American-Canadian actor and wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is a widely known pop culture icon for his role in the WWE, as well in Hollywood. His strong build has led some to believe he served in the US Army.
Dwayne Johnson ‘The Rock’ did not serve in the military. He built his strong physique during his time as a professional wrestler in the WWE. Prior to this, he played several sports in his youth including football. After winning several wrestling championships, he pursued an acting career. However, Johnson did have a tank named after him, and also released a T-shirt line honoring the military.
Read more to find out about Dwayne Johnson’s life before becoming an actor.
Dwayne’s Achievements
Johnson was born to mother Ata Johnson and professional wrestler father Rocky Johnson, whose footsteps Dwayne would later follow.
Johnson’s father, Rocky Johnson, was a member of the tag team that won the 1983 world championship, making him and his wrestling partner the first black champions in WWE history.
Dwayne played several sports in highschool, from track and field to football.
The actor started off playing college football for the University of Miami, winning a championship, but was undrafted by the NFL.
He went on to wrestle for what is now known as the WWE, and won a championship in 1998.
He was well-known for his charismatic personality, and his nickname ‘The Rock’ was coined during his wrestling era after his father.
Johnson won several championships during his time in the WWE. He was celebrated as the World Champion 10 times, and the Intercontinental Champion twice.
In 2004, he ventured into Hollywood, during which he built up a strong cinematic presence through blockbusters such as G.I Joe: Retaliation, the Fast & Furious series, and the Jumanji franchise.
He is one of the top grossing movie actors of all time, and was named in the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World in two separate years.
Army Tank Named After ‘The Rock’
Johnson has paid tribute to the military several times. One such instance was in this Facebook post, for which he worked with Under Armour to produce a T-shirt that honors the military with a red, white and blue United States flag.
Members of the U.S Army Blackhawk Squadron’s First Division named one of their tanks after Johnson out of love for him.
The division tweeted about this, hoping ‘The Rock’ would see and like it.
The tweet reads, “If you smell what America’s Tank Division is cooking!”, a play on The Rock’s catchphrase from his wrestling days “Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?”
The actor noticed this and gave the squadron a shout-out online, describing the tank as “Sexy AF” in an Instagram post linked below.
The post reads, “I’m sending a salute of respect & gratitude to the Blackhawk Squadron ?? 1st Armored Division for the honor of naming their tank (the most advanced in the world) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Heavy duty, bad ass, sexy AF and built to take care of business ? — but most importantly, thank you all for your service. Grateful to the bone.”
He thanked the army for their service, and for naming the tank, which he mentioned was the most advanced of its kind at the time, after him.
Some users were upset with the actor’s comments, and accused him of warmongering, after which he received a slew of hate online for the post.
Despite this, ‘The Rock’ Johnson did not make any public statements regarding the incident and respects the armed forces despite never having served in it.