson. The Rock met Dany at the University of Miami and they married in 1997. After a decade of marriage, they separated and divorced.
However, they are now on good terms and share multiple businesses, including the XFL. This is a photo of the former couple from their younger days. Both Dany and The Rock are smiling in this image.
7/10 fanny pack look
The Rock’s fanny pack look certainly went viral on social media platforms a few years back. And the look, which was drastically different from her current look, also led to some hilarious memes.
Here is the photo of The Rock with the fanny pack. The Great One looks young and wears a black turtleneck with blue jeans. This was also long before he started sporting the bald look.
6/10 with Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest boxers that ever lived, if not the greatest. The legendary boxing star is an idol to many different personalities, including The Rock. Fans can see that The Rock often wears Muhammad Ali t-shirts or hoodies in Instagram posts, hinting at The Rock’s utmost respect for the boxer.
The People’s Champion first met Muhammad Ali when he was just six years old. That first meeting took place in New Zealand. This is a picture of the meeting. An adorable six-year-old Rock is sitting on Ali’s lap for the photo.
5/10 High school
In his childhood, The Rock moved to different places. He lived in New Zealand when he was a child for a short period. He went to high school in Honolulu, Nashville, and then the Lehigh Valley.
This is a high school photo of The Rock. With hair and a thin mustache, The Rock certainly looks drastically different. He is wearing a suit in this black and white image.
4/10 Mom’s boy
Fans know that The Rock belongs to the famous Anoa’i family, which also consists of The Bloodline. He is related to the family on his mother’s side, though not by blood as his mother Ata Johnson was adopted by his grandfather Peter Maivia.
The beautiful image of The Rock is from his childhood when he was still a little boy. He is pictured with his mother, Ata Johnson, who also looks young.
3/10 with belts at a young age
Coming from a family of wrestlers, professional wrestling is in The Rock’s blood. Seeing his father and grandfather fight since childhood, it’s safe to say that he has been a fan of the business since childhood. Therefore, as a child he also loved to have wrestling belts.
The Rock won the world title multiple times along with the intercontinental championship and the tag team championship. Here’s a little Rock (a pebble, some will say) posing with two wrestling titles on his record, long before he won actual titles in WWE.
2/10 like a teenager
There is no doubt that The Rock has always been a genetically gifted athlete. In addition to being a good athlete in the ring, his physique is remarkable, especially as a Hollywood star now. With hard work and dedication, he certainly has the best physique among the top Hollywood stars. Even in his WWE days, he maintained a good physique.
This photo of The Rock is probably from his teens and shows the baseline of his physique. Despite being a teenager, he looks muscular and lean, which shows how good his genetics are.
1/10 With parents
As mentioned above, The Rock’s mother, Ata Johnson, is from the Anoa’i family. On the other hand, his father, Rocky Johnson, was a prominent tag team wrestler in the 1980s. Rocky Johnson won tag team titles once in WWE.
Here is a photo of The Rock from his childhood. He looks adorable as he poses with his parents, Ata and Rocky Johnson.