Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson ( born May 2 , 1972 ) , also known — and sometimes credited — by his ring name The Rock , is an American actor and professional wrestler who works for WWE , where he is the current WWE Champion in his eighth reign . Johnson was a college football player . In 1991 , he was on the University of Miami ' s national championship team . He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League , and was cut two months into the 1995 season . This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather , Peter Maivia , and his father , Rocky Johnson . He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) from 1996 to 2004 , and was the first third - generation wrestler in the company ' s history . He was quickly pushed as a face in the WWF , originally billed as " Rocky Maivia " , then as " The Rock " . He turned heel as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997 . Two years after he joined the WWF , he won the WWF Championship and became one of the most popular wrestlers ever , primarily for his charismatic interviews and promos . Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time . He has had 17 championship reigns in WWE , including 10 as a world heavyweight champion ( the WWF / E Championship eight times and the WCW / World Championship twice ) , the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times . He is the sixth WWF / E Triple Crown Champion , and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble . Johnson ' s autobiography " The Rock Says . . . " ( co - written with Joe Layden ) was published in 2000 . It debuted at # 1 on " The New York Times " Best Seller list and remained on the list for several weeks . Johnson ' s first leading film role was in " The Scorpion King " in 2002 . For this role , he was paid US $ 5 . 5 million , a world record for an actor in his first starring role . He has since appeared in several successful movies , including " The Rundown " , " Be Cool " , " Walking Tall " , " Gridiron Gang " , " The Game Plan " , " Get Smart " , " Race to Witch Mountain " , " Planet 51 " , " Tooth Fairy " , " Doom " , " The Other Guys " , " Faster " , " Fast Five " , and the forthcoming " Fast & Furious 6 " . Early life . Dwayne Johnson was born to Ata Johnson ( Maivia ) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson in Hayward , California . His maternal grandfather , " High Chief " Peter Maivia , was also a wrestler . His maternal grandmother , Lia Maivia , was one of wrestling ' s few female professional promoters , taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband ' s death in 1982 , until 1988 . His father is of Black Nova Scotian ( Canadian ) origin , and his mother has Samoan heritage . Johnson briefly lived in Auckland , New Zealand , with his mother ' s family . While there , his mother ensured he was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the southern hemisphere . Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School , before returning to the United States with his parents . He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu , Hawaii . As he entered 11th grade , his father ' s job required his relocation to Bethlehem , Pennsylvania , in the state ' s Lehigh Valley region . He began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference . He was also a member of the school ' s track and field and wrestling teams . On April 17 , 2009 , changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect , making all people born in the first generation abroad after 1947 to Canadian - born parents automatically ( and retroactively to date of birth ) Canadian citizens . Johnson , through his father , thus became a Canadian . Education . Johnson was a promising football prospect , and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs . He decided upon a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play defensive tackle . In 1991 , he was on the Miami Hurricanes ' national championship team . After an injury kept him sidelined , he was replaced by future National Football League ( NFL ) star , Warren Sapp . While attending Miami , Johnson met his future wife , Dany Garcia , who graduated from the university in 1992 and later became a member of its Board of Trustees . She also founded a Miami - based wealth management firm . In 2006 , the couple donated $ 2 million to build a living room at the University ' s Newman Alumni Center . Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 , with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in criminology and physiology . Johnson joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 1995 , after being passed over by the NFL . He was cut two months into the season . On November 10 , 2007 , Johnson returned to the Miami Orange Bowl to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami ' s last home football game at the stadium . Johnson has two nephews who play football : Kaluka Maiava played at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009 , and his brother , Kai Maiava , currently plays at UCLA . Professional wrestling career . Training ( 1995 – 1996 ) . Like his father and grandfather , several of Johnson ' s other relatives are or were professional wrestlers , including his uncles , Afa and Sika Anoaʻi ( The Wild Samoans ) and his cousins , Manu , Yokozuna , Rikishi , Rosey and Umaga . When Johnson declared his intent to become a wrestler , his father initially resisted , but then agreed to train him himself , warning that he would not go easy on him . Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson got Johnson several tryout matches with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) in 1996 . Under his real name , he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show , and lost the other matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart . After wrestling at Jerry Lawler ' s United States Wrestling Association , as " Flex Kavana " , and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996 , Johnson signed a WWF contract . He received additional training from Tom Prichard , alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry . World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment . Early WWF run ( 1996 – 1997 ) . Johnson made his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia , a combination of his father and grandfather ' s ring names . He was initially reluctant to take the name , but was persuaded by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross . He was given the nickname " The Blue Chipper " , and his lineage was played to on TV , where he was hyped as the WWF ' s first third - generation wrestler . Maivia , a clean - cut face character , was pushed heavily from the start , despite his wrestling inexperience . He debuted at Survivor Series in November 1996 , in an eight - man elimination tag match ; he was the sole survivor . On February 13 , 1997 , he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Hunter Hearst Helmsley on " Monday Night Raw " . He defeated Bret Hart by disqualification in a title defense on the March 31 episode of " Raw " . Though pushed as a face , audiences generally disliked Maivia . Chants of " Die , Rocky , die ! " and " Rocky sucks ! " were common during his matches . Nation of Domination ( 1997 – 1998 ) . After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Owen Hart on the April 28 , 1997 episode of " Raw is War " and suffering a knee injury in a match against Mankind , Maivia returned as a heel . He formed a stable called The Nation of Domination , with Faarooq , D ' Lo Brown and Kama . During this time , he refused to acknowledge the " Rocky Maivia " name , instead referring to himself in the third person as " The Rock " . He insulted the audience in his promos , as well as WWF television interviewers , once calling Kevin Kelly an " ugly hermaphrodite " . At , Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock in under six minutes to retain the Intercontinental Championship . The next night , on " Raw is War " , Austin was ordered by Mr . McMahon to defend the title in a rematch , but forfeited it to The Rock instead , handing him the belt before hitting him with the Stone Cold Stunner . The Rock feuded with Austin and Ken Shamrock through the end of 1997 and beginning of 1998 . In March 1998 , The Rock overthrew Faarooq as leader of The Nation of Domination , sparking a feud . He successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Faarooq at on May 31 . He and The Nation then feuded with Triple H and D - Generation X . The two stable leaders first had a two out of three falls match at Fully Loaded for the Intercontinental title , which The Rock retained in controversial fashion . This led to a ladder match at SummerSlam , in which Triple H won the title . At , The Rock defeated Ken Shamrock and Mankind in a triple threat steel cage match to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship . He then feuded with fellow Nation member Mark Henry , effectively breaking up the stable . The Corporation ( 1998 – 1999 ) . The Rock ' s entertaining promos and ensuing popularity led to a face turn , in which he called himself " The People ' s Champion " . This led to a feud with Mr . McMahon , who said he had " a problem with the people " and would thus target " The People ' s Champion " . A double turn occurred at Survivor Series , when The Rock defeated McMahon ' s associate , Mankind , in the finals of the " Deadly Game " tournament for the vacant WWF Championship in a fashion reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob . The Rock allied with Vince and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of their stable , The Corporation . On December 13 , at the pay - per - view named for him , , The Rock had a rematch with Mankind for the WWF Championship . Mankind appeared to win the match when The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw submission move , but Mr . McMahon ruled that since The Rock did not tap out , he retained his title . The Rock continued to feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship , which was traded back and forth between them . First , in the main event of the January 4 , 1999 episode of " Raw is War " , Mankind defeated The Rock after interference from Steve Austin . Then , in an " I Quit " match at Royal Rumble on January 24 , The Rock regained the title , when a recording of Mankind saying " I quit " from an earlier interview was played over the PA system . On " Halftime Heat " ( an episode of " Sunday Night Heat " aired in the same timeslot as the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show ) on January 31 , Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift truck in an empty arena match . Their feud ended on the February 15 episode of " Raw is War " , when The Rock won his third WWF Championship in a ladder match after Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off the ladder . The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV . He also lost the title rematch at . Though he was a heel , his amusing verbal skills led many fans to cheer The Rock . He turned face again after being betrayed by Shane McMahon and began a feud with Triple H , The Undertaker , and The Corporate Ministry . He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge , then lost to the WWF Champion , The Undertaker , at King of the Ring . He lost a number one contender ' s match to Triple H at Fully Loaded , after interference from Mr . Ass . This sparked a feud with Mr . Ass , culminating in a " Kiss My Ass " match at SummerSlam , which The Rock won . The Rock ' n ' Sock Connection and WWF Championship feuds ( 1999 – 2001 ) . Toward the latter part of 1999 , The Rock had several singles and tag team championship opportunities . He teamed with former enemy Mankind as The Rock ' n ' Sock Connection , after he challenged WWF Tag Team Champions The Undertaker and The Big Show , and Mankind offered his help . They won the title for the first of three times . The two performed numerous comedic skits together , including one on " Raw is War " called " This Is Your Life " ( based on the TV show ) , in which Mankind produced people from The Rock ' s past , such as his high school girlfriend and his high school football coach . The segment earned an 8 . 4 Nielsen rating , one of the highest ratings ever for a " Raw " segment . At Royal Rumble on January 23 , 2000 , The Rock entered the Royal Rumble match and was one of the final two remaining , along with Big Show . Big Show seemingly intended to throw The Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam - like position , but The Rock countered the move on the ring apron , sending Big Show to the floor before re - entering the ring as the winner . However , The Rock ' s feet hit the floor first , although those watching the event on TV did not see that . Big Show proved this with additional video footage , and claimed to be the rightful winner . Despite this proof , the original decision could not be reversed , so a number one contender ' s match for the WWF Championship was held at No Way Out , which The Big Show won after Shane McMahon interfered and hit The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to execute a People ' s Elbow . The Rock defeated The Big Show on the March 13 episode of " Raw is War " to regain the right to face the WWF Champion , Triple H , at WrestleMania 2000 in a fatal four way elimination match , also including The Big Show and Mick Foley . Each wrestler had a McMahon in his corner ; Triple H had his wife , Stephanie , Foley had Linda , The Rock had Vince , and Big Show had Shane . Triple H retained the title after Vince betrayed The Rock by hitting him with a chair . Over the next few months , The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship . On April 30 , at Backlash , The Rock defeated Triple H for his fourth WWF Championship reign , after Steve Austin intervened on The Rock ' s behalf . On May 21 , at Judgment Day , the two had an Iron Man match , with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee . With the score tied at five falls each , and with seconds left on the time limit , The Rock was disqualified when The Undertaker attacked Triple H , giving Triple H the 6 - 5 win and the title . The next night on " Raw is War " , The Rock got his revenge , taking out the entire McMahon - Helmsley Faction with The Undertaker ' s help . He won the WWF Championship for a fifth time at King of the Ring on June 25 , by scoring the winning pin in a tag team match , teamed with Kane and The Undertaker against Vince McMahon , Shane McMahon , and Triple H . He successfully defended the championship against Chris Benoit at Fully Loaded , Kurt Angle and Triple H at SummerSlam , and Benoit , Kane , and The Undertaker at Unforgiven . The Rock lost the WWF Championship to Angle at No Mercy in October . Around this time , he feuded with Rikishi , and defeated him at Survivor Series . He wrestled a six - man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon , which Kurt Angle won to retain the title . On December 18 on " Raw " , The Rock won the WWF Tag Team Championship with The Undertaker , defeating Edge and Christian , then losing it back to them the next night at a " SmackDown ! " taping . In 2001 , The Rock continued to feud with Angle over the WWF Championship , culminating at No Way Out in February , where he pinned Angle to win the WWF Championship for a sixth time . He then feuded with the Royal Rumble winner , Steve Austin . The Rock lost the title to Austin at WrestleMania X - Seven after Austin allied with Mr . McMahon , who interfered on his behalf . On the next night ' s " Raw is War " , during a steel cage title rematch , Triple H came to the ring with a sledgehammer . It seemed he would help The Rock , due to the rivalry between Austin and Triple H ( and an argument with McMahon earlier in the night ) , but he attacked him instead , allying with McMahon and Austin . Austin and Triple H formed a tag team called The Power Trip , while The Rock was indefinitely suspended . Johnson used this time off to act in the movie " The Mummy Returns " . Championship pursuits and final storylines ( 2001 – 2004 ) . The Rock returned to the WWF in late July 2001 , and had to decide whether to join the WWF or The Alliance ( a group of former WCW and ECW wrestlers ) during The Invasion , eventually siding with the WWF . At SummerSlam , The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship . He lost the title to Chris Jericho at No Mercy . The next night on " Raw " , he teamed with Jericho to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship from The Dudley Boyz . The Rock defeated Jericho on the November 5 episode of " Raw " for his second WCW Championship . As part of the WWF ' s battle against The Alliance , The Rock wrestled in a " winner takes all " ten - man elimination match at Survivor Series . In the end , it came down to a one - on - one with Steve Austin ( who had recently joined The Alliance ) . The Rock seemed to have the upper hand , until Jericho ( a member of Team WWF , who was eliminated a few minutes earlier ) , entered the ring and attacked The Rock . Austin tried to capitalize on this by pinning The Rock , but Kurt Angle , a Team Alliance member , revealed his true allegiance by hitting Austin in the head with a title belt . The Rock then pinned Austin , forcing The Alliance to disband . The Rock closed out 2001 by losing the WCW Championship to WWF Champion Chris Jericho at Vengeance , in a title unification match . The Rock unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for both titles , now the Undisputed WWF Championship , at Royal Rumble , ending their feud . The Rock defeated The Undertaker at No Way Out . He then feuded with the New World Order , after challenging Hollywood Hulk Hogan to a match at WrestleMania X8 . The match was billed as icon versus icon , with both men representing the top tier of two generations of wrestling ; ultimately Rock pinned Hogan at WrestleMania X8 . After the nWo turned on Hogan for losing the match , The Rock allied with him and then took a short sabbatical from wrestling . When he returned , The Rock won his record - breaking seventh WWF Championship ( now the WWE Undisputed Championship ) at Vengeance , defeating Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a Triple Threat match . He successfully defended the title at Global Warning against Triple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H . After the match , Lesnar attacked The Rock , until Triple H saved him . At SummerSlam , after interference from Lesnar ' s manager , Paul Heyman and the use of a steel chair , Rock lost the WWE Championship to Lesnar along with the record for being the youngest WWE Champion , which Rock had set in 1998 . Following the loss , The Rock again took a hiatus from wrestling . The Rock returned on the January 30 , 2003 episode of " SmackDown ! " to publicly criticize Hulk Hogan and make it clear that due to the success of his Hollywood career , WWE was no longer a priority . This reestablished him as a heel . The Rock defeated Hogan again at No Way Out and drafted himself to the " Raw " brand where he had various feuds , including one with The Hurricane . He also performed " Rock concerts " , segments in which he played the guitar and mocked the show ' s host city . After failing to win number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship , The Rock turned his attention to Steve Austin who , to The Rock ' s chagrin , had been chosen as " Superstar of the Decade " . This led to a match at WrestleMania XIX , which called back to their previous two WrestleMania encounters , both of which Austin had won . The Rock won after delivering three consecutive Rock Bottoms , ending their long - running feud in what turned out to be Austin ' s final match . The next night , " Raw " was billed as " The Rock Appreciation Night " , in honour of his victory over Austin . That night , he was attacked by a debuting Bill Goldberg . At Backlash , Goldberg defeated The Rock , who then took another hiatus from WWE . The Rock then occasionally returned to WWE in non - wrestling roles , gradually turning face again by engaging in one night feuds against heels such as Chris Jericho and Christian . The Rock aided Mick Foley in his feud against Evolution , leading to a reunion of The Rock ' n ' Sock Connection . They faced Ric Flair , Randy Orton and Batista in a handicap match at WrestleMania XX , losing when Orton pinned Foley after the RKO . Retirement and part - time appearances ( 2005 – 2010 ) . The Rock appeared in WWE sporadically following Wrestlemania 21 . He stood up for Eugene , made a cameo in his hometown of Miami and helped Mick Foley turn back La Résistance . In 2004 , he hosted a pie - eating contest , as part of the WWE Diva Search and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a spinebuster and a People ' s Elbow . After this , Dwayne Johnson stated in several interviews that he was no longer under contract to WWE . He stated he would continue using the trademarked name " The Rock " , per a dual ownership deal between him and WWE . On March 12 , 2007 , The Rock appeared on WWE TV after a near three - year absence , via a pre - taped promo shown on the TitanTron during " Raw " . He correctly predicted Bobby Lashley would defeat Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in Donald Trump and Vince McMahon ' s " Battle of the Billionaires " match . On March 29 , 2008 , The Rock inducted his father , Rocky Johnson , and his grandfather , Peter Maivia , into the WWE Hall of Fame . During his induction speech , he roasted WWE wrestlers John Cena , Santino Marella , Chris Jericho , Mick Foley , Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin . In September 2009 , Johnson appeared at a World Xtreme Wrestling show to support the pro wrestling debut of Sarona Snuka , the daughter of his longtime friend and mentor , Jimmy Snuka . On October 2 , 2009 , the ten - year anniversary of " SmackDown " , The Rock cut a promo via pre - recorded video . Return to WWE . Feud with John Cena ( 2011 – 2012 ) . On the February 14 , 2011 episode of " Raw " , The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII , appearing live on " Raw " for the first time in almost seven years . During a lengthy promo , he addressed the fans , Michael Cole , The Miz and John Cena , calling Cena a " big fat bowl of Fruity Pebbles " , as a response to a shoot interview Cena did on The Rock a couple of years ago . The Rock claimed to love wrestling , having has been born into the business , a claim Cena argued . After numerous appearances via satellite , The Rock appeared live on the " Raw " before WrestleMania XXVII to confront Cena , with whom he had been feuding with through Twitter . He made fun of Cena ' s clothing , calling him a " homeless Power Ranger " and " Vanilla Ice " . After he and Cena exchanged insults , The Miz and Alex Riley appeared and attacked The Rock . He fended off Miz and Riley , then Cena blindsided him with the 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 draw . 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 . He then hit The Miz with the People ' s Elbow . The next night on " Raw " , Cena challenged The Rock to a match at WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1 , 2012 . The Rock accepted the challenge . 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 on May 2 , 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 on November 20 . On the October 24 episode of " Raw " , Cena instead asked for The Rock to be his partner in a standard tag team match against Awesome Truth ( The Miz and R - Truth ) . The next week , The Rock granted Cena ' s request . On the November 14 episode of " Raw " , The Rock appeared live , delivering Rock Bottoms to both members of Awesome Truth and Mick Foley . Foley had been hosting a " This Is Your Life " - style segment for Cena . At Survivor Series , despite their rivalry , The Rock and Cena defeated Awesome Truth when The Rock pinned The Miz after the People ' s Elbow . After the match , The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom . Leading up to Wrestlemania , The Rock and Cena had several verbal confrontations on " Raw " . On the March 12 episode , The Rock hosted his first " Rock Concert " segment since 2004 , mocking Cena in his songs . He opined that , having beaten Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at previous Wrestlemanias , beating Cena would make him the greatest wrestler of all time . At WrestleMania XXVIII , The Rock faced Cena in a main event hyped for a year and billed with the tagline " Once in a Lifetime " . When an overconfident Cena attempted the People ' s Elbow on The Rock , he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin . The next night on " Raw " , The Rock praised Cena for putting up a good fight , calling their match " an honor " . He then vowed to once again become WWE Champion . WWE Champion ( 2012 – present ) . On July 23 at " Raw 1000 " , the Rock announced that he would face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble . During the show , he encountered WWE Champion CM Punk , Daniel Bryan , and John Cena , all of whom expressed a desire to face him . He later saved Cena from an assault by Big Show , only to be laid out by CM Punk . On the January 7 , 2013 episode of " Raw " , The Rock returned to WWE to confront his Rumble opponent , the reigning champion CM Punk . He also made his first " SmackDown " appearance in ten years on the January 9 episode , attacking Team Rhodes Scholars with a Rock Bottom to Damien Sandow and a People ' s Elbow to Cody Rhodes . The Rock closed out the 20th anniversary episode of " Raw " on January 14 with one of his famous " Rock concerts " , leading to a brawl with CM Punk . The next week on " Raw " , The Rock was attacked by The Shield . Vince McMahon then asserted that if The Shield attacked The Rock in his title match with CM Punk , Punk would be stripped of the WWE Championship . At the Royal Rumble , Punk defeated The Rock after The Shield interfered . McMahon was about to strip Punk of the championship ; however , at The Rock ' s request , he instead restarted the match . This culminated in The Rock defeating Punk to win his eighth WWE Championship , a win which marked The Rock ' s first WWE Championship reign in over ten years . Punk received a title rematch with The Rock at Elimination Chamber , with the added stipulation that if The Rock was disqualified or counted out , he would lose the title , but Rock pinned Punk to retain the championship . The following night on " Raw " , The Rock unveiled the new WWE Championship during his championship celebration , with an entirely new center plate and his signature Brahma Bull logo on the side plates . While resuming his feud with John Cena , the Rock also attended the premiere as the WWE Champion . Personal life . Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3 , 1997 , a day after his 25th birthday . Their daughter , Simone Alexandra , was born August 14 , 2001 . On June 1 , 2007 , they announced they were splitting up amicably and intended to spend the rest of their lives together as best friends . Johnson co - wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden , titled " The Rock Says . . . " . It was published in 2000 , debuting at # 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks . Johnson is a good friend of actor and former Governor of California , Arnold Schwarzenegger . Public activities . Johnson attended the 2000 Republican National Convention and the 2000 Democratic National Convention , and gave a speech at the former . Both appearances were part of the WWE ' s non - partisan " Smackdown Your Vote " campaign , which aimed to influence young people to vote . Because his mother , Ata Fitisemanu Maivia , has royal blood , and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people , Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of " Seiuli " during his visit there in July 2004 . He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team . During the run - up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup , the team ' s website had a picture of him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with " The Rock " emblazoned on the back . He received a partial Samoan pe ' a tattoo in 2003 . Philanthropy . In 2006 , Johnson founded " The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation " , a charity working with at - risk and terminally ill children . On October 2 , 2007 , he and his ex - wife donated $ 1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities ; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university ' s athletics department by former students . The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes ' locker room in Johnson ' s honor .