The Real Reason ‘The Rock’ Became a Hollywood Icon

Before Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson became a WWE legend and Hollywood A-lister, he was Dewey Johnson, a promising defensive lineman at the University of Miami.

In 1991, Johnson was part of Miami’s undefeated national championship team, sharing the locker room with a future NFL Hall of Famer: Warren Sapp. While Johnson had big football aspirations, Sapp’s talent quickly outshined him.

Johnson often jokes that Sapp is the reason his NFL dreams ended before they began. “I didn’t make it to the NFL because of one man. That’s Warren Sapp. Hands down,” he said in an ESPN interview.

Sapp, known for his sharp wit, took a playful jab at Johnson during a June 11 appearance on the Cut to The Chase podcast, “So this myth about Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson being in front of me… I’d never seen that depth chart,”