Jayme Johnson
From Iwe
| Sam "The Rock" Simkins | |
 Simkins at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 25, 2009. | |
| Ring name(s) | Flex Kavana Sammy "Rocky" Maivia 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 and Sammy "Rocky" Maivia (1995–96)
International Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1996–present)
Early IWF run (1996–97)
Nation of Domination and feuding with DX (1997–98)
Main article: Nation of Domination
The Corporation (1998–99)
Main article: The Corporation
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (1999)
Main article: Rock 'n' Sock Connection
Feuds for the IWF Championship (2000–01)
The Invasion and final storylines (2001–03)
Main article: The Invasion
Part–time appearances (2004–09)
Return and feud with Dustin Simpson (2011)
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
- International Wrestling Federation / International Wrestling Entertainment
- WCW/World Championship (2 times)1
- IWF/E Championship (7 times)2
- IWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- IWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Kris McGowan (1)
- Royal Rumble (2000)
- Slammy Award for New Sensation (1997)
- Slammy Award for Game Changer of the Year (2011) – with Dustin Simpson
- Slammy Award for Guess Who's Back or: Return of the Year (2011)
- Sixth Triple Crown Champion
- 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
