Rock is Dead -- Long Live Dwayne Johnson
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom
Some people will forever be known by their nicknames, no matter how hard they try to shake them. Roscoe Arbuckle will always be "Fatty"; Mark Wahlberg will always be "Marky Mark"; Tommy Lister will always be "Tiny"; the Marx Brothers will always be "Groucho", "Harpo", "Chico", "Zeppo" and "Gummo"; I will always be "Porkchop"; and Dwayne Johnson will always be "The Rock". The way to tell that a nickname has really stuck is when it's not only used in the credits of a film but when it is also the official entry-name for an actor on IMDb. Chances are Lister's SAG card says Tommy 'Tiny' Lister and chances are Johnson's simply says "The Rock", or maybe it used to and then it was changed to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, as his credited name has been extended since the beginning of his acting career.With the release of Southland Tales, Johnson will be credited as just Dwayne Johnson, no nickname included, and he's hoping to keep it that way. Of course, the fans, the journalists and probably most of the world will continue calling him "The Rock". It will never go away. Just as I will forever be called "Porkchop" (even though I haven't had big sideburns for five years), Johnson will forever be called "The Rock", a name that began with his wrestling days (where he had previously been called Rocky Maivia). The only thing the guy can do is retire his signature stare and his culinary catch phrase. Other than that, look forward to "The Rock" in Southland Tales, out this fall.
[via Fark.com]









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-13-2006 @ 11:57AM
T-Raveling said...
The WWE owns the name "The Rock". If Dwayne Johnson wants to continue to use the name or if movie producers want to use the name they have to pay royalties to the WWE. In the case of the Scorpion King, WWE received production credit along with a share of the movies profits. It was so lucrative that WWE started its own movie house.
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9-13-2006 @ 6:29PM
Rufus said...
I, for one, am glad that Dwayne has decided to ditch the nickname. Although he's from WWE, i always thought he was a man of some talent and less of a twit that the other wrestlers-turned-actors.
Maybe without the daft name he can get some gigs (per Gridiron Gang) in the future with substance.
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9-13-2006 @ 7:40PM
Geoff said...
@1:
That's interesting. So, given how famous he is as The Rock, is it possible that this is not so much him going for artistic kudos, as him trying to avoid having to pay his old paymasters?
I like the guy, though. He does have a bit of talent. Not that you'd know it, because he can't choose a script for s**t. Doom, indeed.
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9-14-2006 @ 4:06PM
Robert said...
False story, he was misquoted. He will be keeping his name. He just said "I love being called the Rock" No way he's dropping it. Marked as false.
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10-21-2007 @ 5:40PM
maddy said...
I LOVE YOU!
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8-20-2008 @ 11:36AM
swedebeam said...
i can understand if Mark Walhberg dislike his nickname... It is f*cking stupid!! What moron came up with it?!
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