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Dwayne Johnson

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• Turner Classic Movies - Dwayne Johnson
• Dwayne Johnson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

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Dwayne Johnson (born May 2, 1972, Hayward , California , U.S.) is an American professional wrestler and actor whose charisma and athleticism made him a success in both fields.

Johnson was born into a wrestling family. His maternal grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia, emerged on the professional scene in the 1960s and ’70s. Johnson’s father, “Soulman” Rocky Johnson, worked the American regional wrestling circuit and boxed; in 1974 he was a sparring partner for George Foreman , then preparing for the “ Rumble in the Jungle ” with Muhammad Ali . However, the younger Johnson initially preferred the gridiron to the mat. He was a standout high-school athlete, and he played on the 1991 NCAA Championship football team at the University of Miami (Bachelor of General Studies, 1995). After injuries cut short his career in the Canadian Football League , he turned to wrestling.

Gifted with a remarkable combination of size, speed, and agility as well as impeccable microphone skills, Johnson made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in 1996 as Rocky Maivia, a name that paid tribute to both his father and his grandfather. He was heavily promoted as a “face” (crowd favourite), and, after just a few months of exposure, Johnson captured the WWF Intercontinental title. The aggressive push triggered a backlash from fans, however, and subsequent story lines saw the Rocky Maivia persona sidelined in favour of The Rock, an unapologetic “heel” (“bad guy”). The turn led to increased popularity. The Rock engaged in a series of high-profile feuds with the biggest stars in the WWF and captured the first of several world championship titles in 1998.

The brash charm that Johnson exhibited in his in-ring monologues translated smoothly to the silver screen, and his appearance in The Mummy Returns (2001) signaled a new stage in his career. Although Johnson was neither the first nor the last professional wrestler to be courted by Hollywood, he was easily the most successful. He followed The Mummy Returns with The Scorpion King (2002) and The Rundown (2003). In 2004 he left the ring to turn his attention to acting full-time.

Johnson’s later films included testosterone-fueled action fare such as G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Pain & Gain (2013), and four installments of The Fast and the Furious series— Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Fate of the Furious (2017). He also appeared in the family entertainments The Game Plan (2007), Tooth Fairy (2010), and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012). Johnson then was cast as the titular Greek mythological figure in Hercules (2014). He played a firefighter dealing with a catastrophic earthquake in the action film San Andreas (2015), and in 2016 he starred opposite comedian Kevin Hart in the buddy comedy Central Intelligence .

Johnson later provided the voice of a demigod in Moana (2016), an animated film by Disney . In 2017 he starred in Baywatch , a comedy based on the TV series about lifeguards, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle , which was adapted from a children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg . The next year Johnson portrayed a father who goes to great heights to save his family from a burning building in the action movie Skyscraper . He then costarred with Jason Statham in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw , a spin-off from the long-running franchise, and took the lead role in Jumanji: The Next Level (both 2019), a sequel to the 2017 film. In 2021 he starred with Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise , an action comedy based on a theme park ride. That year Johnson also appeared as an FBI profiler chasing art thieves in Red Notice . His credits from 2022 included Black Adam , a DC Comics superhero movie.

Johnson appeared in various television projects. In 2013 he hosted the reality television series The Hero , and he later starred in Ballers (2015–19), an HBO comedy series about a former football player who becomes a financial adviser to other sports stars. Johnson then created and hosted the reality TV series The Titan Games (2019–20), which featured a variety of athletic competitions. He later appeared in Young Rock (2021–23), a comedy series about his life.

In 2011 Johnson appeared in the ring for the first time in seven years, sparking a feud with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star John Cena that culminated in a main-event match at WrestleMania XXVIII in April 2012. His appearance contributed to the event’s unparalleled success: with more than 1.3 million pay-per-view orders and $67 million in global sales, WrestleMania XXVIII was WWE’s top-grossing pay-per-view broadcast. In January 2013 Johnson captured his eighth professional wrestling title, but he surrendered it less than three months later after losing to Cena in another highly publicized bout.

10 Things You May Not Know About Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

On top of that, his 2000 autobiography The Rock Says… was No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and his Project Rock sneaker with Under Armour sold out in less than 24 hours . All of this has helped him top Forbes ’ list of highest-paid actors two years in a row, with an estimate of $87.5 million in 2020 .

It’s no wonder the 6-foot-4, 277 pound Johnson himself says he’s had a “wildly Forrest Gump -ian life." Here are 10 facts you may not know about the guy who has been called the "Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment":

His nickname as a kid was 'Dewey'

Before he was branded with the tough guy persona and fittingly strong wrestling name of “The Rock,” Johnson had a very different kind nickname growing up. When he was about six months old, he was with his godparents and his mom asked if his diaper was wet. His godmother responded, “No. He’s just a little dewy,” he recalled at the Television Critics Association virtual conference in 2021.

While he was too young to know better at the time, the moniker stuck. “For years, when my parents would come around in front of my girlfriends or friends or anyone, [they’d say], ‘Hey, Dewey!’ automatically,” he added. “It's not like that’s a powerful name. Automatically, people were like, ‘Oh, God.’”

He wanted to become a CIA agent

Johnson had his eyes on becoming a real-life crime-buster, hoping to work for the Central Intelligence Agency — but a legal hurdle got in the way. “My criminal justice professor and advisor (Dr. Paul Cromwell) convinced me that the best operative I could become for the agency is one that also had a law degree,” Johnson posted on Instagram in 2018.

That gave him a reality check. “I thought that’s a great idea, until I realized no respectable law school would ever let me in with my pile of steaming s**t grades,” he wrote. “End of story.” But he did graduate from the University of Miami with a bachelor of general studies in criminology and physiology.

He was on track to become a pro football player

After a high school teacher encouraged him to try playing football, he found that he had a knack on the field, quickly excelling and earning a full scholarship to the top football college, University of Miami. The coach told him that he had a good shot at making it to the NFL, GQ reported.

“So in my head, that was it. I've got my ticket,” he told the magazine. “I get goosebumps now just thinking about it. I'll make it, make money, my parents can move out of their apartment. This is it.” But things didn’t quite go that way. After suffering injuries, he says, “I struggled and I got depressed.” He played for the Calgary Stampeders but was cut from the team two months later .

At his low point, he only had $7 in his wallet

After being cut from the football team in 1995, he landed in Miami and called his dad in Tampa to pick him up. While they were on Interstate-75, Johnson wondered how much he had to his name. “Pulled out my wallet, and yeah, I had a five, a one, and some change. I remember thinking... All I have is seven bucks. At that time I wanted so much more,” he told Esquire .

He compared himself to Warren Sapp who had beat him out of his position in Miami a few years prior and was freshly drafted for a million dollars. “It was like the success I wanted so badly and worked so hard for years was happening all around me to everyone else but me,” he said. “And I'll never forget that. The term ‘seven bucks’ has a lot of meaning.” He later called his production company Seven Bucks Production.

Both his dad and grandfather were wrestlers

Johnson became the first third-generation wrestler in the WWE , a legacy that started with his grandfather, American Samoa-born “High Chief” Peter Maivia, in the 1960s. His dad, Nova Scotia-born Rocky Johnson, known as “Soul Man,” then learned from Maivia before marrying his daughter.

When Rocky retired in 1991, he started training his son — and when the younger Johnson made his WWE debut in 1996, his dad would sometimes be seen “leaping into the ring and defending his son when he looked to be in trouble,” The New York Times wrote. Johnson dedicated his Hollywood Critics Association’s Trailblazer Award in 2021 to his father, saying , “As complicated as our relationship was... he was a real trailblazer because what trailblazers do is they change people's behavior. And that's what he did. And he did everything he could to send people home happy."

READ MORE: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and His Impressive Wrestling Family Tree

He made a 10- to 12-year plan to become the top guy in Hollywood

In a blink, it seemed like Johnson was suddenly on top of both the wrestling and movie industries, but in actuality, it was part of a long calculated plan. “I started to quietly retire from professional wrestling when I was 29,” he said in an Instagram video in 2020. “I had the most incredible run as a pro wrestler.” Every night he was out there wrestling, his goal was to entertain — not necessarily to win — so it made perfect sense, but he didn’t want to just be a flash in the pan.

“I wanted to have a real long-lasting career that had weight, that had value,” he explained. So he studied the craft, working with acting coaches, and set out a 10- to 12-year plan. “I wanted to be the number one man in the world of Hollywood in terms of box office draw.”

He was well aware wrestling success didn’t mean anything on screen. “I was really nervous,” he said, making his first major role in The Scorpion King in 2002. Along the way, he had to make bold choices and get rid of people that weren’t on the same page. “I made the tough decisions and the most important of all, was deciding I was done trying to be someone I’m not to conform to Hollywood. Instead, I decided to be my own man and Hollywood would eventually conform to me.”

The tattoo on his back, chest and left arm took 60 hours

In 2003, Johnson took a trip to Hawaii to get his family heritage inked on his body by a Tahitian tattoo artist Po’oini Yrondi, Before getting started, Johnson and Yrondi chatted for hours and said a prayer.

The tattoo itself took 60 hours — divided into three 20 hour sessions — and the elaborate design represents "all the things that are important to me, that I love and that I’m passionate about," he said. Among the symbolism are coconut leaves representing a Samoan chief-warrior, the sun for good fortune, two eyes of ancestors looking over him and a tortoise shell to fend off evil spirits. Also part of the design is a symbol showing three people in one, to show the bond between him, his then-wife and daughter. (He now has two more daughters .)

He held a Guinness World Record for taking selfies

Talk about multitasking! While at the London premiere of his film San Andreas in 2015, Johnson managed to accomplish another feat — setting the Guinness World Record title for most selfies taken in three minutes , which he did with 105 fans.

Officials were on hand to make sure that every shot included the full face and neck of the subjects and were in focus (a few were disqualified). But in the end, he earned the title and posted on Instagram . “World premiere of San Andreas and rewriting the record books all in one night. #MicDropBoom #NewSelfieKing.” (The record was later broken in 2016 by Donnie Wahlberg and again in 2018 by a man named James Smith.)

Tim Burton considered him for the role of Willy Wonka

Before Johnny Depp donned the iconic top hat to play Willy Wonka in the 2005 remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , director Tim Burton considered Johnson. “I remember thinking, ‘Holy s**t, I’m in,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “But that was many years ago when I was just starting out in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off.”

He added that Depp was “the biggest star in the world” at the time so “the fact that Tim even considered me (albeit I’m sure he considered for all of seven seconds) sure meant a helluva lot to me as I was just breaking into the business with no idea what the future had in store.” He shared that memory in the summer of 2020 while introducing his kids to the original 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film. “They loved it and now fully expect me to deliver a room full of chocolate and candy,” he said.

As of the sliding doors moment, he added: “I’ll always raise a glass to the dreams that don’t come true because sometimes they’re the best thing that never happened.”

He’s considered running for president

Having checked off so many fields, could Johnson eventually move into the world of politics? Maybe. It’s no accident that every episode of Young Rock starts and ends with Johnson playing himself being interviewed by a journalist, played by Randall Park, as he’s running for president in 2032 . In fact, back in 2017, he said , “I would consider a presidential run in the future if that's what the people wanted. Truly I mean that, and I'm not flippant in any way with my answer.”

That wasn’t the only time he expressed that pull to the White House. “I can't deny that the thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring,” he told GQ in 2016. “And beyond that, it would be an opportunity to make a real impact on people's lives on a global scale. But there are a lot of other things I want to do first.”

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Dwayne Johnson (I)

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 500 19

• Contact info
• 22 wins & 77 nominations

Rock On: The Life and Times of Dwayne Johnson

Photos 1349

• Mitch Buchannon
• Callum Drift
• Maui (voice)
• Post-production
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• In Production
• King Kamehameha
• In Development
• Raymond Gaines

• Rocky Maivia
• 292 episodes

• 159 episodes

• Hobbs (uncredited)

• Dwayne Johnson
• 37 episodes

• Krypto (voice)

• The Foundation (voice)

• John Hartley

• Bank Robber #2 (voice)

• Frank Wolff

• The Rock (voice)
• producer (produced by, p.g.a.)
• executive producer
• producer (rumored)

• 16 episodes

• 10 episodes
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• producer (produced by)

• 14 episodes

• created by (creator)
• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Dwayne 'The Rock' Johmsom
• 6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
• May 2 , 1972
• Hayward, California, USA
• Spouses Lauren Hashian August 18, 2019 - present (2 children)
• Children Tiana Johnson
• Parents Ata Johnson
• Relatives Peter Fanene Maivia (Grandparent)
• Other works Features in Wyclef Jean 's song/video "It Doesn't Matter".
• 1 Print Biography
• 3 Portrayals
• 10 Interviews
• 44 Articles
• 5 Pictorials
• 28 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia Although he has lived in the United States for most of his life, he has Samoan citizenship as his mother is Samoan. He has often stated in interviews he is proud of his Samoan heritage and feels honored to be a Samoan.
• Quotes Finally...The Rock...has come back to [whatever city he's in at the time]
• Trademarks Wrestling finisher: The People's Elbow
• The People's Champion
• The Brahma Bull
• The Great One
• Salaries Black Adam ( 2022 ) $22,500,000 + producer fee
• How old is Dwayne Johnson?
• When was Dwayne Johnson born?
• Where was Dwayne Johnson born?

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Dwayne Johnson, The Rock: Everything You Need To Know About The WWE Wrestler Turned Actor

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, known by his ring name The Rock, is an American former professional wrestler and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wwe wrestlers of all time. Growing up in a family of wrestlers, it’s no surprise he found his own path in the industry. Showing early athletic promise, he engaged in various sports during his school years, including football, track and field, and wrestling. His football skills earned him a full scholarship at the University of Miami as a defensive tackle, but a career-ending injury dashed those dreams.

Despite the setback, he remained undeterred and, inspired by his father, a professional wrestler, he embarked on a wrestling career. He made his debut in WWF, eventually becoming a highly successful wrestler. Thanks to his charisma and rugged charm, Hollywood came calling, and he transitioned to acting, starting with “The Mummy Returns.”

Table of Contents

Born: May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California, USA

Birth name: Dwayne Douglas Johnson

Nicknames: The People’s Champion, The Brahma Bull, The Great One, The Rock, Dewey

Height: 6′ 5″ (1.96 m)

Personal Life:

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, USA, comes from a wrestling family. His father, Rocky Johnson, was a professional wrestler, and his mother, Ata Maivia, is the daughter of a wrestler. His distinctive appearance is a result of his father’s Black Nova Scotian heritage and his mother’s Samoan roots.

He briefly lived in New Zealand and attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the United States and enrolling at Freedom High School.

As a teenager, he loved sports and joined different teams at school. He played football, did track and field, and even wrestled. His top choice was football, and he got a full scholarship to play as a defensive tackle at the University of Miami. But an injury ruined his football dreams. In 1995, he finished college and got a degree in criminology and physiology.

After that, he wanted to become a wrestler and began his training with his father.

On May 3, 1997, Johnson married his longtime girlfriend Dany Garcia. Simone Alexandra is the name of their daughter. They divorced peacefully in 2007 after ten years of marriage.

Soon after his divorce from Dany Garcia, Johnson began dating Lauren Hashian. He first met her while shooting ‘The Game Plan’ in 2006. Jasmine Johnson, their first child, was born in December 2015, and Tiana Gia Johnson, their second child, was born in April 2018. On August 18, 2019, Dwayne Johnson married Lauren Hashian in Hawaii.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has a fortune estimated at $800 million. Much of his wealth comes from his significant ownership in Teremana Tequila, which is worth around $2 billion. Thanks to this venture, he’s on track to become a billionaire, surpassing what he’s earned in his entire career.

Outside of tequila, The Rock is among the highest-paid stars globally, typically making over $100 million each year from movies and endorsements. To give you an idea, he raked in $43 million in 2013, $65 million in 2015, and an astounding $125 million between June 2017 and June 2018, making him the world’s highest-earning actor.

Dwayne Johnson’s journey from a college football player with degrees in Criminology and Physiology to a wrestling superstar was rapid. His popularity in the late ’90s and mid-2000s significantly boosted the WWF/WWE scene. His role as The Scorpion King in “The Mummy” franchise further elevated his stardom, prompting him to shift focus from wrestling to acting. Today, he’s arguably the most famous actor on the planet.

• WWE Championships: 17, including 10 World Championships
• National Championship in 1991 Miami Hurricanes Football Match
• 6th WWE “Triple Crown Champion,” Royal Rumble 2000 winner
• Ranked no. 2 in top 500 professional wrestlers’ list PWI 500 (2000)
• Mr. Olympia (2016)
• Teen Choice Award for “The Mummy Returns” (2001)
• 9 Slammy Awards, including “Game Changer Of the Year” (2011) and “Match Of the Year” (2013)
• Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite “Male Butt Kicker” (2013)
• People’s Choice Award for Favorite “Premium Cable TV Actor” (2016)
• Best Actor Shorty’s Award (2016)
• Although Dwayne Johnson has spent most of his life in the United States, he holds Samoan citizenship due to his mother’s Samoan heritage.
• His cousin, Tanoai Reed, often serves as his stunt double in many of his films. Interestingly, he has a fear of spiders.
• Wrestling runs in his blood – not only was his father, Rocky Johnson, a wrestler, but also his grandfather, three uncles, and six cousins (including one adopted) have been part of the wrestling world.
• An interesting wwe fact is that he owns the rights to the name “The Rock,” including associated logos and phrases. Previously, WWE, Inc. held these rights, explaining why Vince McMahon is credited as an executive producer in some of The Rock’s movies.

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• World Biography
• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Biography

Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson Biography

May 2, 1972 • Hayward, California

Professional wrestler, actor

Although Dwayne Johnson is not a superhero out of a comic book, he does have an alter ego. By day he is a somewhat mild-mannered husband and father. But at night when he steps into the ring, he becomes the chair-flinging, wisecracking wrestler known as The Rock. In the late 1990s the charismatic Johnson, with his exotic good looks and signature eyebrow arch, helped make World Wrestling Smackdowns a part of must-see TV. By the mid-2000s, he had such a following that he was dividing his time between the mat and the big screen. Some observers felt that Hollywood had found its next big-budget action idol, and many predicted that Johnson would have no problem filling the shoes of America's favorite muscleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was now busy in his new role as governor of California.

Third generation wrestler

Johnson is a third-generation wrestler. His mother's father, Peter "High Chief" Maivia, was a professional wrestler of Samoan descent whose heritage served as the basis for his ring persona. Samoa is an island nation located in the South Pacific, and Maivia played the part of an island native, wearing his hair long, wrestling barefoot, and sporting traditional tattoos over most of his body. While on the wrestling circuit he became acquainted with an up-and-coming African American wrestler named Rocky Johnson. During a visit with Maiva's family, Johnson met High Chief's daughter, Ata. The two eventually married, and on May 2, 1972, the couple had a son, whom they named Dwayne Douglas Johnson.

Johnson was born in Hayward, California, but he grew up all over the country, since the family moved around to accommodate Rocky Johnson's wrestling career. Because of the family's frequent moves, young Dwayne had a difficult time making friends. He was also teased by other children about his father's profession, and about his size—even as a youngster, Johnson was bigger than average. As a result, he had a quick temper, and as Johnson admitted to Samantha Miller of People, he was even arrested several times for fighting. "It was all youth and stupidity," he explained. In the mid-1980s, however, the Johnsons settled down long enough for Dwayne to begin attending Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where an interest in sports helped calm the young man down.

"My work, my goal, my life, it's like a treadmill. And there's no stop-button on my treadmill. Once I get on, I just keep going."

At Freedom High, Johnson boxed and ran track, but he pursued football with a vengeance, hoping to win a scholarship in order to become the first member of his family to go to college. He was a standout star, and by his senior year he was named to USA Today 's high school All-American team. Before graduation Johnson was recruited by several colleges, but he chose to head to Florida to attend the University of Miami, where he played defensive tackle. He soon became known for his talents on the gridiron, but was also known for his crazy antics. During one game against San Diego in 1992, millions of people watched on television as he raced around the field chasing the opponent's mascot, a man in a giant Aztec warrior costume.

Johnson's future in football looked bright until he suffered a back injury during his senior year. He was so depressed that he cut classes and his grade point average (GPA) dropped to a dangerously low 0.7. Not only was he sitting on the bench, he was also on academic probation. Johnson pulled himself together, thanks in part to his future wife, Dany Garcia, a business major he met while in Miami. Garcia encouraged him to hit the books, and in 1995 he graduated with a degree in criminology and a respectable 2.9 GPA.

Enter Rocky Maivia

Because of his injury, Johnson was not picked to play for the National Football League (NFL) during the 1995 draft, but he still pinned his hopes on a career in pro football. When he was offered a contract by the Calgary Stampeders, he signed on the dotted line and headed to Canada. Life in Canada was miserable. Johnson saw little field action and was paid less than $200 per week to be a practice-squad player. He rented a tiny, dingy apartment and slept on a mattress he found near a local dumpster. His salary left little room for food, so Johnson took to attending every Stampeder meeting, even though he didn't have to, because he knew sandwiches would be served. He was determined to stick it out, but in an abrupt move, Johnson was let go by the football franchise to make room for a former NFL player. "That was hard," he told Zondra Hughes of Ebony. "I was supposed to be reaping the fruits of my labor, and there I was in Canada having to start all over again."

Johnson returned to Florida where both his parents and Dany Garcia lived, and immediately approached his father with a proposal: he wanted to be trained as a wrestler. His decision was made partially out of necessity, but Johnson also had a real love of the sport. After all, he had seen his first wrestling match when he was three weeks old, and when he was six years old his father had taught him such basic moves as the headlock and the armlock. Rocky Johnson, however, had his doubts. He knew that the life of a wrestler was not an easy one and he wanted to spare his son the tough road he had walked. Rocky finally relented, and for the next few months kept the would-be sparrer on a grueling training schedule.

When he felt prepared enough, Johnson contacted a colleague of his grandfather's, who helped open the door for a tryout with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although promoters were impressed enough to sign a contract with him, Johnson still had to pay his initial dues by spending some time in Memphis, Tennessee, performing in the WWF second-tier system, the Unites States Wrestling Alliance. During the summer of 1996 Johnson wrestled in promotional matches using the name Flex Kavana, and earned about $40 per night. In August he was given his second professional tryout, this time pitted against a well-known wrestler named Owen Hart. He did so well that he was transferred to Connecticut where the WWF headquarters and training facility were located.

On November 16, 1996, just one year after hitting a low point in Canada, Johnson made his professional wrestling debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He performed under the name of Rocky Maivia, a nod to both his father and grandfather. The WWF event was called the Survivor's Series, and Johnson, as Rocky Maivia, was considered to be a "good guy" or, in wrestling terminology, a "babyface." His "bad guy" opponent, or the "heel" in the match, was Paul Levesque, more commonly known as Triple H.

The Rock is unveiled

Johnson quickly became a hit with wrestling crowds, and in February of 1997 he captured his first WWF championship, making him, at age twenty-four, the youngest wrestler to win a belt. But just a few months later Rocky was being booed during matches. Apparently the fickle audience members were becoming much more interested in rooting for the "bad guys," and in a business where image is everything, Johnson had some rethinking to do. In mid-1997, after suffering a knee injury, he took some time off to recuperate, to marry his longtime girlfriend Dany Garcia, and to strategize.

Wrestling in the late 1990s was not the world of wrestling Johnson's father had inhabited. In 1979 the regional federations that existed throughout the United States had been consolidated into a single organization known as the World Wrestling Federation, and by the mid-1980s pro wrestling had evolved from an athletic sport into a form of high-energy entertainment. Wrestlers now admitted that their moves were choreographed and that the outcomes of the matches were pre-determined. Wrestling had become big business, attracting millions of fans and earning millions of dollars for promoters and the main attractions, the wrestlers.

Johnson and WWF writers and producers worked long and hard to come up with just the right image for the handsome, six-foot-four-inch, 270-pound newcomer. What finally emerged was a character named The Rock, who would transform the world of wrestling. According to Johnson, who spoke with Sona Charaipotra of People, "The Rock is Dwayne Johnson with the volume turned all the way up." Wearing black boots, black briefs, and with a tattoo of a Brahma bull on his twenty-two-inch bicep, The Rock was touted as part of the Nation of Domination, a league of "bad boy" wrestlers. He also became a formidable force both inside and outside the ring, especially when he glared at opponents and the press with a menacing lift of his right eyebrow.

When The Rock was unveiled on August 11, 1997, in Jackson, Mississippi, the crowd went wild, and over the next several years fans stood in line to catch the next installment in his wrestling storyline. Producers pitted him against various characters in mock grudge matches, and The Rock won, then lost, then regained his federation championship several times. Along the way, Johnson became perhaps the most popular wrestler in the history of the sport. He was known as The People's Champion, and his signature eyebrow move even took on a name—The People's Eyebrow. In addition, The Rock became a merchandising gold mine. His image appeared on T-shirts, posters, and Halloween masks; and there were Rock action figures and video games. By the 2000s, according to Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly, the WWF was bringing in $120 million in merchandise sales per year, thanks solely to Johnson.

Pins down the big screen

Johnson's appeal was not limited to wrestling fans, although he is credited with almost doubling the WWF's female fan base, thanks in large part to his movie-star good looks. He was so popular that in 2000, when he published his autobiography, The Rock Says, the book stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for an astonishing twenty weeks. Johnson drew record crowds at book signings, and began popping up on television, both to promote his book and to take on small acting roles. He made several appearances on the late-night comedy program Saturday Night Live, and was featured on such TV shows as DAG, Star Trek: Voyager, and That '70's Show. The next logical step was the big screen.

In 2001 Johnson appeared briefly in the summer blockbuster The Mummy Returns, for which he was paid, in Hollywood terms, a paltry $500,000. Although he was given only minutes of screen time, producers were impressed enough that they built a movie around Johnson's Mummy character, called The Scorpion King. The film, which was released in 2002, is an action-adventure movie set in ancient Egypt. Johnson plays Mathayus, a desert warrior who is determined to save his people from an evil conqueror named Memnon. If he succeeds, he will take his rightful place as the Scorpion King. Although the movie was definitely not high drama, considering that Johnson's character spent most of his time swinging a sword and slashing his enemies, the would-be actor took his role seriously. In fact, he worked closely with an acting coach throughout the shooting of the film.

When The Scorpion King hit theaters in April of 2002, it made more than $36 million during its opening weekend. Critics discussed the digitized action sequences and compared the movie to The Mummy, but most focused on Johnson and his million-dollar performance ($5 million, to be exact). In various reviews he was called a big-screen champ and the new face of Hollywood action. As Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly put it, "The Rock commands the screen as naturally as he does the ring."

The most electrifying man in sports

By the mid-2000s, Johnson was a full-fledged movie star. In 2004 he made his dramatic debut in Walking Tall, playing Chris Vaughn, a club-wielding sheriff who battles drug dealers and con artists who threaten to take over his peaceful Washington town. There were also several other movies in the pipeline, including two comedies, Be Cool (2004), a sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, and Instant Karma, slated to open in 2005.

Although busy with his many film roles, Johnson still managed to maintain his hectic wrestling schedule. This meant that between filming he was still out on the road, performing and promoting for more than two hundred days a year. Such a demanding schedule was hard on family life, especially considering that Johnson and Dany had their first child, daughter Simone Alexandra, in 2001. Even on the road, however, Johnson claims that he finds the time to call Dany every day, and he still retains close ties to his mother. As Hughes commented, "The Rock is a mama's boy." But The Rock is also a very determined man who has pumped-up plans for the future. As he told Hughes, "I want to do more in the WWF. I want to do more in the movie industry. Ultimately, I want to be the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, period."

For More Information

Johnson, Dwayne, with Joe Layden. The Rock Says … The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. New York: Regan Books, 2000.

Periodicals

Charaipotra, Sona. "The Rock Sounds Off." People (April 19, 2004): p. 30.

Flynn, Gillian. "Rock of Ages: Wrestler, Actor, Action Hero?" Entertainment Weekly (May 3, 2002): pp. 10–12.

Gleiberman, Owen. "Rock Formation: The Scorpion King, a Bare-Bones Prequel to the Mummy Movies, Gives The Rock a Solid Step toward Stardom." Entertainment Weekly (April 26, 2003): pp. 117–118.

Gostin, Nicki. "Newsmakers: Interview with The Rock." Newsweek (April 12, 2004): p. 71.

Hughes, Zondra. "The Rock Talks about Race, Wrestling, and Women." Ebony (July 2001): p. 32.

Leyner, Mark. "The Rock is an Onion." Time (April 29, 2002): p. 81.

Miller, Samantha. "Bigger, Boulder: Scorpion King's The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, Wrestles with Fatherhood, Fame—and Flab?." People (May 6, 2002): pp. 109+.

The Rock Official Web site. http://www.therock.com (accessed on July 6, 2004).

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Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Douglas Johnson also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler, who as of 2011 is signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. He is occasionally credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Johnson was a college football player and, in 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, but was cut two months into the season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push in the WWF, first as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock", a member of the Nation of Domination. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos.

In 2001, he began acting and occasionally returned to the ring. His primary focus, as of 2011, is his acting career. Johnson's first leading role as an actor was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million. He has since appeared in movies such as The Rundown, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, Why Did I Get Married Too?, The Other Guys, and Faster.

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Dwayne Johnson Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Girlfriend, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts about Dwayne Johnson

• Does Dwayne Johnson smoke?: No
• Does Dwayne Johnson drink Alcohol?: Yes
• Dwayne Douglas Johnson is also known as through his ring name “The Rock”.

• He is a Canadian-American actor, producer, and semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE.
• Dwayne Johnson is the son of Ata Johnson and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson. His maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, was also a wrestler. His cousin, Savelina Fanene, is also a wrestler currently working for WWE.
• His father is a Black Nova Scotian, and his mother is of Samoan descent. His father was a member of the first black tag team which won the World Tag Team Championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
• For a short period of time, Johnson lived in the suburb of Grey Lynn in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother’s family. He attended Richmond Road Primary School, before returning to the United States with his parents.
• He began playing football at Freedom High School (Pennsylvania) in the East Penn Conference. He was also a part of the school’s track and field and wrestling teams.
• Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami when he was the student winning a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team.
• In 1996, Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather’s ring names, although his real name was accepted by the announcers. In the beginning, he was reluctant to take this ring name but was convinced by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. He played wrestling constantly until 2004.
• Dwayne Johnson made his film debut as lead actor in  The Scorpion King  in 2002 for which he was paid the US $5.5 million, a world record for an actor in his first starring role. He returned to the WWE for the part-time in 2011 until 2013.
• As of October 2016, Johnson has taken 17 championship reigns in WWE competition incorporating 10 as a world champion, winning the WWF/E Championship eight times and the WCW/World Championship twice.

Dwayne Johnson with the international Championship Belt

• Apart From wrestling, he also set foot in the music world. In the year 2000, he appeared for the short period of time in Wyclef jean’s single “It doesn’t Matter” and in its video too. He also recorded for WWF The Music, Vol 5.
• He even hosted Saturday Night Live with fellow wrestlers Mike Foley, Triple H and The Big Show appearing in the show. He attributes the success of this show for him getting offers from the Hollywood studios.
• In the year 2006, he set up Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation for the betterment of terminally ill children.
• In 2007, he along with his ex-wife donated a million dollar to the University of Miami for the renovation of its football facility. This is the largest donation to the university by its former students.

The Rock says… cover page

• Forbes  named Dwayne Johnson in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2013.
• He became the world’s highest-paid actor in 2016.
• Time listed him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.
• Muscle & Fitness named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as their “Man of the Century” in 2015.

References/Sources: [ + ]

20 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Facts You Should Know

A phenomenal character, Dwayne Johnson has carved for himself a successful brand in wrestling and entertainment. The young boy who struggled to find purpose in his teenage years is now an inspirational figure many youngsters look up to. Known for his signature enormous muscles and creativity in movies, it is a known fact that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a versatile entertainer who is gifted in acting, singing and showmanship.

Since 1999 when he debuted in acting, The Rock has seen incredible success which few in Hollywood and WWE can contend with. Though Johnson is a popular figure globally, there are certain facts about the retired pro wrestler that few fans know. In this article, we present the 20 interesting Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson facts.

Table of Contents

1. The Rock is a third-generation wrestler

The Rock is indeed one of the most successful wrestlers and probably the most popular wrestler from his family, but few are aware of the fact that Johnson’s father and grandfather were wrestlers. His father known as Rocky Johnson was one of the wrestlers who were the first black wrestlers to claim the WWE tag team championship. In 2008, he inducted his grandfather, Peter Maivia and his father into the WWE Hall of Fame.

2. Dwayne Johnson was constantly on the move

From his childhood to his teenage years, Johnson was always on the move along with his parents as a result of his father’s wrestling lifestyle. Before he became an adult, Johnson had lived in 38 of the 50 states in the US. Aside from that, he also lived in New Zealand with his mother’s family. Due to this, he had to change school on several occasions. 

3. Dayne Johnson made the word ‘Smackdown’ enter the Merriam-Webster dictionary

A natural wrestler with a knack for incredible showmanship, Johnson had several catchphrases which WWE fans loved. One of such catchphrases ‘lay the smackdown’ became a hit among fans. The word ‘smackdown’ thus travelled so far and garnered enough popularity that in 2007, the edition of that year’s Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary contained the word. 

4. He once saved his mother’s life

Johnson is known to portray characters in movies where he saves people from terrifying situations where death is almost a certainty, but in reality, Dwayne Johnson is a perfect representation of his movie character. When he was 15 years old, his family were going through a rough time, and losing their home compounded their problems. His mother, Ata Johnson who was overwhelmed with anxiety, stopped their car on a highway in Nashville and attempted to walk into oncoming traffic. Dwayne Johnson swiftly held her, preventing her from committing suicide.

5. He sometimes does not stay on his diet

For a man as physically fit and agile as Johnson, a healthy diet is one of the secrets behind his amazing figure. But sometimes, Johnson admits that he goes off his diet to enjoy some foods, which his health consultant definitely will not condone. Johnson admits when he goes off his diet, he eats peanut butter, double dough pizza and diet coke. 

6. Johnson’s first onscreen role was acting as his dad

In 1999, when young Johnson decided to venture into acting, the first role he played was portraying his father in an episode titled ‘The Wrestling Show’ of the That 70’s show. Since then, he has gone on to act several blockbuster movies.

7. He encountered trouble with the law as a teenager

Johnson had a really tough teenage life which saw him on the move constantly, saving his mother from suicide and struggling to find his path and purpose in life. An embattled Johnson would get into fight often and he sometimes will knock out his opponent, which will bring the police knocking. Aside from that, he got arrested for stealing and for fraud. For a 17 years old boy, Johnson had quite a bit of struggle with the Law.

8. Dwayne Johnson wanted to join the CIA or FBI

How Ironic. For a young boy like Johnson who had trouble with the law on numerous occasions, Johnson wanted to work for the FBI or the CIA. His desire to work for one of the two top law enforcement agencies, made him study criminology and psychology at the University of Miami. But when a professor told him a law degree is likely required, he decided that a career in the CIA or FBI wasn’t for him.

9. He was an unusual teenager

Aside from the troubles he got in as a teenager which includes the numerous fights, Johnson was an unusual teenager with an intimidating figure which he sometimes used in the wrong way. His school mates thought he was an undercover cop as a result of his hugely built figure. A funny thing for a 16 years old boy.

10. He once threatened one of his teachers

Upon returning from a two-week suspension in school, Johnson decided not to use the student bathroom and made use of the teacher’s bathroom. One of his teacher caught him in the act, scolded him and ordered him to leave. But Johnson threatened the teacher who on seeing his hugely built figure, was intimidated. Johnson, however, apologized to the teacher the next day. The teacher was the one who encouraged Johnson to play football in high school.

11. Johnson Feuded with Fast and Furious star, Vin Diesel

Throughout his career, Johnson has been involved in feuds with several WWE stars such as John Cena, but his feud with fellow Fast and Furious star, Vin Diesel is one of the most popular. The two top stars refused to act in the same scene in the eighth sequel of the Fast and Furious series, entitled the Fate of the Furious. The feud which gathered media attention has since been put to rest.

12. He was once scared of spiders

For a man as big and strong as Johnson, you may feel he is a fearless warrior with no fears. But Johnson was once scared of spiders, mostly, tarantula. In the Ellen DeGeneres Show which he appeared in, in 2007, he faced his fear. Following that, he revealed he has gotten over his fear of spiders. He also revealed that roller coasters make him nervous.

13. Dwayne Johnson is Canadian

Though he was born in the United States, Johnson is a Canadian citizen. In honour of his father’s heritage, he fulfilled the requirement to become a Canadian citizen in 2009.

14. Johnson recently got married for the second time

In 1997, Johnson got married to Dany Garcia, who is the mother of his first child. Their union produced only one child and in June 2001, the couple agreed to part ways. He then began dating Lauren Hashian, who gave birth to two children for him. In August 2019, the lovebirds tied the nuptial knot in Hawaii.

15. He loves country music

Johnson absolutely loves country music. He admits that his love for country music dates back to his teenage years in Nashville. His college football teammate says Johnson often sings country music on the team bus. Jamey Johnson, Merle Haggard, George Strait as well as Johnny Paycheck are some of his favourite country music stars.

16. A boy once saved his brother’s life as a result of Johnson’s exploits in the San Andreas Movie

In 2017, a 10-year-old Detriot boy, Jacob O’Connor, saved his two years old brother’s life after he saw him face down in the swimming pool. He swiftly pulled his brother from the pool and gave him compression, which he learnt from Johnson’s character in the movie, San Andreas.

17. Roman Reigns is The Rock’s cousin

WWE wrestler, Roman Reigns who is one of the most successful and most popular wrestlers in the WWE is Dwayne Johnson’s cousin. The pair who are both second cousins acted as brothers in the Fast and Furious spin-off, Hobbs and Shaw, released in 2019.

18. Dwayne Johnson has a lucrative fashion deal with Under Armour

Johnson has one of the most financially successful deals with Under Armour which produces clothes and shoes in partnership with Johnson. The project which is called Project Rock is one of the fans favourites. In May 2018, upon the release of the Project Rock 1 sneakers, it sold out in just a day. 

19. He once held the World Guinness Record for the most selfies

During the premiere of his San Andreas movie in 2015, Johnson took 105 selfies in 3 minutes. That was the most selfies taken in a short while, which was a world record. That record has since been broken.

20. Johnson’s stunt double is his cousin

Concluding our interesting Dwayne Johnson facts is The Rock’s helping hand when it comes to extreme stunts. For 15 years, Johnson has had a stunt double who bears a striking resemblance with him. Tanoai Reed, Johnson’s stuntman is also his distant cousin — they are both related to each other through their great-grandfather ancestry.

RELATED: Dwayne Johnson biography facts, childhood, net worth, career and personal life .

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This article was created by a combination of a few writers and editors from Sporty Tell. It's not rare for our writers and team members to collaborate and work together to create the articles you read on the site. This is just one of these examples. This is why you don't see just one author for this article.

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Though the film has been getting mixed reviews , estimates are predicting the film will have an opening north of $40 million .

Sinc e 2002's "The Scorpion King," The Rock has become a box-office king proving he could win over audiences as a single dad in "Tooth Fairy" or as a heavy-hitting action star in "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," and the "Fast and Furious" saga. His movies combined have made over $5.2 billion worldwide . 

But before he was rocking the box office, he was just a wrestler, best known for his signature move "The People's Elbow."

Frank Pallotta and Mallory Schlossberg contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Before he was "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson was born May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California.

Source: Biography

Wrestling is in Johnson's blood. His father, Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, was a member of the first African-American tag-team champions and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, was one of the first Samoan wrestlers.

Source: YouTube

Johnson didn't go straight to wrestling. His first sport was football. After starring in high school he played in college for the Miami Hurricanes. Over his tenure at the school, Johnson started just once but appeared in 39 games and had 77 tackles, and he was a part of the 1991 national championship team.

Source: ESPN

The University of Miami was also where he met first wife, Dany Garcia. The two separated after 10 years but have stayed close. "Since our divorce, we've become pretty good at working together, and we are also raising our beautiful 11-year-old daughter, Simone," Johnson has said.

Source: Huffington Post

If it wasn't for serious injuries to both his shoulders and back, Johnson could have perhaps continued his football career in the NFL.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter  

Instead he ended up playing in the Canadian Football League, making just $250 a week and eventually getting cut. "The dreams I had, they're dashed," he recalled later. "There is no more football. My relationship was crushed. That was my absolute worst time."

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

After Johnson stepped away from football, he looked into the family business of wrestling. After spending time in the WWE's minor leagues, he debuted on TV at the 1996 Survivor Series. His wrestling name was "Rocky Maivia," which combined the names of his father and grandfather.

The first third-generation wrestler in WWE history, Johnson is considered by many to be one of the greatest to ever enter the ring.

Source:  WWE ,  Bleacher Report

During his many years at the WWE, Johnson created and became known for signature moves like "The People's Elbow" and "The Rock Bottom."

Johnson proved his prowess in the ring by winning the WWE heavyweight title six times and securing the tag-team title five times.

His popularity as a wrestler put Johnson on Hollywood's radar. This included getting a call from New York about hosting "Saturday Night Live." After he was asked to host, Johnson says, "I fell out of my chair."

Source: YouTube ,  YouTube

The wrestler's stint on "SNL" (as seen below playing the monkey-human hybrid Papa Peepers) was a ratings success. Most importantly, the gig showed Hollywood that Johnson wasn't just another wrestler — he could really act.

Johnson made his feature film debut in 2001's "The Mummy Returns," playing a villainous ruler. He reprised the role in "The Scorpion King." He made $5.5 million, the most any actor has made for a first leading role.

Source: MTV

Despite the large paycheck, it wasn't until "The Rundown" in 2003 people began to see Johnson as a legitimate action hero. "The Rock has a flair for action and comedy," Rolling Stone wrote. "He's a real movie star."

Source: Rolling Stone

The film also included a brief cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger, which many critics like Roger Ebert saw as the passing of the action-movie torch. "Whether The Rock will rival Schwarzenegger's long run as an action hero is hard to say," Ebert wrote. "But on the basis of 'The Rundown,' he has a good chance."

Source: Roger Ebert.com

As Johnson's film career began to take off, he dropped "The Rock" from his name. "'The Rock' was a name, a character I created in TV," he said. "When I made the transition into film, I knew eventually I was going to be billed as my given name."

Source:  Los Angeles Times

He showed his range by acting in family films like 2007's "The Game Plan" and comedies like "The Other Guys" in 2010. "I felt there were bigger and better opportunities," Johnson said. "I also felt there was franchise potential, hopefully multiple franchises in every genre — whether drama or comedy or action-comedy."

Johnson finally found his franchise when he appeared in the fifth installment of the popular "Fast and the Furious" series, "Fast Five," alongside Vin Diesel. "I’ve known Vin for a long time and we’ve always talked about doing something together," Johnson said. "This felt like the right opportunity to create a formidable adversary for him."

Source: Screenrant

"Fast Five" was also an opportunity for Johnson to work again with Universal, the studio where he started his career. "They were the first studio to believe in me when I was making the transition ... into acting and helping me create opportunities," Johnson said.

Source: Collider

The film went on to make $676 million worldwide. Johnson appeared in 2013's sequel "Fast & Furious 6," and he is set to reprised his role again in this spring's "Furious 7,” which is now one of four films to make over $1.5 billion.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Since then Johnson has appeared in two more sequels, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island."

Throughout Johnson's career, the one thing separating him from many is his work ethic. The actor put on "12 to 15 pounds of muscle" for 2013's "Pain and Gain." Between himself and costar Mark Wahlberg, the actors were eating 17 meals a day.

Source: Yahoo  

In a recent interview with "Muscle and Fitness" magazine, Johnson explained his current diet consists of seven meals a day — four of which consist of cod.

Source: Muscle and Fitness

Even though Johnson's acting career is going strong, he has returned to the ring for events like Wrestlemania. "I'm back, not for money, not because I like being on the road, but because I love the business," he said.

Source:  Huffington Post

One of these events was WWE's Royal Rumble. Johnson had teased that he was going to appear at the event, and then he showed up in the middle of a wrestling match to help Roman Reigns win the prize.

Sources: The Independent , Twitter ,  WWE

Johnson's next big film out this weekend is earthquake movie, "San Andreas," in which he plays a first responder. The film has been referred to as "the West Coast version of 'The Day After Tomorrow.'"

Source: Entertainment Weekly

In addition, Johnson will take his talents to TV with coming HBO series "Ballers," which will follow current and retired football players. Johnson will definitely empathize with these characters, given his initial football career.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Now that you've seen Dwayne Johnson's career trajectory ...

Check out the career of another Hollywood tough guy, Mark Wahlberg >

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