WWE legend on the real reason why Young Rock ended (Exclusive)
Young Rock, an NBC television sitcom about The Rock's life, ended in 2023 after three seasons. One of the wrestling personalities portrayed on the show, Harvey Wippleman, recently shed light on why the series was canceled.
In 2023, thousands of actors and writers went on strike in the United States over pay issues and concerns about artificial intelligence. In June of the same year, Young Rock was axed at a time when many people involved in the show were not working.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Wippleman confirmed the strike affected the production of the series:
"The reason it ended wasn't because of ratings. It wasn't because of any issues. It was because the Hollywood writers and the actors all went on strike, so that show ended. Everything went to dance shows, singing shows, reality shows." [15:59 – 16:10]
Watch the video above to hear Wippleman reveal the feedback he gave to The Rock after he turned heel and became The Final Boss.
Harvey Wippleman's reaction to his Young Rock character
At age 15, The Rock was sent to live with family friend Harvey Wippleman after he was forced to leave Hawaii. Over three decades later, the WWE icon hired Wippleman to work on Young Rock as an executive consultant.
The former WWE manager only has good things to say about the series and the actor who played him:
"I love it," Wippleman continued. "I was at his wedding. We stay in touch on a regular basis. We became close friends. Not just him, most of the cast I stay in touch with. We all became very good friends. But, yeah, Ryan Pinkston, the actor that played me, we had Zoom meetings together as he was learning the character so he could learn my mannerisms, my voice, my accent, and whatnot. He did a tremendous job, great guy, and I love him to death." [16:23 – 16:52]
Wippleman also opened up about The Rock unexpectedly buying him a car in 2020 as a Christmas present.
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