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Sam "The Rock" Simkins
Johnson at G.I. Joe: Retaliation premiere in Sydney, on 14 March 2013.
Birth name	Samuel James Simpson
Ring name(s)	Flex Kavana Sammy Simkins The Rock Sam "The Rock" Simkins
Billed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Billed weight	260 lb (120 kg)
Born	May 2, 1972 (age 39) Hayward, California
Resides	Los Angeles, California
Billed from	Miami, Florida
Trained by	Rocky Simkins Pat Patterson
Debut	1996

Sam James Simkins (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler who is signed to the IWE, featured on its Raw brand. He is often credited as Sam "The Rock" Simkins.

Simkins was a college football player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter 'Maivia' Simkins, and his father, Rocky Simkins. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), originally known as the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Simkins was quickly given a push as a heroic character in the IWF, originally billed as "Sammy 'Rocky' Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997. Two years after he joined the IWF, Simkins won the IWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos.

Simkins won a total of 16 championships in IWF/E. This included nine World Heavyweight Championships (the IWF/E Championship seven times and the WCW/World Championship twice), two IWF Intercontinental Championships, and five times as co-holder of the IWF Tag Team Championships. He was the sixth IWF/E Triple Crown Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Simkins's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained on the list for several weeks. Simkins's first leading role as an actor was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million. He has since appeared in several blockbuster movies such as The Rundown, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, Why Did I Get Married Too?, The Other Guys, Faster, and most recently Fast Five starring opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

Early life

Education

Professional wrestling career

Training (1995–1996)

International Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

Early IWF run (1996–1997)

Nation of Domination (1997–1998)

Main article: Nation of Domination

The Corporation (1998–1999)

Main article: The Corporation

The Rock 'n' Sock Connection and feuds for the IWE Championship (1999–2001)

Main article: Rock 'n' Sock Connection

Championship pursuits and final storylines (2001–2003)

Retirement and part-time appearances (2005–2010)

Return to IWE (2011–present)

Feud with Dustin Simpson (2011–2012)

IWE Champion (2012–present)

Television and film career

Filmography

Personal life

Public activities

Philanthropy

In wrestling

Relatives in wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
  • PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8
  • PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000)
  • PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000
  • PWI ranked him #76 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

• United States Wrestling Association
  • USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer

• International Wrestling Federation / International Wrestling Entertainment
  • WCW/World Championship (2 times)¹
  • IWF/E Championship (8 times)²
  • IWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
  • IWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Khris Jericho (1)
  • Royal Rumble (2000)
  • Sixth Triple Crown Champion
  • Slammy Award (9 times)
    • New Sensation (1997)
    • Game Changer of the Year (2011) – with Dustin Simpson
    • Guess Who's Back or: Return of the Year (2011)
    • LOL! Moment of the Year (2012, 2013) - insulting Dustin Simpson using the history of Boston, Massachusetts – Rock Concert on the 20th anniversary episode of Raw
    • Match of the Year (2013) - vs. Dustin Simpson for the IWE Championship at WrestleMania 29
    • Best Actor (2014)
    • This is Awesome Moment (2015 - shared with Ronda Rousey)
    • "Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Insult of the Year (2014) – Insulting Rusev and Lana

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Box Office Draw (2000)
  • Best Gimmick (1999)
  • Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
  • Most Charismatic (1999–2002)
  • Most Improved (1998)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

¹Won during The Invasion
²Final reign was as IWE Undisputed Champion

Special dvds

References

External links