Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Hated the Name Vince McMahon Gave Him at the Start of His WWE Career

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the most well-known wrestlers in the world. His popularity has transcended wrestling and seeped into the world of acting as well. Now the entire world knows his name. But since when is The Rock? Apparently, WWE’s CEO Vince McMahon had something to do with it.

In a recent interview with “WIRED“, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt answered the web’s most searched question about them. One question was how he got the nickname, “The Rock”. Replying to the question, he revealed,

“The birth story of “The Rock” is, before I do what I do now, many moons ago, 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. Now, what do you think?’ And as we, he knows me now, and it’s how I speak. I said, ‘I hate it. I hate it.’ And I hated the name.” 

Could you imagine Dwayne Johnson not being called “The Rock“? It is weird to even think about it.

ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 14: Actor Dwayne Johnson of MOANA took part today in “Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films” presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2015 in Anaheim, Calif. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

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From Rocky Maivia to The Rock

Dwayne stated when he became a bad guy in WWE, his name became The Rock. He revealed that Pat Patterson, his father figure and mentor in pro wrestling, gave him the name. Pat suggested the name and Dwayne loved it!

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – APRIL 1: Dwayne ”The Rock” Johnson looks on during his match against John Cena during WrestleMania XXVIII at Sun Life Stadium on April 1, 2012 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)

And from that point on, Rocky Maivia became the ‘Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment’ under the moniker of The Rock. His legacy in the world of wrestling is one of the best. A future Hall of Famer and WWE legend with no doubt.

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