Julien: Dwayne Johnson is just a bad guy, he always has been.
And when someone tries to kill you, you don't forget.
And you don't want that person in the white house.
(Beeps)
Wait. So, you do know this guy?
Uh, we met briefly in Hawaii.
Did you really try and kill him?
No, come on. Of course not.
So who is he? What happened?
Well, you know when you're on top,
someone will come along and try to knock you down a peg.
(Scoffs) Oh, yes.
In 1984, my dad, rocky Johnson and his tag team partner,
Tony atlas, had just won the wwe tag team titles
and we were all riding high.
Adult Dwayne: My dad was making more money
than he'd ever made in his life.
And one of the first things he did
was call the guy all the wrestlers got their jewelry from,
legendary heel manager, classy Freddie blassie.
The finest Israeli diamonds in Hawaii.
(Upbeat music playing)
Man: (Singing) Tonight
adult Dwayne: And one of the first things I did
was go on a shopping spree at toys r us.
Vince McMahon had made my dad a star.
And he wasn't only making our lives better,
he had my grandmother's back
as she dealt with federal charges
for an incident involving rival promoter, Greg yao.
It's a screwjob, Vince.
Whatever we can do to support you, Lia, just let me know.
These feds they don't understand
the ways of our business.
You know they're listening to this call right now?
No way. They'd have to get their heads
out of their asses first.
(Bothlaugh)
Good. (Laughs)
Adult Dwayne: Vince was always true to his word
and continued to allow some of his guys to work
for my grandmother, which was crucial to her business.
His wwf stars wrestled on her weekly show,
which aired on TV in Hawaii every Saturday.
Commentator 1: Mr. Fuji throws salt in king Tonga's eyes.
(G roans) That's gotta sting.
Commentator 2: Wait a minute, Jake's pointing at his bag.
What's in the bag?
Commentator 1: Oh, my god, it's desdemona.
Jake places his snake desdemona
on a knocked out splotter's chest,
adding insult to injury.
(Bell dings) (Crowd cheering)
Commentator 2: Rocky with the elbow to sheik.
Commentator 1: And George "the animal" Steele is going wild.
Rocky dives for the tag.
Commentator 2: Tony atlas is coming in like a house on fire.
(Crowd cheering)
He body presses sheik, what a specimen.
(All cheering)
One...
Two... three... four... (Bell dings)
The soul patrol has done it again. Yeah! Go, dad!
(Chuckles) Wait, these aren't potato ridges.
They're ruffles, baby.
Only name brands for us now.
(Both whooping)
Adult Dwayne: Things were great.
We were living in a nice apartment...
(Both whooping) Eating name brand snacks.
And the clothes...
(Upbeat music playing)
Man: (Singing) Tonight
ooh
I felt pretty damn cool being the son of a wwf champ.
Hey, how much can your dad bench?
I don't know. But it's a lot.
One time I saw him pick up a refrigerator.
All: Whoa!
I saw rocky pull a knife on a bunch of kids
who had stolen Dewey's boogie board.
All: Whoa!
(Bell ringing) And then my dad grabs Steele
by his back hair. All: Wow!
So, sheikjumps in.
Then my dad starts pummeling sheik.
My dad tags in Tony,
who pins sheik and the announcers go,
"the soul patrol has done it again."
All: Whoa! Young Julien: Sorry...
Julien here. New kid.
My familyjust moved in from Saint Paul, Minnesota.
(Suspenseful music playing)
Randall: Oh, my god! That's him.
Julien. That's him.
And he came out of the gates swinging.
How do we know that rocky Johnson is really your dad?
What? I'm just saying,
have any of you ever seen rocky?
Girl 1: Uh...
Girl 2: Yeah. (Kids murmuring)
Sebi, you just said you saw my dad
pull a knife on some bullies.
Well, now that I think about it,
it could have just been a supportive man you were with.
Has your dad ever dropped you off at school?
No, 'cause I take the bus. Julien: That's weird.
Son of a champ, takes the bus?
Just saying.
Adult Dwayne: No one had ever challenged me like that
and it got to me.
Man on radio: The rainbow warriors certainly have their work cut out for them.
Man 2 on radio: Coming up on Terry and the chief...
Lia maivia in studio live. (Sputtering)
Lia the whole island is buzzing about
the live wrestling event you're putting on next month.
Can you give us any details?
Of course, Terry.
The backyard brawl-b-q will be held at aloha stadium
with the biggest stars in the business.
Andre the giant, soul patrol,
Ric flair, roddy Piper,
Jake "the snake,"
oh, and so many more... Mrs. Maivia.
You can't be here. Again, you are under house arrest.
How did you find me? You're on the radio.
Let's go. But this is for my business.
You're about to go on trial
for racketeering and extortion charges against Greg yao.
You're not to conduct business of any kind.
Fine, I'll call my white lawyer
and see what he says about that.
Yes, great. I very much encourage you to do so.
Good, I will.
Tickets are going fast, call 808...
Mrs. Maivia... 1578922.
The FBI can be ruthless.
As I know from researching the role of eliot ness
which I didn't wind up getting
because the casting director was playing mind games.
Mmm. So, you know them? Mmm-hmm.
Like I was saying, when you're on top
like my grandmother was,
people come for you, man. (Chuckles)
When she was getting ready for her court case,
my dad and Tony,
well, they were really embracing
the perks of being champs.
The number one rule is,
no matter what, under any circumstances
never ever meet him after midnight, yeah.
Tony atlas: Hey, nice necklace, rock.
Is that a bronze coyote? Oh, no, brother.
It's a golden lion. Yes, it is.
(Chuckles) You live your life, brother.
I just got myself a water bed.
Hey, I heard that's like sleeping in the ocean.
Well, no. See, I don't go near the ocean.
But I do mess with a water bed.
The guy even gave me a champion's discount.
King titan's luxury goods.
They'll hook you up.
(All laughing)
Good to see you. Pat Patterson.
Ah, rocky.
Guess who was just talking about you?
Who? Nobody.
(All laughing)
"Nobody." (both chuckle)
Oh, pat loved thatjoke.
You know, he was tag team partners with my grandfather,
high chief Peter maivia.
And pat was the first openly gay wrestler
and at that time in pro-wrestling,
it wasn't easy.
Adult Dwayne: They would mess with him,
and talk behind his back.
Man: Nice jacket.
So, my grandfather went up to pat
in a crowded locker room...
Good luck tonight, pat.
Adult Dwayne: It was my grandfather's way of saying
"if you mess with pat, then you mess with me."
Randall: Mmm-hmm.
And no one wanted to mess with the high chief.
He was the baddest dude in the room.
(All greeting and talking indistinctly)
I have an important announcement from Lia.
Lia: Testing, testing, one, two, three.
Bob, are you recording?
Bob: Yes. Lia: Good. Hello.
I wish I could be with you in person today.
But my white lawyer has said
I can't contact any wrestling businesses.
I will sort this out, but until then
I won't be able to run any meetings
and I'll be in touch soon.
How do I turn...
These used pancakes
are from the gentlemen in the corner booth.
Enjoy the leftovers, boys,
didn't want 'em to go to waste.
(Chuckling) Greg yao.
What are you doing here?
I've been up for three days celebrating.
(Chuckles) Celebrating.
Wait, what was I celebrating again?
You know what, you wouldn't have the balls...
No... to show up in this diner,
if Lia were here.
Well, she's not here. But I am.
With Jessica and Kristen.
(Chuckles) It's Kirsten.
I'm never gonna rememberthat, baby. (Chuckles)
Wait, celebrating your family's demise.
That's what I was gonna say.
That's what I've been up for three days doing.
(Snickers)
Adult Dwayne: While my grandmother had her hands full with Greg yao,
I was dealing with my own problems.
Dad, can you sign this for me?
Sure.
What's that for? There's a kid at school
who doesn't believe that dad is my dad.
What? Of course I'm your dad.
I know but he doesn't believe me.
Oh, honey, don't let that kid bother you.
But get used to it.
You see, I'm on top,
which means you're on top.
Naturally people are gonna wanna challenge you.
Here. Hand it over like this.
So, they can see the family resemblance.
(Chuckles) Hi, how are you folks doing?
Anything catch your eye so far?
Yes, uh... (Clears throat) We are interested
in a water bed.
My tag team partner, Tony atlas,
said he got one here.
Rocky Johnson. (Chuckles)
Wow, I'm a huge soul patrol fan.
Ah, thank you. That last match was awesome.
When Tony press-slammed the sheik.
(Chuckles)
Yeah, but I kinda roughed sheik up before that.
Set Tony up. Yeah.
Ingrid, let's get a champion's discount
for Mr. Atlas's partner here.
Okay, I love Tony atlas.
(Bell ringing)
Yo, Julien, you want proof that rocky Johnson's my dad?
Here.
(Kids murmuring)
That's a cute photo
that you could have gotten at a meet and greet.
You see, I also have a signed photo
with me and rocky.
All: Ooh! Does this mean he's my dad?
I also have one
with me and Johnny Carson.
All: Whoa!
Also, not my dad.
(Kids laughing)
(Locker door closes)
Randall: Oh, oh, so Julien was that kind of kid?
The worst, right? The worst.
I totally get why you tried to kill him.
I never tried to kill him. Oh, right. Right.
Like at all. Okay.
I'll be... I'll be right out. (Sobbing)
(Upbeat music playing on TV)
Hope. (Gasps)
What are you doing here?
I'm here to take the woman I love.
You're my woman.
I've prayed for this moment. Bo still loves hope!
(Chuckung)
Honey...
I need you to take over the business.
What? Just temporarily.
The slimy FBI put an ankle ring on me
to track me like a dog.
So, I can't work while my court case is pending.
Have you talked to Herman about this?
Your white lawyer. Who?
Oh, yes, yes, he agrees.
While I'm dealing with the trial,
I need you to make sure
everything runs smoothly.
If anything jeopardizes this business,
Greg yao wins.
But... hold on, days is back.
You're not gonna marry Welch, I'm not gonna let that happen.
Stop me.
Woman: (Singing) Where have all the good men gone and where are...
I knew he'd stop the wedding.
Maybe rocky should get a motorcycle.
(TV turns off)
Running the business will be easy.
You oversee the Saturday matches
and the backyard brawl-b-q, live event.
But I've never done anything like this,
I can't just come in and run the place.
Yes, you can.
You've been by my side the whole time.
The business is in your blood.
That's true.
I have watched you and dad do this my entire life.
Okay.
I'll do it. (Chuckles)
Good. And remember,
when the wrestlers come and tell you ideas
about their persona,
just say, "I'll think about it."
And then never think about it.
(People talking indistinctly)
My mom gave me the breakdown of this Saturday's matches
and they're basically the same as last week's.
Hey, it's a well-oiled machine.
You got this, babe. You're gonna do great.
I'm talking pan am, right? Man: Pan am?
You gotta get in there. I'm on that...
Okay, everyone let's all take a seat and get started.
(Chattering indistinctly)
Sheik, are you looking for the bathroom?
No, I'm giving myself a tour.
Let's just all stay in the living room.
Hey, man, pass this coffee to Randy.
Yeah, got you, brother.
Yeah. There you go.
Ooh, yeah. Great coffee, Tony.
You're welcome, boss.
Hey, I made that coffee, man.
Sorry, brother, uh...
Heiflce. Thank you.
Was that so hard?
Ata: Okay, let's get to business.
Um, as you know, I'm temporarily taking over for my mom
while she handles her legal issues.
So, let's go through Saturday's match.
Sika: Ata? Yes, sika.
I have an idea I wanna try called "touched by ghosts."
All: Ooh!
See, I dye my hair all white.
Now either I'm a ghost or I'm a warrior
who fought ghosts and survived,
but I paid a price.
My white hair.
I always carry the Mark.
That's deep. (Whistles)
Okay, well... maybe...
And I was also thinking.
I know I'm super strong and all,
but what if I had a weakness?
And that weakness was feet.
Women's feet. You know what, Tony, I think...
I'll eat some bad beans and magically become smart.
You know what?
These are great ideas.
How about we all write them down and I'll think about it.
Bob has pens and paper.
(All chattering indistinctly)
I'm already taking notes.
I'm... hey, that's my pad.
Okay, that has a personal message
from a lady on it, okay?
That's a note from my mother.
Please, that's from my mother.
(Bell dinging)
(Crowd cheering) Just ignore him, baby.
It doesn't matter what this Julien kid thinks.
Except it does.
Kids are starting to believe him.
Fine, then I'll just come to school
with you tomorrow and show him my stretch marks.
Uh, you know what, I think I'm good.
Commentator 1: Mr. Fuji, again,
with the salt to the eyes. (G roans)
(Bell dings) Commentator 2: Look who's back.
It's desdemona.
Commentator 1: Jake the snake adds insult to injury.
Adult Dwayne: Now that my mom was in charge,
she saw the wrestling matches in a new light. (Groans)
And all she could think about
were ways to improve them.
Commentator 1: He body-presses Valentine...
His signature move.
(Bell ringing) Tony pins Valentine,
and the soul patrol wins again.
Young Dwayne: Yeah!
Ata. (Chuckles) Hey.
So good to see you.
(Chuckles) Muah. Muah.
So good to see you.
You remember my son, Dewey?
Oh, look at this little man.
(Chuckles) He reminds me so much of Peter.
One day, you will be a champ. Huh?
Like your father
and your grandfather.
It is in your blood. You understand?
Adult Dwayne: Pat was right. It was in my blood.
And I knew what I needed to do.
(Suspenseful music playing on TV)
And so did my mom.
Why are you looking at the guys' suggestions?
You're not actually considering their ideas.
(Chuckles) Their ideas aren't great.
But they're not wrong to wanna do something different.
Doesn't it feel like we keep repeating the same thing?
I feel like I am.
Babe, I do all that selling,
Tony gets the high tag and the big finish
and that's what the people remember.
It's crazy.
I do 99% of the work
and he gets all the glory.
I mean, we're both tag team champ...
Where's my belt?
Oh, my god!
(Upbeat funky music playing)
Is that the wwf tag team belt?
Yup.
Yo, Julien, just thought I'd wear a belt to school today.
My dad's championship belt.
All: Whoa!
Did you also get one of these at a meet and greet?
Huh! No.
So, how do you think I got it then?
All: Ooh!
I guess rocky Johnson really is your dad.
And don't forget it.
Julien: But...
It's not like it's your belt.
Say what? Kids: Ooh!
You didn't win it. You're not a wrestler.
Not yet.
But I will be.
It's in my blood. Oh, yeah?
Prove it.
Let's take this to the yard.
All: Whoa!
Great work on Saturday's matches.
I mean, I just executed your vision.
Exactly.
Here's a breakdown for next weekend.
And this week, you have to do the wrestling round up
on the Terry and the fake chief show.
This is the same as last week.
And the week before.
Mr. Fuji's throwing salt again.
No, see. He's throwing salt in sgt. Slaughter's eyes.
But why is he throwing salt at all?
Because he wants to win.
I mean, what's his backstory?
Was he a failed chef?
Did critics say his food was too bland,
which caused his restaurant to close
and now he just carries salt with him wherever he goes?
No, hejust throws it because he has it.
Maybe we could create more history for these guys.
Get fans even more invested in the storylines.
It's like days of our lives.
Every soap character has a backstory.
A betrayal.
A secret twin. A hidden love child and we eat it up.
We could be doing the same thing with wrestling.
Wrestling's never been more popular. Why change it?
It's not changing it.
It's just building on what's already there.
I really think we've got a chance...
You know what?
I'll think about it.
Man on TV: Fresh brewed coffee will brighten up your day.
Start your morning with a...
(Bell rings) (Upbeat music playing)
Young Dwayne: All right. This is a classic ladder match.
First person to climb up theladder
and get the belt wins.
All: Whoo! Which will be me.
All: Ooh!
This is the wrestling ring.
We can't go outside these lines.
Nothing to the face or nuts for obvious reasons.
Here, read this.
In this corner, weighing in at 91.5 pounds,
future wrestler and undisputed son of rocky Johnson,
Dewey Douglas Johnson!
(Cheering) Young Dwayne: Yeah. You're going down Julien.
And in the other corner, Montana Julien.
All: Yeah. I'm from Minnesota.
Let's have a clean match.
Ding, ding, ding.
(All cheering)
All: Ooh! Ow! What the...
(All cheering)
Young Dwayne: Get off!
Boy: Come on.
Yes! (All cheering)
(All gasping)
Come help your champion.
So, I beat him in a school yard match,
and that's what he means by I tried to kill him.
He's the one who pushed the ladder out from underyou.
And there I was dangling from that tree
all because I let that little punk get underneath my skin.
When really he was justjealous
and wanted to knock me down a peg.
He had nothing to lose,
everything to gain, just like now.
Totally. And now you have the much thicker skin.
And there's no way I'd let that happen to me now.
So, what happened after the fight?
Well, the school called my parents in
and I got into a lot of trouble.
Mmm. For starting a fight.
No, for stealing thejanhoflsladder
he got stuck up on the roof for a couple of hours.
(Both chuckle)
Someone call my wife.
Hi, honey.
It's me your wife. (Kids giggling)
Mrs. Janitor.
My wife's name is Gloria.
Just bring me my ladder.
Hey! Hey!
Stop throwing nuts.
Adult Dwayne: And I wasn't the only one in the family
who let someone get under their skin.
So, today, we're talking to some very special guests.
The wwf tag team champions,
Tony atlas and rocky Johnson.
So, guys, you both got great charisma, great bodies.
Rocky, you're a workhorse. You got moves on moves.
Hey, thank you, Terry.
You know... but Tony, you come into the ring
andyouhfitheguy overyourhead
and that's it. You only have the one move.
And the audience is eating outofyourhand.
I know. It's all I gotta do.
(Chuckung)
So, you're taking on roddy rowdy Piper
and George "the animal" Steele
at the backyard brawl-b-q.
What can we expect from the soul patrol?
Well, um...
Whatever it is,
I'm sure itwill involve me doing 99% of the work,
and Tony lifting a guy at the end.
(Suspenseful music playing)
(Chuckles) Do I sense some tension here?
Yeah. 'Sup, bruh?
You mad at me?
Or did you get up on the wrong side of the waterbed?
For the finest water beds
checkout king titan's luxury goods.
No, I'm not mad.
I'm just speaking the truth.
I start the match, grind our opponents down,
then you come in at the very end
and get the pin.
Rocky does the work, Tony gets the credit.
The chief: Oh, I don't know about you, Terry, but I'm sensing
some trouble in paradise.
Why don't we take a break
and give these two time to cool off?
In the meantime, we're taking your calls.
That was amazing.
You guys played that perfectly.
Sidney poitier over here. (Chuckles)
That was some great acting, bruh. I totally bought it.
Thanks, Tony. You weren't so bad yourself.
Adult Dwayne: Because my mom loved soap operas,
she understood that the best storylines
always came from a kernel of truth.
(Phone ringing)
Terry: Wow. The phone lines are blowing up.
Looks like the fans are buying it, too. (Chuckles)
This tension is going to get
everyone invested in your match at the brawl-b-q.
I'm planning something big for you guys.
I've got Lia on line two.
She wants to know what the hell's going on.
(Phone ringing)
Adult Dwayne: Integrating out of the ring drama was something
that would eventually become a fixture in the world of pro-wrestling.
My mom and a few other visionaries,
they were well ahead of their time.
But she still had herchahenges ahead of her.
Hmm. So, hey we had the team
do some digging on this Julien guy.
He's a real piece of work.
He's a chiropractor with two stars on yelp,
divorced, one son,
he's been banned from the olive garden for complaining too much,
and apparently he has tweeted about you every day,
since you announced that you were running for president.
(All chuckling)
Uh, "who actually knows if the rock loves america?"
(Randall chuckles) Oh!
"How do we know he's not on steroids?"
(All chuckling)
Randall: Ooh, "no way was that him singing in moana."
(All laughing) Randall: Okay.
(Chuckung)
Well, it's been a nice fun trip down memory Lane
and I have an interview to prep for.
(Laughs)
Uh, oh, it's a kitten video.
Randall: "The rock hates kittens, of course."