Dwayne Johnson is a one-man wrecking crew in the entertainment business. He's such an ever-present figure, and such a powerful personality, that it's almost hard to imagine a world in which he never became the star he is today.
But as he shares in a lengthy post to Instagram, that fate is credited in large part to one man who helped launch The Rock's entertainment career. Former WWE star King Haku has a connection to Johnson's family, having been trained by the Rock's grandfather in the 1970s. Known to Johnson as "Uncle Tonga," he was a presence throughout the young Johnson's life and eventually opened the door to his debut in the WWE.
"I get a call from WWE saying "Vince McMahon wants to see you wrestle immediately. He's flying you to RAW tomorrow and you'll have a tryout match," Johnson writes. "I thought holy s--t that's awesome, buuuut there's a few problems: For me, I wasn't just having 'a tryout match', because I had never actually HAD a real match in my life. Ever.
"WWE thought that I already had multiple matches under my belt, but little did they know."
Another big problem: Johnson didn't have a pair of wrestling trunks. Uncle Tonga loaned him a purple pair, and his tryout went flawlessly.
Years later, Johnson was happy to return the favor -- with interest. He paid Uncle Tonga a visit in a new truck Johnson had purchased.
"My Uncle Tonga is a family man, humble man and champion," he writes. "Most importantly one of the greatest human beings I know. So we walk outside and I said 'Uncle how do you like my truck?' He said, 'Whoooaaa nephew it's beautiful... I love it!' I said 'Good 'cause it's yours.' He was speechless.
"Thru tears (manly of course;) we monster hugged 'cause I'll never forget what he did for me when I had nothing. Merry Christmas Uncle and ofa atu."
Those purple wrestling trunks became an object of luck for Johnson, who would wear them in his early matches for WWE. He's come a long way since those days, all thanks to Uncle Tonga.
