Dwayne Johnson is one of the highest-paid movie stars in the world. In the mid-1990s, he was wrestling for $40 a match.
Before he made it to the WWF, Johnson worked in the United States Wrestling Association in Tennessee. He talked about those days in a 2024 interview with GQ, as reported by CNBC.
“Those were the days where I was making 40 bucks per match wrestling in flea markets,” he said. Some of the shows were held at “used-car dealerships in the parking lot.” He also said, “I ate Waffle House three times a day.”
Cut by the Calgary Stampeders
Football came first. Johnson was a defensive lineman for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in 1995, and the team cut him about two months into the regular season, The Globe and Mail reported.
When he got back to Tampa, he had $7 to his name, according to Yahoo, which cited an interview he gave The Hollywood Reporter. He later wrote on Twitter, “I started w/ $7 bucks. If I can overcome, so can you.” His production company, Seven Bucks Productions, is named after that moment.
He has since called Stampeders coach Wally Buono a class act and said Buono “has no idea what cutting me did for my psyche and drive.”
His Debut at Madison Square Garden
Johnson made his WWF debut on Nov. 17, 1996, at Survivor Series at Madison Square Garden. He wasn’t The Rock yet. He wrestled under the name Rocky Maivia.
He was part of a four-man team with Marc Mero, Barry Windham and Jake Roberts, and his side won the elimination match, according to F4W. The company is now known as WWE.
What the Flea Markets Taught Him
Johnson told GQ that the small shows gave him a rule he kept for the rest of his career. “What you learn there in cutting your teeth in that world of pro wrestling at that level is to do your best to send everybody home happy,” he said.
He used the same test when he moved into movies. “I want to make movies that hopefully are good, that don’t suck. But also reach as many people as possible,” he said. When he read a script, he asked himself whether it had “four-quadrant capability” and whether audiences would like seeing him “in this role.”
CNBC reported that this “audience first” approach later helped him earn hundreds of millions of dollars.
He also said he now looks for roles that “challenge” him. “There’s also a place for me, in my career, where the material is deeper,” Johnson said.
His live-action remake of “Moana,” in which he plays Maui, is now streaming on Disney+.
