5 things you probably forgot about The Rock
When The Rock first walked through the doors of WWE, nobody in their right mind thought the Samoan star would become one of the most popular acts in the company's history.
Although the odds were stacked against him and he had a lot of pressure on his back, since he was carrying his family's name, The Rock did the hard work and dedicated his time to better his craft.
Years later, he's now recognized as one of the most electrifying and polarizing figures in the wrestling world.
While The Rock left WWE a long time ago when he made a transition to Hollywood, the things he did for Vince McMahon's company are still remembered by millions of fans around the globe. Still, there are some significant pieces of his life that most people aren't either familiar with or have forgotten.
In this feature, let's take a look at a few things that you probably forgot about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. So, let's get started.
#5 The Rock made his wrestling debut as Flex Kavana
During his teen years, The Rock had a great fondness for professional football. He dreamt of playing NFL one day. Even though that dream didn't come true, The Rock did enjoy his time as a football player. During his graduation years, The Rock played as a defensive tackle for the University of Miami.
Around the same time, he also played for the Miami Hurricanes, a national championship team. However, he never made it past the extras due to his history with injuries that made it hard for the higher-ups to pay enough attention to him.
Determined as a bull, The Rock kept working hard in hope he'd get a chance to play for the NFL soon. While he entered the 1995 NFL draft, he wasn't picked by any team.
As a result, he decided to play as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders, a Canadian Football League team. However, that didn't work out too well for him either. He let go of his dream of playing for the NFL and decided to try his luck in professional wrestling, just like his father and grandfather.
The Rock made his wrestling debut under the name Flex Kavana at United States Wrestling Association. During his USWA stint, The Rock became a two-time world tag team champion.
He left the promotion in less than six-months and went on to sign a contract with WWE, where he made his debut as Rocky Maivia, a name blend of his father (Rocky Johnson) and grandfather (Peter Maivia).