Why is WWE star Dwayne Johnson called ‘The Rock’?

Dwayne Johnson was last in-ring action at WrestleMania XL

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the biggest actors, businessman and professional wrestler. There is no other superstar in history, who has entertained and ruled the wrestling industry. He is the second-generation superstar from the greatest Samoan Wrestling family, who has been in the main event spotlight right from his wrestling debut. 

He made his WWE debut in 1996 under the name ‘Rocky Maivia’ and made an immediate impact in the wrestling industry. However he soon went on to change his name to ‘The Rock’ in 1997, turning heel by joining Nation of Domination. 

Dwayne under the name The Rock ruled the wrestling industry during the mid-1990’s and early 2000’s of the Attitude Era. He is now ‘The Final Boss’ of the company, by becoming a board member. Here we take a look at why Dwayne Johnson is called ‘The Rock’ and how he got the name.

Why is Dwayne Johnson called The Rock?

In an interview with WIRED, Dwayne Johnson spoke about how he got his ring name ‘The Rock’. Rock said that his old ring name ‘Rocky Maivia’ was a combination of his father’s name and his grandfather’s name to represent his lineage.

Vince McMahon pitched the name, but Rock hated the idea. However, Rock wanted to make a self-identity of himself and wanted to change his name. Late WWE Legend, Pat Patterson pitched the name The Rock and DJ fell in love with the name.

The Rock said,

“I used to throw around 300-pound men for a living and get my a** kicked. And then my original wrestling name was Rocky Maivia, which was a combination of my dad’s first name and my grandfather’s last name because both of them were pro wrestlers. So my name became Rocky Maivia, and when it was first pitched to me from Vince McMahon, he said, ‘I got your name, and I want it to be Rocky Maivia. What do you think?’ I say I hate it.”

“The lineage I had gave me the opportunity to at least knock on the door. I wanted my own identity. I wanted my own space. While I was very proud to come from who I came from with my dad and grandfather… I still wanted my own space. So I embraced it, and I did it. That name did not stick.”

“And eventually, when I became a bad guy, it got truncated down to The Rock. A guy who was my father figure, Pat Patterson… He said, ‘What if we called you The Rock?’ I said I loved it. And he goes, ‘Ok, you’re The Rock.”

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