I came as soon as I heard.
How's the big guy holding up?
It's not looking good.
The doctor's in there with him now.
I'm afraid he's not gonna make it...
To his campaign event.
Candidate Johnson's sick with food poisoning.
He'll be down for about 24 hours.
Twenty-four hours?
Okay, no one can leave this room
until we find out who's behind this.
We all have our reasons for wanting to poison candidate Johnson.
What? No, it was chef Susan.
She made a batch of bad clam chowder.
There was a new seafood guy at the farmer's market.
I don't get it.
You came so highly recommended
from Courtney Cox.
Cox has made a powerful enemy.
Which one of you is Randall?
Um, you don't recognize me?
I used to be an actor.
Uh, he's asking for you.
Really?
Coming, Dwayne.
Knock, knock.
Uh, just let me, uh, find a lamp.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Keep it dark.
The cones in my eyes are sensitive when I'm sick.
Randall, I need your help.
Yeah, of course. What do you need?
Can you tie this tie for me?
You told me you worked at Brooks brothers
for a summer, right?
Well, for seven years, actually.
But why are you getting dressed?
The doctor said. You need to rest. No, no,
no. I can't rest.
There's no time for rest.
The election is happening in three days
and I'm just getting momentum
back in my campaign.
I gotta keep going. Dwayne,
you've been food poisoned.
Randall, when you're faced with challenges,
sometimes you gotta answer the call,
like that time back in 1996,
when I got a call from pat Patterson
that changed my life.
Pat: You ever been to corpus christi?
Yes, of course,
many times. Adult Dwayne: Lhadn't.
Well, wwf is taping down there,
and Vince wants to take a look at you in a dark match.
That's the match for the crop before the real show starts.
A dark match for Vince.
Sounds good.
Okay, we'll send the plane tickets over
and you will fly out tomorrow.
You got it, um, then what happens?
Well, you make yourdebut
hopefully, you don't stink up the joint.
You go from there. Just get down here.
You got your own wrestling gear, right?
Yeah, of course. Adult Dwayne: Ldidn't.
Great. We'll see you tomorrow.
Thank you, Mr. Patterson.
Looking forward to it.
Adult Dwayne: That part was true.
Whoo-hoo!
Dewey, this is incredible.
Your first match ever
is for the wwf.
Did you hear that, high chief?
It's finally happening.
You need to tell everybody in heaven.
Wake up, Jesus, if you have to.
W... wait. They want me to fly out tomorrow.
I've gotta train Pam at the gym.
I'll take care of that.
Hello, gym? Dwayne quits. Tell Pam.
What's next?
Uh, I need some wrestling gear.
Can I borrow some trunks?
Tights?
I'm not making my wrestling debut
looking like some broke ass Robin hood.
You know, towards the end, I didn't train legs.
Maybe uncle Tonga got some trunks you can borrow.
Adult Dwayne: Now, my uncle Tonga was a legend.
Man: Hey! Hey.
I know you can hear me.
You know, just because your sport is fake
don't mean your ears are fake too.
Just enjoying my fish and chips.
Well, don't fill up before your fake fight.
You wanna go?
You bit my nose off.
More tartar sauce, please.
Tonga: Then I go back to my fish and chips.
But the man's wife was in store. Uncle Tonga...
You know, I love this story,
and I can't wait to tell it to my kids one day.
It's just I'm kind of in a rush.
I'm wrestling for Vince tomorrow,
and I need to borrow some gear.
Mmm-hmm. You're wrestling for Vince?
Then I have some advice for you.
Remember who you are.
What do you mean? A lot of things
are about to change for you.
People are going to wanna change you.
So just remember
who you are.
Adult Dwayne: So I had my dad's two small boots,
my uncle's two big trunks
and I was ready to show who I was.
I just needed to make one more call.
Young Dwayne: Hey, dany.
Hey, it's good to hear from you.
Yeah, look, I know it's been a while,
but I was waiting to reach out until I had some good news.
I'm doing what I said I'd do.
I'm giving this wrestling thing a shot.
And now somehow I'm wrestling a match for the wwf this weekend.
That's amazing.
I mean, I kind of already knew.
Your mom called and told me.
Yeah, of course she did.
That's incredible, though.
So how do you feel?
Um, nervous.
Butconfident and I know what I gotta do.
And you're gonna do it.
Well, you've been busy.
The wwf is already auditioning you.
How many matches have you had now?
None, wait.
You mean like, no wwf matches?
No. No matches, period, Steve.
This is my first one, ever.
Adult Dwayne: Larrived in corpus christi
and was picked up by my opponent,
wwe veteran, Steve lombardi, aka
the Brooklyn brawler.
Steve actually broke my dad into the wwf.
Now he was doing the same for me.
Brawler: Sold out.
15,000 fans.
Hell of a way to make your debut.
Your first match in front of Vince McMahon,
and 15,000 screaming fans,
your career in the balance.
I know you were excited,
but weren't you also terrified?
I was running on adrenaline.
Plus, I was where I wanted to be,
and, uh, I was just really focused on giving it my all.
But first,
I would meet the man in charge of my match that night.
A legendary ex-wrestler,
the freebird, Michael p. S. Hayes.
It's an honor to meet you, sir.
Spend hours practicing your moonwalk in junior high.
Well, I see, rocky's boy has got good taste.
Yeah. You know, your uncles,
the wild Samoans, broke me in?
I do and I just wanna say,
I'm so grateful for this chance.
Yeah. Well, I'm grateful the hotel bar stays open to 3:00 am.
Now, look, this is your first match.
I don't wanna overcomplicate things.
Brawler here is a ring general.
You need to follow his lead and keep it simple.
You got six minutes, and that includes entrances.
No more, no less.
Hey, you got it. So what about the finish.
How do you want brawler to over?
Kid, Vince didn't fly you here to lose.
You're going over.
Adult Dwayne: The only thing crazier
than having your first match on wwf stage in front of 15, 000 people,
was actually winning that match.
It was unheard of.
Brawler: Dwayne.
Adult Dwayne: I wanted to call my parents
and tell them the news, but there was so much going on.
Luckily, they figured out a way to stay informed.
Oh, y'all know what this is? A computer, rocky.
So you're familiar.
Luckily, this fell off the back...
Of a circuit city truck.
There's the sound.
Okay, now all we got to do
is log in to the wwf aol chat room,
find someone in corpus
and they'll give us some updates.
Hello,
it's rocky Johnson.
Rocky: Oh!
Jim hellwig, the ultimate warrior.
What great luck, getting him on the first try.
Guess my name still carries some clout.
I'd like...
An update on tonight's dark match in corpus christi.
What?
I'm not trying to deny you anything.
I just want updates
on my son's dark match.
"I breathe the air that smells of combat."
Damn it, Jim. Now's not the time.
This isn't working, rocky.
We need to come up with another plan.
The iron sheik: Dewey, baby!
Hey, sheiky, baby!
Randall: The iron sheik was still wrestling.
Adult Dwayne: No, but he had just been hired back as a heel manager.
Just talked to rocky.
I promise I call during your match.
Give family updates
like Dan rather at Berlin wall.
Ah, dad's always working the angles.
Excuse me, baba. I need to find jabroni ultimate warrior.
He's been very rude in chatroom.
Jim. Jim, where are you?
Jim hellwig.
Hey, Dwayne Johnson.
Steve Austin.
Adult Dwayne: The man who revolutionized the wrestling business.
In my opinion, the greatest of all time.
But back then, he was simply known as,
the ringmaster.
Yeah, I'm a huge fan of your stuff in wcw, by the way.
Stunning Steve, Hollywood blonds.
What, um... happened?
Yeah. Long story short,
Vince gave me this ringmaster gimmick.
Well, a great technician in the ring,
but I never talk.
Like ever?
He says my wrestling does the talking.
And does it? Hell, yeah,
but my words are pretty damn good at talking too.
But it could be worse.
They call that mantaur.
What territory you come out of?
Uh, tampa-ish.
How long you been working?
Uh, this is my first match.
What? Oh...
Did hejust say this is his first match.
I'm Dwayne Johnson.
Nice to meet you.
Hunter hearst Helmsley.
Adult Dwayne: And this guy who looked like he was late for a fox hunt
would one day become...
And now triple h is one of my closest friends in wrestling.
But back then we were planting the seeds
on what would grow into a classic rivalry.
You know, in a few months I should be intercontinental champion.
Nice. That's the same title
Don muraco let me wear when I was 10.
It feels really good. You'll like it.
Nice. When iwin,
I'll make sure to send you an autographed picture.
Maybe you can sell it, buy some matching ring gear.
Nice. Hey, speaking of gear,
did you need any help polishing this cane?
'Cause I would gladly like to shine it up,
turn it sideways and stick it straight up your...
Hey, it's rocky's kid.
Mick foley.
Heard about you winning tonight.
Tough break.
What do you mean? Well, if you were losing,
there'd be hardly any pressure.
When you win, Vince is gonna be looking for that crowd reaction.
Could decide whether you stay in the big leagues or not.
The pressure is on.
Have a nice day.
Don't sweat it.
Go out there, do your thing, have some fun.
Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure I'm getting fired.
Adult Dwayne: The undertaker.
I was in total awe of his presence.
I had only heard him say the words "rest in peace,"
so what came out of his mouth next
stayed with me for the rest of my life.
Mother
Oh, this is so freaking cool.
Undertaker?
I just wanted to introduce myself and show my respect.
I'm Dwayne Johnson.
I'm wrestling in tonight's dark match.
Go tear it up, kid.
Make 'em remember ya.
Brawler: Dwayne.
Showtime.
Right.
Ad u it dwayn e: Showtime.
Time to be the man in the arena.
Time to answer the call.
My name is Bruce prichard.
What are we calling you?
Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne Johnson?
That's it?
That's it. Do you know who I talk to for some entrance music?
Oh, you want some entrance music.
I'll fix you up something nice.
Oh, Mr. McMahon.
Ah! Dwayne Johnson.
I just wanna let you know how grateful I am for this opportunity.
Pat said we should take a look at you.
You know, your dad provided us with many great memories over the years.
Looking foward to seeing all you've got.
I won't let you down. All right.
Randall: So did it ever
cross your mind that the history
between Vince and your dad
would be an issue?
Vince is a businessman,
and I knew he was always thinking big picture.
Plus, if there was any heat between my old man and Vince,
they kept it between themselves.
Hmm. What's it say?
Ooh, too hot.
Get outta the kitchen.
What? Oh, it's one of those
novelty thermometers.
Oh.
That's fun. I really just don't feel well.
Yeah.
Yeah. Ah_.Yougood?
Pat: Remember...
Doesn't matter, if you've worked 10 years or 10 minutes,
you made this moment happen,
and you control what happens next.
Adult Dwayne: Well, that's when I learned not to ask for ring entrance music.
Hey, six minutes starts now.
Time to go.
Adult Dwayne: This was it. My big shot,
and I was gonna soak it all in.
Ring announcer: From Miami,
weighing 272 pounds,
Dwayne Johnson!
Who the hell are you?
Man: Who is this guy?
Ring announcer: And from New York,
weighing 253 pounds...
The Brooklyn brawler.
Adult Dwayne: As brawler made his way to the ring,
I thought to myself,
six minutes...
Six minutes to change the course of my life.
Michael Hayes: Let's see what you've got, kid.
Ding, ding, ding.
Take that, ya punk!
Who's the man?
Yeah!
Go back to Miami!
The crowd goes mild.
Dewey has brawler in the corner.
He's kicking him in the gut.
Is he hurt?
You can tell if he's hurt or just selling right?
Are his kicks smooth?
They'd better be. The boyjust had to show his legs.
His legs look great, baba.
Jabroni, moose. Move!
What do we do now?
Give it a second and sell.
These people care about you at all.
They're gonna let us know. Okay.
Adult Dwayne: So I leaned in to what my dad taught me.
This wasn't the time for flashy moves.
I needed to connect with the crowd and make them give a damn.
Man: Let's go, dude!
Adult Dwayne: This was a huge moment for me.
When you're an unknown baby face
and you get a positive response from the crowd?
It means you're doing something right.
Come back time. You're doing great.
Adult Dwayne: Man, I was feeding off their energy,
and that feeling was indescribable.
Okay, okay.
Referee: Dwayne Johnson!
Dewey wins! Dewey, number one.
Hell yeah.
As green as grass, but what an athlete,
like his old man.
I get goose bumps hearing you talk about that match.
It was epic. I have to say.
Reminds me of my first stage experience at ucla.
Randall: It was the day before my first play,
an all Asian adaptation of the hudsucker proxy.
And I hadn't slept all night.
Adult Dwayne: Randall, what are you doing?
Sorry, I got carried away.
So, you win your first match.
That must have felt incredible. Oh, it did.
But, you know, more than the joy,
it was standing in the middle of that ring and feeling the crowd.
And for the first time in my life,
I felt like I was home.
- Greatjob. - Greatjob.
Bruce: Good job, man. Thank you, guys.
Thank you, sir. Brawler: Bro.
Do you hear that? They're pumped.
Yeah. What does that mean?
That means they gave a crap. And they cheered when you won.
Thank you. I won't ever forget. Hey.
You know what this watch says?
Six minutes exactly.
All: Yay! Justhke your wedding night.
Dewey, follow me.
Thanks. Yeah, of course.
People are impressed.
They can't believe it's your first match.
I haven't felt anything like this.
Vince wants you to come to the TV taping in San Antonio tomorrow.
Yes, sir. See you there, kid.
So what happened in San Antonio?
Well, I had my second dark match,
which I lost, but it went great.
And after that I was summoned
to the wwe headquarters in stamford, Connecticut,
to have a one on one meeting with Vince McMahon,
which I was told could be more intimidating than any match.
But, uh, I really wanted to impress Vince.
So I wore the best outfit that a broke ass kid
with seven bucks could put together.
My finest mom jeans,
a five-year-old Tommy hilfiger shirt,
and a pair of custom snakeskin boots
that I got up in calgary.
Dwayne, thanks for coming.
No problem. Great to see you.
Whoa, nice boots. Yeah.
Hope you didn't get 'em custom for this meeting.
No, I can't afford boots like these. They were free.
Ah! I got 'em with a coupon from Jeff Garcia's gift bag
when I was in the cfl.
Can't beat free. Yeah.
Come on.
Dwayne, I think you have a lot of potential.
I mean, you are a complete natural out there.
Thank you. You did great.
But you're not ready for the wwf.
Okay. Which is why I'm sending you to Memphis.
Memphis, that's a Jerry lawless promotion. Exactly.
You'll go down there, learn the fundamentals,
you know, ring psychology, how to cut a promo.
When you're ready,
we'll call you back up to the wwf.
Adult Dwayne: Some wrestlers stayed in Memphis for months,
some for years, some never got the call.
But I wasn't fazed because this was my shot.
Thank you so much, Vince, and again,
truly grateful for this opportunity.
You got a car as nice as those boots?
Uh, no.
The last car I had had a homeless guy living in it.
Well, get one.
You're gonna be driving all over the territory.
No problem.
You got a place stay in Memphis?
Yeah, I have family there.
Welcome home, brother.
Sweet dreams, big prince.
Oh, uh. Ididn'tjust kiss you.
Finally, the rock has come back...
Both: To his kitchen.
Oh, but that was awesome.
I feel so much better,
and I want to apologize for yesterday.
I know we lost a crucial day
in the home stretch of this campaign.
Actually, sir. No.
We didn't miss a beat.
General Jackson, freshly out of the hospital
after her incident in Tennessee,
stepped in for all of your events.
Your vp did meet the press,
visited a construction site,
and ran a half marathon.
Ah, so she answered.
Both: She answered the call.
Damn it! Thought we could go
two for two with the in unison statements. Mmm.
Yeah. Hmm, try it again?
So she answered the call. So she...
No, it's not there.
Lost the moment.
So she answered... no.