Would you believe it if you were told Dwayne ‘The Rock‘ Johnson was once hated by just about everyone? There was a time when Babyface Dwayne Johnson was booed away by the audience chanting “Rocky Sucks” in the WWE arena. It was one of his lowest points in life because he felt his wrestling career was going to end just like his football career.

However, when he joined The Nation of Domination in 1997, things started to change. A little honesty and showing his true self is all it took for Johnson to put a stop to the booing. In a new conversation with Joe Rogan, ‘DJ’ opened up about it.

Dwayne Johnson on transforming his image: “I just want to be real”

Johnson had an early push from the WWE as Rocky Maivia; a name that honored his father and grandfather. A family of wrestlers guaranteed his fame, but a young Johnson lacked the skills and the charisma to carry it forward.

Unfortunately, all of that led to a character that was underwhelming. Eventually, Johnson would get an injury that would force him to take a little break and once he was back, he was put in The Nation of Domination by Vince McMahon. ‘The Rock’ spoke to Joe Rogan on JRE episode #2063, about how a simple ask from Vince McMahon and a conversation changed everything.

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“I said to Vince, ‘Hey tonight when I go out there could I just have two minutes on the microphone?'” explained Johnson. “And he’s like ‘I don’t know’ . . . I said I just want to be real and just tell the fans how I feel and I feel like I need to recalibrate things here.” This was the birth of ‘The Rock’, a heel that brought the thrills to the ring.

“I grab the microphone and I say something like, ‘listen, I’m a lot of things but sucks isn’t one of them, and joining the nation isn’t a white thing, it’s not a black thing, it’s a me kicking your a*s thing and I’m gonna earn this respect one way or the other’. Dude, that was the most freeing thing for me in my career. It was like you know how you have these defining moments.”

Clearly, the man has had a lot to learn and explore during his time in the WWE. Everyone knows Johnson’s inspiring story of how he went from $7 bucks to becoming a millionaire. It was only with time that he found himself and took up the magnetic character of ‘The Rock’ but can you smell what he is cooking?

Johnson wanted to be like Bruce Lee; Had purchased nunchucks

At some point, Rogan couldn’t stop but bring up the cinema and martial arts legend, Bruce Lee. Back in Lee’s days, everyone wanted to be like him, and ‘The Rock’ was no different. He recalled how he bought his first pair of nunchucks as the two went on about it all.

Also Read: Despite Being in His Heart, Dwayne Johnson Reveals Big Reason to Choose NFL Over Wrestling, Years Before the Same Sport Saved His Life

“Everyone thought they were Bruce Lee by the way,” Johnson said. “I remember getting my first pair of nunchucks but I f*cked myself up with the real ones. And (then) I was like ‘oh they make rubber ones that you’re supposed to learn with’.”

Movies have had a big impact on Johnson’s life from day 1. Today he’s accomplished it all. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: 50 Years of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson’s Greatest Achievements in WWE