Why The Rock Changed His Wrestling Name From Rocky Maivia
Young Rock portrays the first wrestling match of Dwayne Johnson, more commonly known as «The Rock,» but in the show, he goes by an entirely different name. In the fictionalized biographical series, which shares the origin story of one of the biggest names in Hollywood, Johnson reflects on his first match with the WWF (World Wrestling Federation), now known as WWE. «The Rock» debuts in his first wrestling match, not with the moniker he is known by now, but instead as «Rocky Maivia.»
Young Rock season 2, episode 8, «Corpus Christi,» follows Johnson as he makes his first appearance in the ring. In this first match, Johnson is introduced as Rocky Maivia. In reality, «The Rock» did not choose his first wrestling name at all. It was the head of WWE, Vince McMahon, who combined the names of Johnson's father and grandfather to pay homage to their careers as pro-wrestlers. Johnson hated this from the moment it was proposed, but he didn't have a choice, so it was from his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, that Johnson's first WWE wrestling name was born: Rocky Maivia.
Related: Young Rock: What Ever Happened To Mantaur, WWE's Ridiculous Bull?
While Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson has been grateful for the legacy his family left behind for him, he wanted the change to forge his own path. At first, Rocky Maivia allowed him easier access to the industry. The name got his foot in the door of wrestling with the foundation his father and grandfather had already established. However, Johnson discovered Rocky Maivia was not the name he wanted crowds to chant. He realized it was time to create a new, more authentic identity. It was Patt Patterson, a mentor and father figure to Johnson, that originally proposed an idea for
Read more on screenrant.com
