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NBC Orders 'Young Rock' Based on WWE Star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Childhood

Joseph Zucker

The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment is about to get an origin story.

NBC announced last Saturday it ordered 11 episodes for a comedy series titled Young Rock, which will center on the various stages in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's life. Johnson explained the general premise for the show:

"I've told many many stories, many of them unbelievable, but all of them true. You'll find Young Rock wreaking havoc in the streets of Hawaii, getting arrested doing a lot of things I shouldn't do. We were evicted off the island and moved, to all places, Nashville, Tennessee. Imagine me being in downtown Nashville, listening to country music at 15 years old, buying my first car from a crackhead for $70. We go into my high school years as Young Rock, and my role as a University of Miami football star, until I got beaten out of my position by a young man named Warren Sapp, who went on to become one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time."

Johnson was born into the wrestling business. His father and grandfather enjoyed legendary careers in the ring, and his grandmother was a promoter in Hawaii.

The 47-year-old made his televised debut for WWE at Survivor Series 1996 and became one of the biggest wrestling stars in history. His feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin throughout the 1990s and early 2000s was a key component in the explosion of the "Attitude Era."

Johnson started transitioning toward a movie career in 2002 and has seen his profile in Hollywood explode. According to Forbes' Madeline Berg, he earned $89.4 million between June 2018 and June 2019, which made him the highest-paid actor in the world.

Based on his comments, drawing attention to his wrestling and acting contributions only tell part of the story, with Young Rock shining a light on how Johnson got to where he is today.

Johnson already has some experience working behind the scenes on an examination of a wrestler's journey to the ring. He helped produce and played himself in Fighting with My Family, which profiled WWE star Paige.

   

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