Dwayne Johnson

Early life and education

Johnson was born in Hayward, California, on May 2, 1972, the son of former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles) and Mataniufeagaimaleata "Ata" Fitisemanu (née Maivia). Growing up, he briefly lived in Grey Lynn in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family, where he played rugby and attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the U.S.

Johnson's father was a Black Nova Scotian with a small amount of Irish ancestry, while his mother is Samoan. His father and Tony Atlas were the first black tag team champions in WWE history, in 1983. Johnson's uncle Ricky was also a wrestler. His mother is the adopted daughter of Peter Maivia, who was also a professional wrestler. Johnson's maternal grandmother Lia was one of the first female pro wrestling promoters, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982 and managing it until 1988. Through his maternal grandfather Maivia, Johnson is a non-blood relative of the Anoaʻi wrestling family. In 2008, he inducted his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame.Johnson attended Montclaire Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then moved to Hamden, Connecticut, where he attended Shepherd Glen Elementary School and then Hamden Middle School. He attended President William McKinley High School in Honolulu and then Glencliff High School and McGavock High School, both in Nashville, Tennessee, and then Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, where he graduated in 1990.

At Freedom High School, Johnson initially struggled and was drawn into a culture of conflict and petty crime. By age 17, he had been arrested several times for fighting, theft, and check fraud, and was suspended two weeks for fighting. An article in the local newspaper labeled him "a troubled teenager with a history of run-ins with police". But Freedom High School football coach Jody Cwik saw athletic potential in Johnson, and recruited him to join the school's football team, where he played defensive tackle, an experience that proved to be a significant personal transformation for Johnson. "My thought process started to change. That's when I started thinking about goals and what I wanted to accomplish", he has since said about his high school football experience. In addition to playing football, Johnson also was a member of Freedom High School's track and field and wrestling teams.

By his senior year at Freedom High School, Johnson had played only two years of football, but was offered a full athletic scholarship from the University of Miami, whose football program was beginning to emerge as one of the nation's top-level NCAA Division I teams.

Football career

College career

As he did in high school, Johnson continued to play defensive tackle at the University of Miami, where he was a member of the Miami Hurricanes 1991 team, which won that year's national championship. Despite playing four years there, however, Johnson found himself behind elite players on the depth chart, including future NFL star and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Warren Sapp, and appeared mostly in backup roles. In his time at Miami, Johnson played in 39 games with one start. He recorded 4.5 sacks and 77 tackles.

In 1995, Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies and a dual major in criminology and physiology. He was also one of the university's most prolific student speakers in the Miami-area community, frequently delivering positive messages about his own struggles and encouraging students to remain in school and avoid the dangers of drug use.

Canadian Football League

After graduating, Johnson was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. Calgary moved him from defensive tackle to linebacker. He was assigned to Calgary's practice roster, but was cut two months into Calgary's 1995 season.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1996)

After being cut by Calgary, Johnson began his professional wrestling career the next year, in 1996. Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson secured several tryout matches for Johnson with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996. Wrestling at first under his real name, Johnson defeated the Brooklyn Brawler at a house show on March 10 and lost matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart. After wrestling at Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association under the name Flex Kavana and winning the USWA tag team championship twice with his partner Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson was signed to a WWF contract. He received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Brakkus and Mark Henry.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names, although announcers acknowledged his real name. He was initially reluctant to take this ring name but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. He was given the nickname "The Blue Chipper", and to play up his lineage, he was hyped as the WWF's first third-generation wrestler. A clean-cut face character, Maivia was pushed heavily from the start despite his wrestling inexperience. He debuted on Monday Night Raw as a member of Marc Mero's entourage on November 4, 1996. His first match came at Survivor Series on November 17, in an eight-man elimination tag match; he was the sole survivor and eliminated the final two members of the opposing team, Crush and Goldust. On February 13, 1997, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on a Thursday edition of Monday Night Raw. Maivia then successfully defended the title against Helmsley at In Your House 13: Final Four on February 16.

Johnson's first WrestleMania match came at WrestleMania 13 on March 23, where he was victorious in his Intercontinental Championship defense against The Sultan. WWF fans started to reject his character and push from the company. He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of Raw is War. Behind the scenes, Hart mentored Johnson for his first year in WWF and refused to be booked to take the title from him. On April 20, at In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he lost to Savio Vega by countout but retained the title. Audiences became increasingly hostile toward Maivia, with chants of "die, Rocky, die" and "Rocky sucks" being heard during his matches.

After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28 episode of Raw Is War, Maivia suffered a legitimate knee injury in a match against Mankind in June and spent several months recovering.

Upon returning in August, Maivia turned heel by lashing out at fans who had been booing him and joining Faarooq, D'Lo Brown and Kama in the stable called the Nation of Domination. He then refused to acknowledge the Rocky Maivia name, instead referring to himself in the third person as the Rock, though he would still be billed as "the Rock" Rocky Maivia until 1998. The Rock would then regularly insult the audience, WWF performers, and interviewers in his promos.

Independent circuit (2009)

On September 30, 2009, the Rock appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) show to support the professional wrestling debut of Sarona Snuka, the daughter of his longtime friend and mentor Jimmy Snuka.

Return to WWE

On February 14, 2011, the Rock was announced as the host of WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, 2011, appearing live on Raw. During a lengthy promo, he addressed the fans and started a feud with John Cena. After numerous appearances via satellite, the Rock appeared live on the Raw before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena. After he and Cena exchanged insults, the Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked the Rock; he fended off Miz and Riley, only for Cena to blindside him with an Attitude Adjustment.

On April 3, at WrestleMania XXVII, the Rock opened the show by cutting a promo. After appearing in numerous backstage segments, the Rock came to ringside to restart the main event between Cena and the Miz as a No Disqualification match, after it had ended in a double countout. As revenge for the Attitude Adjustment Cena had given him on Raw, the Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom, allowing the Miz to pin him and retain the WWE Championship. After the match, the Rock attacked the Miz and hit him with the People's Elbow. The next night on Raw, the Rock and Cena agreed to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII the next year. They then worked together to fend off an attack by the Corre, which at the time consisted of Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson.

The Rock appeared live on Raw in his hometown of Miami to celebrate his 39th birthday. On September 16, WWE announced the Rock would wrestle in a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag team match, teaming with Cena at Survivor Series in November. But on the October 24 episode of Raw SuperShow, Cena instead suggested the Rock be his partner in a standard tag team match against the Miz and R-Truth, a team called Awesome Truth, which Rock agreed to the next week. On November 14, during the special Raw Gets Rocked, the Rock appeared live, delivering Rock Bottoms to Mick Foley, who had been hosting a "This Is Your Life"-style segment for Cena, and later both members of Awesome Truth. The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth on November 20 at Survivor Series, when the Rock pinned the Miz. After the match, the Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom.

Leading up to WrestleMania, the Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on Raw SuperShow. On the March 12, 2012, episode of Raw SuperShow, the Rock hosted his first "Rock Concert" segment since 2004, mocking Cena in his songs. On April 1, at WrestleMania XXVIII, the Rock defeated Cena in the main event after countering Cena's attempt at a People's Elbow into a Rock Bottom and pinning Cena. This event broke the record for biggest professional wrestling pay-per-view buyrate. The following night on Raw SuperShow, the Rock praised Cena, calling their match "an honor". He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion.

Mainstream crossover

The Rock appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video. He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. 5. In 1999, Johnson appeared on That '70s Show as his father Rocky Johnson. The next year, he was on Star Trek: Voyager as an alien wrestler who used the Rock's moves. In 2000, he hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the first time. Fellow wrestlers Triple H, Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show. Johnson has said the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios. He has since hosted SNL four more times.

In 1999, the Rock was listed No. 1 on Entertainment Weekly's Top 12 Entertainers of the Year. In 2000, Access Hollywood ranked him No. 1 in their list of the Top 10 Celebrities of 2000. That year, Rock was also listed in the Forbes Celebrity 100 and People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People. The Rock was listed on Entertainment Weekly's 101 Most Influential People in both 2000 and 2001. In 2001, he was also listed on E!'s 20 Top Entertainers. In 2002, the Rock was listed on E!'s 25 Toughest Stars. In 2003, he was listed in VH1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons and was No. 7 in People Magazine's 50 Favorite TV Stars.

The Rock made a surprise appearance at the official Xbox unveiling during Bill Gates's keynote speech at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in 2001. Johnson's motion picture debut was as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001). The movie broke a two-year record for the highest-grossing single day in film history by earning $28,594,667. The movie's financial success led to Johnson's first leading role in the spin-off The Scorpion King (2002). He received $5.5 million for the role and Guinness World Records named him the record-holder for highest-paid actor in their first leading role.

The Rock has appeared on the covers of many magazines, including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide. He has also appeared in, and been the cover athlete for, several video games. As of July 2026, his Instagram account is the fifth most-followed in the world, with over 382 million followers.

Legacy in professional wrestling

The Rock has been listed as one of the all-time greatest professional wrestlers, as well as one of the top draws in wrestling history. Many have placed the Rock on their "Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling", including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and John Cena. In Cable Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting, the Rock was described as "for a long time, the WWE's biggest star and probably held the greatest international appeal". R. D. Reynolds stated in his book The WrestleCrap Book of Lists that the Rock was "the biggest star for WWE from 1999 until 2004". The Rock's "I quit" match with Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble event is infamous for its brutality and one of the most popular "I quit" match of all times.

The Rock main-evented the most bought pay-per-view worldwide in WWE history (WrestleMania XXVIII), the most bought pay-per-view domestically in WWE history (WrestleMania X-Seven), the highest rated Raw in history, the highest rated SmackDown in history, and was part of the highest rated cable segment in WWE history with Mankind entitled "This is Your Life", in which Mankind would honor the Rock with various gifts and reunions. His return in 2001 had a 7.1 rating, the highest-rated segment of the year. The Rock was also part of the highest-rated match of the 21st century when his WWF Championship defense against Shane McMahon, on May 1, 2000, got an 8.3 rating, making it the highest-rated segment of all time, behind "This Is Your Life". In 2011, the Rock's return to an episode of Raw generated an average of 4.7 million viewers in the United States, with 7.4 million tuning in during his promo. Raw 1000 was the highest rated Raw episode of 2012 and his segment with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan was the highest rated segment of the show. In 2013, the night after the Rock won the WWE Championship, at Royal Rumble, Raw got its highest rating of that year.

Derived from one of his catchphrases "lay the smackdown", WWE introduced in 1999 its second flagship program, WWE SmackDown, which became television's second longest-running weekly episodic program in history. The term "smackdown" was included in Merriam-Webster dictionaries in 2007. He is also known for popularizing the term "jabroni", derived from "jobber", although it was originally introduced by The Iron Sheik. The Rock holds the record for most Raw shows main-evented in one year (38 in 2000), most SmackDown shows main-evented in one year (36 in 2000), and is tied with Stone Cold Steve Austin (in 2001) for most PPV shows main evented in one year (12 in 2000). The Rock is also one of two wrestlers (the other being The Undertaker) to main event WrestleMania in four different decades: 1990s: XV (1999); 2000s: WrestleMania 2000 (2000), X-Seven (2001); 2010s: XXVIII (2012), 29 (2013); 2020s: XL (2024).

Acting career

Johnson entered Hollywood and had early success due to his wrestling popularity and noted work ethic. Over his acting career, he became one of the highest-paid and most successful actors in Hollywood.

Career beginnings (1999–2010)

He began his acting career on television while wrestling. In his first television acting job, in 1999, he portrayed his father Rocky Johnson in an episode of That '70s Show called "That Wrestling Show". Nearly a year later, he appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tsunkatse" as an alien wrestler who fought against Seven of Nine. While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "the Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.

Johnson made his theatrical debut in The Mummy Returns (2001), playing the antagonist Mathayus "The Scorpion King". He reprised this role in the spin-off film The Scorpion King (2002), where he starred as the titular character. Johnson was paid $5.5 million for his leading role, putting him in the Guinness World Records for the highest salary for a first-time leading man. The film was a commercial success and despite mixed reception, Johnson's acting was praised. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "I expect him to become a durable action star".

In the following years, he worked in action films The Rundown (2003), and Walking Tall (2004), but these films failed to gain success. He had a supporting role in the comedy Be Cool (2005) as a homosexual bodyguard hoping to become an actor, and was the primary antagonist in the horror film Doom (2005). He also worked in the sports drama Gridiron Gang (2006), comedy Reno 911!: Miami (2007), and thriller Southland Tales (2006). He had further success by playing an arrogant famous American football player in the sports family comedy The Game Plan (2007), Agent 23 in spy action comedy Get Smart (2008), a cab driver in the science fiction film Race to Witch Mountain (2009), the title character in the fantasy comedy Tooth Fairy (2010) and a police officer in buddy cop comedy The Other Guys (2010). Johnson returned to action genre in the unsuccessful Faster (2010).

Johnson made his voice acting debut in the 2006 video game Spyhunter: Nowhere to Run, originally intended as a tie-in for an unproduced film. He also voiced NASA astronaut Chuck in the 2009 animated sci-fi comedy Planet 51. He presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards.

Commercial success (2011–2020)

Johnson's first big box-office success came in 2011, portraying Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (2011); the film became the seventh highest-grossing film of 2011. Following this, all of Johnson's projects in the 2010s decade achieved major success and established him as a bankable actor. He next starred in the box office hit Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012. He became known for reinvigorating film franchises after portraying Marvin F. Hinton / Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), while also starring in true-story films Pain & Gain (2013) and Empire State (2013). That same year, he hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero, and won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. In May 2013, it was announced that he would executive produce and star in Ballers, an HBO comedy-drama series about NFL players living in Miami. By December of that year, Forbes named him the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year. Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and his frequent acting work as primary reasons for topping the list.

Johnson starred as the title character in Hercules in 2014 and hosted another reality series for TNT that same year, entitled Wake Up Call, which saw him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who were facing enormous challenges in their lives" alongside guest experts such as Rocco DiSpirito, Jillian Michaels, and Josh Shipp. In 2015, Johnson reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in Furious 7 and starred in the disaster film San Andreas. In 2016, he co-starred with Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Central Intelligence and had a lead voice role in the Disney animated film Moana, in which he voiced Maui. He reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious, which was released in 2017. Johnson starred in two other blockbuster movies that year, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as Mitchell "Mitch" Buchannon and Dr. Smolder Bravestone, respectively. In 2018, he starred in two solo box office hits Rampage and Skyscraper.

Johnson's role within the Fast & Furious franchise continued with Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, starring alongside co-star Jason Statham. David Leitch directed the project from a script co-written by franchise-writer Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. The film began principal photography in September 2018, and was released on July 26, 2019. Johnson reprised his role as Bravestone in Jumanji: The Next Level. With the critical and financial success of Welcome to the Jungle, production of the movie began in early 2019, and it was released on December 13, 2019.

Career fluctuations (2021–2024)

In 2021, after a year long hiatus, Johnson co-starred with Emily Blunt in Disney's Jungle Cruise as Frank Wolff. The film is based on the theme-park ride of the same name. Jaume Collet-Serra directed, with a script by Michael Green from a previous one by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. In addition to his work on the film, Johnson assisted with re-designing the titular ride for all Disney theme parks. Jungle Cruise was released on July 30, 2021. On March 16, 2021, he appeared for the first time as the video game character, The Foundation, in Fortnite Battle Royale. Johnson was initially uncredited in his role, yet hinted at his involvement through a series of Instagram posts. His involvement was finally confirmed during the Chapter 2 End Event on December 4, 2021, with The Foundation removing his helmet to reveal that he shared Johnson's voice and likeness. He would later reprise his role as The Foundation in 2026. Also in 2021, Johnson starred in Netflix's film Red Notice, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It is the third time that the two collaborated, after Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. It co-stars Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. Until the release of KPop Demon Hunters in 2025, it was the most watched film on Netflix of all time.

Johnson voiced Krypto the Superdog in the animated feature DC League of Super Pets (2022), which was released theatrically in July and emerged as a success. A film centered around Teth-Adam/Black Adam, as part of the DC Extended Universe, was announced to be in development in January 2017. Johnson was originally cast as Black Adam as early as September 2014 as the antagonist in Shazam!, a film centered around the superhero Billy Batson/Shazam, but this was ultimately reworked. Johnson did not appear in Shazam!, but he served as a producer and his likeness was used through special effects in flashback scenes. On November 14, 2019, he announced a late 2021 release date for the Black Adam film. Production on Black Adam ultimately began in April 2021 and the film was released on October 21, 2022. He earned $22.5 million to star in the film and received millions more for producing and promoting it on social media. However, the anticipated film received mixed to negative reviews and turned out to be a box office disappointment. Following the failure of Black Adam, Johnson's star power came under scrutiny, and his involvement in the film's creative decisions faced criticism.

In 2023, Johnson voiced his Moana character Maui in Disney crossover short film Once Upon a Studio. In May 2023, Johnson reprised his role as Luke Hobbs in a cameo appearance during the mid-credits scene of Fast X. By the early 2020s, Johnson faced some criticism for consistently portraying what were perceived as similar characters, often described as charismatic, larger-than-life figures who are both physically imposing and possess a dry wit. It was argued these roles frequently involved action or adventure elements, and the characters tended to be heroic, if sometimes reluctant, protagonists.

Diversification (2025–present)

Johnson was next seen portraying former MMA fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie's biographical sports drama The Smashing Machine (2025). Full facial prosthetics and a wig were used to transform Johnson's appearance to resemble Kerr. When asked about taking on a serious, intimate drama after years of big-budget action and comedy films, Johnson expressed excitement about finally exploring personal struggles on-screen that he had never before addressed. He described the process as both frightening and liberating. Critics noted that he used the opportunity to pivot his brand and persona toward that of a serious actor. The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025. It received a standing ovation and Safdie won the Silver Lion. The film garnered positive reviews, with Nicholas Barber of the BBC describing Johnson's portrayal as "impressively vulnerable." The performance sparked discussions about a potential Oscar nomination for Johnson. It had its wide release on October 3, 2025, but was met with a poor theatrical response, and is understood to be Johnson's lowest grossing opening ever.

In 2026, Johnson reprised his role of Maui in the live action adaptation Moana (2026). He and his wife Lauren Hashian executive produced Moana: Voices Across the Ocean, a companion album by Pacific Island artists released on July 31, 2026, featuring songs inspired by the Moana films and a new version of "We Know the Way".

In February 2025, Johnson was cast in an upcoming crime drama film to be directed by Martin Scorsese, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt. The film would depict the mafia's influence in Hawaii, with Johnson portraying an aspiring mob boss who rises within the criminal underworld. He will reteam with Safdie for the film Lizard Music, based on the Daniel Pinkwater teen novel of the same name. In May 2025, it was announced that Johnson would star in a new feature from Darren Aronofsky called Breakthrough. In December 2025, it was announced that he would star in a film about movies being directed by J.J. Abrams. In July 2026, Deadline announced that Johnson would star in Free Byrd, an upcoming action-drama film directed by Greg Kwedar. The film is centered around a motorcycle stuntman who hides his diagnosis of dementia from his family in favor of one final jump. Free Byrd will be produced by Johnson and Ben Affleck's and Matt Damon's Artists Equity studio.

Producing

In 2012, Johnson founded his production company Seven Bucks Productions. Though originally attached as producer and star, in 2018 it was reported Johnson would now serve solely as the former on a film adaptation of The Janson Directive. John Cena would fill the leading role, with Akiva Goldsman attached as screenwriter. Additionally, he was set to produce and star in a Netflix exclusive film titled John Henry & The Statesmen, as the titular folklore hero. The film would be directed by Jake Kasdan, from a script by Kasdan and Tom Wheeler. With the first official teaser trailer released in October 2018, the project would have marked Kasdan's and Johnson's third collaboration, after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level.

In 2019, Johnson produced and appeared as himself in Fighting with My Family, a comedy drama about Saraya Bevis and her family, who are also professional wrestlers. It was reported that Johnson would co-produce and star in The King, a film about king Kamehameha Kūnuiākea, founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. The project would be directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script by Randall Wallace. The movie would be comparable to Braveheart in tone, given Wallace's work on both films, and would depict the king's role in resolving the wars among the islands of Hawaiʻi. The King was scheduled to begin production in 2020, but was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson has also been attached to produce/star in a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China, as well as a project under development with Shane Black focusing on a new interpretation of Doc Savage.

In 2021, his biographical comedy-drama series Young Rock began airing on NBC.

Business career

In March 2020, Johnson launched Teremana Tequila, which sold 600,000 nine-litre cases in its first year and is valued at approximately $3.5 billion.

In August 2020, Johnson along with several partners and investors—including RedBird Capital Partners—purchased the XFL for $15 million. Within months, Johnson announced plans for the relaunch of the league in spring 2022. While the launch was delayed a year, the first games of 2023 kicked off on time. After a successful 2023 season, the XFL and United States Football League announced their intent to merge into a single league. On December 31, 2023, it was announced that the new merged league would be called the United Football League (UFL). The league would feature 8 teams and start on March 30, 2024. Johnson, along with Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners own 50% of the UFL together under XFL Properties LLC.

On January 23, 2024, Johnson joined the TKO Group Holdings board of directors. In the process, he obtained full ownership over his trademarked name "The Rock", which was owned by WWE. As part of the settlement, Johnson signed a new services and merchandising agreement with WWE.

Other work

In 2000, Johnson published his autobiography, The Rock Says..., co-written with Joe Layden. It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks. In 2013, Johnson hosted and produced the TNT reality competition series The Hero. In 2014, he hosted another TNT reality series, Wake Up Call. In 2019, Johnson started hosting the NBC competition series The Titan Games.

In March 2016, Johnson partnered with American fitness apparel manufacturer Under Armour to release "Project Rock". The first item in his partnership with Under Armour, a gym bag, sold out in a couple of days. His second item, a black T-shirt sporting his signature "Brahma bull", sold out after being worn at WrestleMania 32. Johnson also released an alarm clock app as part of "Project Rock" that received more than one million downloads in its first week of release. Since then, they have released sneakers, headphones, and other apparel.

In 2016, Johnson started his YouTube channel. His first video, The YouTube Factory, featured online personality Lilly Singh and several other internet stars. In 2019, Johnson revealed plans to launch a competitive bodybuilding event called "Athleticon" alongside his business partner and ex-wife, Dany Garcia. It is set to rival other long-standing bodybuilding shows such as The Arnold Classic and Joe Weider's Mr. Olympia. The show was set to debut in October 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, but plans were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A fan of the rapper Tech N9ne, Johnson is featured on the song "Face Off" from the rapper's 2021 album Asin9ne.

Activism and philanthropy

Politics

As part of WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign aiming to encourage young people to vote, Johnson had a speaking role at the 2000 Republican National Convention and attended the 2000 Democratic National Convention less than two weeks later.

Johnson voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but did not vote in 2016, and was an independent voter as of 2017. He endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, but told Fox News in an April 2024 interview that he regretted the decision due to it causing "division" and refused to endorse anyone in 2024.

Johnson has expressed interest in running for president, telling USA Today in February 2021 that he would "consider a presidential run in the future if that's what the people wanted". Following an online poll which found that 46% of Americans would consider voting for Johnson in an election, he told Today in April 2021, "I do have that goal to unite our country and I also feel that if this is what the people want, then I will do that".

Charity

Johnson has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation on a number of occasions. In 2021, Johnson dedicated his People's Choice Award to an Armenian cancer survivor.

In 2006, Johnson founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children. In 2007, he and his then-wife, Dany Garcia, donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; the university renamed the Miami Hurricanes' locker room in his honor.

In 2015, actress Michelle Trachtenberg tagged Johnson in a tweet about an abandoned dog that her local shelter had rescued and named after him, prompting him to donate $1,500 to the GoFundMe for the dog's lifesaving surgery. In 2017, he donated $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. In 2018, he donated a gym to a military base in Oahu, Hawaii. After the 2018 Hawaii floods, he worked with the nonprofit organization Malama Kauai to help repair flood damage.

Johnson made a seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which foundation president Courtney B. Vance cited as the largest single donation that the foundation had ever received from one individual at one time. The following month, Johnson and Oprah Winfrey announced the creation of the People's Fund of Maui in response to the 2023 Hawaii wildfires and asked people to donate. They also donated $5 million each to it. The announcement received backlash from fans, who criticized Johnson and Oprah for requesting donations while having net worths of $800 million and $2.5 billion respectively; Johnson apologized in October.

Personal life

Johnson has experienced multiple episodes of depression, beginning in his college years. He has spoken publicly about the importance of seeking help and being open about mental health struggles, advocating for increased awareness and support.

In 2003, Johnson got a partial Samoan Peʻa tattoo on his left side. In August 2004, in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, and because he is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, Johnson was given the noble title Seiuli, meaning the son of Malietoa [Alo o Malietoa], by Malietoa Tanumafili II during his visit there. In 2017, Johnson had the small "Brahma bull" tattoo on his right arm covered with a larger half-sleeve tattoo of a bull's skull.

In 2009, Johnson obtained Canadian citizenship through his father's birth and citizenship there.

On May 1, 2011, Johnson was the second person to leak the news of Osama bin Laden's death. Shortly after U.S. Navy SEALs had killed bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan, Navy officer Keith Urbahn tweeted about it; later that minute, Johnson tweeted: "Just got word that will shock the world - Land of the free...home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" U.S. president Barack Obama publicly announced the raid afterwards. Johnson later said that "a friend of a friend" had told him the news in a phone call.

Johnson is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby league team, and publicly pledged his support to the team during the 2021 Rugby League World Cup when the team made the finals for the first time.

Relationships

Johnson first met Dany Garcia when they were both University of Miami students in the early 1990s. They married on May 3, 1997. She is a businesswoman, International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation professional bodybuilder, and producer. They have one child, Simone, a daughter, who was born August 14, 2001, in Davie, Florida. On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced they were separating amicably. The divorce was finalized in May 2008.

In 2007, Johnson began dating Lauren Hashian, the daughter of Sib Hashian, the drummer for the band Boston. They met in 2006 while Johnson was filming The Game Plan. On August 18, 2019, Johnson and Hashian married in Hawaii. They have two daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, and live in Los Angeles. They also maintain a farm in Virginia and a home in Southwest Ranches, Florida. Alongside Johnson, Jasmine and Tiana provided voices for Moana 2.

In February 2020, WWE announced that Johnson's daughter Simone had started training at the WWE Performance Center, making her the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler. On May 16, Johnson announced she had signed a contract with WWE, and announced in May 2022 that her ring name would be Ava Raine. She has since been appearing on the NXT brand until 2026.

Discography

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble

Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8

Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)

Wrestler of the Year (2000)

Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000

Sports Illustrated

Ranked No. 3 of the 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time

United States Wrestling Association

USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Best Box Office Draw (2000, 2011, 2012)

Best Gimmick (1999)

Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)

Most Charismatic (1999–2002, 2011, 2012, 2024)

Most Improved (1998)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

WWE/World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation

WWE Championship (8 times)