8-time WWE Champion opens up on making next to nothing early in his career
Former WWE Champion The Rock recently opened up about how much he made early in his career.
The Rock was one of the biggest draws in WWE's Attitude Era. This made him a household name in the business. After leaving WWE, his career went in an upward trajectory when he joined Hollywood. Currently, The Rock is listed as the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, taking home approximately $87.5 million income between June 2019 and June 2020. However, his beginnings wasn't filled with money.
During a recent interview with Pivot Podcast, The Rock opened up about his first few matches in Tennessee territory United States Wrestling Association (USWA) where he was paid $40 per night.
“I made my bones down in Tennessee. There’s a wrestling company down there. It was called USWA, famous! Everybody came through there, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. Everybody who became somebody went through there. And that’s where you, uh, you made your bones and you cut your teeth. The guarantee every night was 40 bucks, wherever. Doesn’t matter where you are on the card that was your guarantee.” [H/T SeScoops]
The Rock opened up about how WWE has been a savior for his family
During the early part of The Rock's Hollywood career when he was trying to transition from pro wrestling to acting, he had to balance a busy schedule. It meant that he didn't get to spend enough time with his daughter Simone (Ava Raine in WWE).
While that may normally break most relationships, the WWE has helped save his relationship with his daughter.
During the same podcast episode, The Rock revealed how professional wrestling helped keep his family together now that his daughter is also a wrestler in NXT.
“So when I had Simone, I was flying by the seat of my pants. I was wrestling full-time, I started transitioning into movies full-time. I had so much sh*t going on so I like to say me and Simone grew up together. So we had a relationship where I was always gone but we tried to keep it together. Now, years later, as she becomes a pro wrestler, it’s actually brought us closer together. So in a way, it’s helped save that relationship too so, in many ways, pro wrestling has been my family’s savior," he said. [H/T: PW Torch]
The Rock's debuts in 1996 and Ava Raine's debut in 2023.
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It's good to see that professional wrestling helped bring The Rock and his daughter closer together.
What do you make of The Rock's comments about his early career earnings? Sound off in the comments section.