.
[cheers and applause]
- How you feelin'?
- Oh, tough crowd. But I got 'em back.
- What about that heckler? - Ah, didn't bother me one bit.
Don't forget I'm a Tony- award-winning actor, Randall.
I can handle myself on stage.
- No one could ever forget your Valjean.
But with the Julien situation
becoming a runaway freight train of bad PR,
you're now trailing in Tennessee.
- That's why I came here to assure the voters
that I'm still the same candidate,
the same guy who they've known and supported before.
- I just assumed you'd be a little nervous.
- Nah, I'm used to tough crowds.
- From your wrestling days? - No, before that.
When I was 15, living in Nashville, Tennessee,
I was gonna be the next great country western singer.
Now, let me tell you something.
It did not go well. - [laughs]
- ♪ Think about us
♪ Is that all you'd allow
- I don't know, Dewey. You sure you wanna do this?
- Definitely. This woman at the Piggly-Wiggly
said I had the voice of an angel.
- After she hit on you and said she was 40?
Yeah, I remember you sayin' somethin' like that.
[banjo playing]
- Oh, man. These sidewalks are crowded.
- Yeah, it's Nashville.
Everyone's chasing their dreams.
Look, you see, you got a piano player right there.
You got yourself a guitar player.
Always gotta singer. [laughs]
This guy-- this guy kills it, man.
I love this guy.
Oh, my God! - [laughs]
- Ooh! [laughs]
Oh, I knew it was coming, and you still got me!
Look, I don't mean to be a downer, all right?
But there's some stiff competition out here,
and folks are mighty territorial.
I mean, you'll be lucky to get a free corner.
- I don't need a corner.
I'll set up right here, mid-block.
- Whoo, mid-block?
Hey, good luck, brother.
[coin clinks]
- [sighs]
♪ Baby, when I met you, there was peace, I know ♪
♪ I set out to get you with a fine-tooth comb ♪
- See this?
- ♪ I was salty inside
- I think it would make our marriage stronger.
- Why would dating other people make our marriage stronger?
- Oh, I don't know. It would finally give us
something to talk about.
- You mean your "bisexuality?" - See, don't do that.
Don't air quotes who I am.
- You--I... [sighs]
What are we doing? I just want you to be happy.
- I just want you to be happy.
- So how do you think this will go over?
- We'll see. [sighs]
Every news outlet was in town covering the rally.
So we'll find out here pretty soon.
- Now, are you sure about this change of approach?
- Can't just pretend a problem doesn't exist.
That was one of the many lessons my old man taught me
unintentionally. - Hm, unintentional
seems to be Rocky's preferred method of teaching.
- [laughs] You're not wrong.
I told you about that time we moved to Nashville,
and my dad blew it because he didn't find us a place to live
before me and my mom came into town.
- Yeah, you were living in Downtown Bruno's motel room,
eating eggs he made on the toilet.
- You know, when my mom finally arrived in Nashville,
things eventually got a little better
and she found us an apartment to live in.
She enrolled me in school.
But she was still really angry at my dad,
understandably so.
So my dad had to live with Downtown Bruno
every time he came into town.
But I still saw him a lot
and we would work out together after school.
But it wasn't like I wasn't angry at my dad
because I was.
But he was also my hero,
and even though things were tough,
I still looked up to him.
- [grunting]
- Yo, Crusher, ease up on the reps.
You don't wanna pull a muscle
before Saturday's sold-out show.
- Sold out again? Damn.
Jerry Lawler really knows how to deliver.
- Yes he does. [chuckles]
- Hey, champ says he's up, I'm gonna call it.
You know "Highway to Heaven" is on tonight.
- I should go too. I gotta get home for dinner.
- Hey, how's it going over there, huh?
Everything good with the apartment?
- Yeah, fine.
But you're really asking about Mom, aren't you?
- Yeah. How's she doin'?
- Fine. Still mad though.
- Still? It's been a month.
Chill's lasting a little longer than usual.
Oh, here.
Give this to your mom.
Help out with the bills.
- Maybe you could give it to her yourself.
[door clicks open] Hey, Mom.
Dad gave me a ride home.
[door clicks close]
- Hey. - Hello.
- [chuckles] The place looks great.
Really feels like home. - Thanks.
Still a work in progress, but it's coming together.
- Oh, Dad was telling me
about a Jerry Lawler match on Saturday.
Said it's another sold-out crowd.
- That's great. Sounds like a fun show.
- Wanna come?
- No, I can't. I need to find a job.
That's the thing about rent, Rocky.
It's due every month. - About that.
From my matches last week.
- Thanks. Come on, Dewey.
Don't want your dinner to get cold.
Good seeing you, Rocky.
- Yeah, you too!
I gotta get back. Dinner plans with Bruno.
See you at the gym, son.
- Bye, Dad. [door opens, closes]
- Don't worry about him. He's fine.
He's getting dinner with Bruno.
- Hey. - Hey, Rocky.
How was your day?
- Ata's still upset.
- [sighs] Dang, I'm sorry, brother.
You hungry?
I could throw on some more eggs for you.
- I'll take four. - Smart.
Fill that empty heart with some protein.
[giggles]
.
- Hm, that must've been tough seeing your parents
living separately.
- Well, my parents' relationship
always had its ups and downs, and this wasn't the first time
I've seen them go through something like this.
But Nashville was pretty rough.
- Why is Bruno driving your car?
- It's better for Bruno to drive in areas like this.
- A couple of towns out here
aren't too friendly to, you know--
- Wrestlers? - [chuckles]
No, I--you know-- - Relax, Bruno.
I know what you mean. - [giggles]
- Hey, hey, hey. You're driving
'cause you're white, not 'cause you're good.
Eyes on the road. - All right.
Turnin' down Main Street now. Time to tuck down.
[grunts]
[dog barking]
Hey, Rocky, did I tell you
that Pat Patterson's coming to the match tonight?
Guess he's scoutin' for Vince now.
- Since when? - Pat's not wrestling anymore?
- Nope. I guess he got tired
of the grind-- wanted to try something else.
Hey, but look. This could be a big deal
for Crusher though, so just do me a favor
and make him look good.
You know, really sell them hits hard, all right?
- I always sell.
[screaming]
- Come on, Soulman! Come on!
- What you all dumb hillbillies think about this?
- [grunting, groaning] - Get down there!
[audience boos]
- My dad put on a good show that day,
and afterwards, it was my job to take down the ring.
I worked the ring crew with Jerry Lawler's son, Brian,
who would eventually become one of my best friends.
And believe it or not, we were the same age.
- One day, it'll be me and you in the ring.
We could even be a tag team.
The Sons of Wrestling.
- Eh, I don't know about that.
I want a cool gimmick.
You know, maybe something beachy like Flip-Flop Force.
- Hmm.
- Great job tonight. All right, we'll stay in touch.
[laughs] - Hey, Mr. Patterson.
How'd you like the show?
- Ah, the name Crusher Yurkov is horrible!
Vince thinks so too.
It sounds like a Russian trash compactor.
- Ha. - But aside from that,
pretty good match. [laughs]
Didn't hurt to have this guy sellin' for you.
Way to make him look good, Rocky.
- Nice to see you, Pat. - [laughing]
- Thank you for the match.
- You know where we're supposed to put any of this stuff?
- I've just been throwin' it in the pile.
- Scouting for the WWF. - Eh.
[both chuckle] - How's that going?
- Eh, it's a change of pace. But I like it.
Can't wrestle forever, right? [laughs]
- Hey, you gonna tell Vince about the show tonight?
- That's my job, isn't it? [laughs]
- Come on, Pat. You heard that crowd.
You should mention to him how much they love me out here.
- Oh, Rocky, come on.
- Pat, you know what kind of fan base
I can bring to the WWF.
All you gotta do is put me back in--
- That's not gonna happen. You broke your contract.
Vince had to make an example after Saudi Arabia.
- Come on, Pat. That was...
What?
- Um, I was just gonna ask
where I'm supposed to put this stuff.
- I don't know. Go ask Jerry.
- Up until now, I had only heard
my dad's version of the story.
Yo, Crusher. Good match tonight.
- Hey, thanks, Dwayne.
- Can I ask you something? - [sighs]
The powder absorbs the moisture.
And yeah, I sweat a lot. - No, not about that.
- Oh. Yeah, sure. What's up?
- A little bit ago, you mentioned the thing
about my dad and Saudi Arabia.
- Yeah, I shouldn't have brought that up.
- No, it's cool.
I know he was under contract with the WWF
and he double-booked himself to wrestle
with the promoter that Uncle Afa was wrestling with.
I get that you shouldn't break a contract,
but is it really that bad
trying to make some extra money for your family?
- Vince was trying to open that territory himself, you know.
Having one of his top guys promote it on another show--
it just wasn't a good look,
and I hear Vince took what your dad did personally.
- He did? - Yeah, he felt betrayed.
It's just bad timing on both sides.
You know, it was right before the first WrestleMania,
and if things didn't go down the way they did,
your dad probably would've been
in WrestleMania 2 with Tony Atlas,
and who knows where you guys would be right now?
- Then Jennifer broke up with Frankie in a fishing shack.
- Good, they're too young to get married.
[door opens]
I have to go. I'll get the rest
of your "Days of Our Lives" recap later.
- Okay, remind me. I left off at Justin
having second thoughts about going to Greece
because of his mother's medallion.
- What's wrong? - Dad--
the whole Saudi Arabia thing.
He's always spun it like a man
has the right to provide for his family.
But he also screwed over his friend Vince pretty bad.
And because he did that, he wound up screwing us over too.
- Well, I definitely don't think that was his intention--
- But it's true, right?
- I suppose. Technically, yes.
But he didn't mean to hurt anyone--
- This is what always happens. Dad does whatever he wants,
and we just keep making excuses for him.
- Dewey!
[sighs]
.
- You know, sometimes we pretend the problems
don't exist because we're trying to protect people.
But that always backfires. - Mm.
[country music playing]
♪
- I don't love that I knew I could find you here.
- Dad was making money.
He could've said no to that other promoter.
He did it because he thought he could get away with it,
and he still operates that way.
I know he's a salesman and he's always working a gimmick,
but I never thought he was working us.
- I'm sorry.
You shouldn't have to deal with any of this.
You're still a kid.
- Mom, I'm 15. I'm not a kid anymore.
- Another Shirley Temple?
- Nah, give me a whiskey and Coke.
- Sure, then you can give me
the $2,000 fine for serving a minor.
- I like her.
- If Dad hadn't been so selfish,
we could still be living like we were in Hawaii.
I mean, look at our lives now. - Dewey.
- Why do we even bother
following him around the country?
If he doesn't care about us, we don't need him.
- Your dad made a mistake,
and it had consequences for all of us.
But he didn't do it to hurt anyone.
He made an impulsive decision.
He's always been that way.
Rocky had a very hard time growing up.
Got kicked out of his own home by his mom when he was 13.
Hitchhiked out of town. - Sounds dangerous.
- Well, luckily it was Canada.
- You need a ride home there, fella?
- I'm goin' anywhere but home.
[truck honks] - If he's out of your way,
I could take him-- whatever's easiest.
- Wait, I'm sorry. Who's telling this story?
- Me. I'm telling you the story
of a time my mom told me the story.
- Of a story your dad told her?
- Exactly.
- Okay, um,
so where did Rocky wind up after he left home?
- Everywhere. He bounced around.
He found odd jobs. He boxed.
My dad was 13 years old, and he was on his own--
until he found wrestling.
- And that's how your dad met your grandpa.
It was after a wrestling match
in San Francisco back in the '60s.
The High Chief was the biggest draw on the West Coast,
and your dad had just come back from wrestling in Japan.
- Sorry, so this is your mom talking?
- Yes. - It'd be a lot easier
to follow if you could do a different voice for her.
- No. How about you just use your imagination?
- Great show tonight, Rocky. - Thanks, Peter.
You too. - Where are you staying?
- Um, I'm not sure yet.
- I am. You're staying with me.
My wife, she make us some famous keke pua'a.
- So Grandpa and your dad became tag team partners...
[cheers and applause]
Which is how he met me.
[Danny Brooks' "Good Love is Hard to Find"]
♪
- [humming]
♪
[audience gasps]
[indistinct chatter]
♪
♪ You better love your baby
♪ Let her know she drives you crazy ♪
- Hey, I'm Rocky Johnson.
- I know who you are. [laughs]
You're my dad's tag team partner.
- You're Ata? - [chuckles]
- I heard a lot about you.
Maybe we can grab some dinner.
You can hear a little more about me.
- Sorry, I don't date wrestlers...
especially ones who can't reverse a simple drop toe-hold.
- Rocky, get away from my daughter.
Go back to the ring rats.
♪
- See you around, now.
♪
- ♪ You bet--
- No! You do not date wrestlers.
Now, come. I have a nice Tongan dentist
I want you to meet.
- Why was Grandma so against dating wrestlers?
Grandpa was a wrestler, and she loved him.
- Of course. But you know how wrestlers are.
My mom wanted me to have a more stable life.
- Is that what you want for me?
- No, I want you to be a wrestler.
Nothing on this Earth would make me happier.
But whatever you want to be, I support.
Anyway, so your dad and I started dating in secret.
[Herb Alpert's "Mexican Drummer Man"]
♪
- ♪ Go play that music
♪ It's something you never heard before ♪
♪
- No, Mom, I'm not going on a date with Dr. Fatu.
- But he owns his own business.
- Hey, Ata, Lia. Good to see you.
♪
- As long as you're not dating him, I'm happy.
But please reconsider Dr. Fatu, DDS.
- I can find my own dates.
Excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom.
Everything was going great
until Haystacks Calhoun got involved.
- Excuse me, ladies. I gotta rain yellow.
- Now, Haystacks Calhoun was a very sweet man,
but he couldn't keep a secret to save his life.
- Man Mountain Mike's favorite show is "Hazel."
Tony's got a case of the you-know-whats.
- [grunts]
- Everyone dies at the end of "Butch Cassidy."
Great movie!
- He ruined a lot of movie endings for a lot of people.
♪
- Oh, mama.
♪
.
- Wait, so that's how people found out
about your parents' secret affair?
- [laughs] Yep.
- I can't believe everyone found out
from Haystacks Calhoun.
- That's exactly what I said.
I can't believe everyone found out from Haystacks Calhoun.
- Yeah, he hitched up those overalls and got to sharing.
- Hey, Rocky and Ata are having a secret love affair.
Can you believe it?
Rocky's dating his tag team partner's daughter.
- Whoa.
[dramatic sting]
- Never seen my parents so upset.
- I told you to stay away from the wrestlers,
and you lied to me.
- How dare you go sneaking around with my daughter!
If you don't stop this now, we are done as partners,
and you'll never wrestle in this region again.
So what is it?
Are you my partner or are you my enemy?
[cheers and applause]
- So my dad found a new tag team partner.
Rocky walked away from everything--
his career,
his mentor,
the only family he ever really knew--
for me.
Your dad doesn't make impulsive decisions
because he doesn't care about us.
It's just who he is.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
And believe me, I have tried to get him to change.
But... [sighs]
Sometimes people are just the way they are.
- Sounds like you gave up a lot too.
How long were Grandma and Grandpa mad at you?
- Until we had you.
- [crying] - Does he need a new diaper?
- No, he's just a little dewy.
- [crying]
- Little dewy.
- Wait, that's why you call me Dewey?
- [laughing]
That's why they call you Dewey!
- That's why they call me Dewey.
Did you have a nickname as a kid?
- Oh, yeah, you know, my cousin used to call me Twix
because I ate so many Twix. [laughs]
- Well, you do eat a lot of Twix.
- So?
- Listen, honey.
I'm not trying to tell you how to feel about your dad.
I get it if you're mad at him. I'm mad at him all the time.
- Then why do you stay with him?
- Because I love him.
You said earlier that we don't need him.
Maybe you're right. Maybe we don't.
Maybe he's the one who needs us.
- Keep your money in your purse, darlin'.
He's 15.
[whistles] Beware, ladies!
We got us a honey pie right here.
- It's hard when you have that moment of realizing
your parents aren't perfect.
They're just people trying their best.
- Yeah, and then sometimes, they're just people.
Then it's up to us to decide
what kind of relationship we're gonna have with them.
[laughter] - And so these fans were like,
"Hey, Rocky, could we get an autograph?"
And I'm like, "Hey, the Soulman appreciates your support,
"but a brother's hungry.
Let me in this drive-thru line!"
[laughter]
- And even though my dad wasn't perfect...
- Hey, son. Wanna spot me?
- Telling the Burger King story?
- You know it. [chuckles]
[grunts]
- I wasn't gonna give up on him.
- [laughing] - Yo, Rocky.
What do you think about my name?
You know, Crusher Yurkov. It's good, right?
- Yeah, it's good.
- Yeah, I was talking to Pat Patterson.
He's tellin' me him and Vince hate it.
But I like it.
I don't wanna go messin' with it
just 'cause they say so, you know?
- Yo, Crusher.
You should take their advice.
Those guys know what they're doin'.
[gentle music]
♪
- Hey, Mom. Dad's here.
♪
- Just wanted to drop off the cash from the Lawler match.
- Thank you. - Keke pua'a?
Hell yeah!
- Ah, they're hot! - Don't care.
- Oh.
- What's the occasion?
- Oh, no occasion. Just a family dinner.
- Oh.
- Oh, you're welcome to join us.
♪
- Yeah, Dad.
You need your protein if you wanna stay in fightin' shape,
and I know you're not getting enough
from Bruno's toilet eggs.
- [laughs] Sounds good, son.
I can't turn down no kee-kee-pee-ya.
- [laughs] That's not even close to how you say it.
- I was telling Jerry Lawler about these.
You should bring some to the match on Saturday.
It's gonna be a good one.
You got the Soulman in the main event.
Everyone in Memphis is talking about it.
[chewing] Oh, this is so good.
I was eating at Bruno's...
- So you and your mom just kept indulging his version
of what happened?
- It's family. - Mm.
- Knowing some of the truth about what was going on
made things a little easier to deal with.
[cell phone chimes]
Casey says to turn on the TV.
They are reporting about the rally.
- Candidate Johnson facing flagging poll numbers,
just four days before the election,
held a rally in Memphis today,
and, well, take a look for yourself.
- And with my new infrastructure plan--
- Hey, why'd you try to kill Dr. Julien?
I'm just sayin'.
[crowd groans, murmurs]
- Yeah! Dr. Julien!
- With my new infrastructure plan,
the great state of Tennessee w--
[crowd murmuring]
You know what?
Let's talk about Dr. Julien.
[cheers and applause]
All of you out there, you are good, hardworking people,
and I'm not afraid to say it-- so am I.
So imagine if someone came up to you
and acted like you had never earned
anything that you had gotten--
who questioned who you are as a person,
as a father, as a mother, and as a friend.
Well, I think you'd wanna lay the smackdown on his sorry ass.
[cheers and applause]
So at the risk of sounding unpresidential...
Julien, welcome to the show,
'cause you mess with the Brahma Bull, you get the horns.
That's right--
the jabroni-beating,
pie-eating, trail-blazing,
hell-raising people's champ
is comin' for you!
[cheers and applause]
- You ran towards the problem
instead of pretending it didn't happen.
- Live and learn, Randall.
Game on.
- [laughing] Oh, man.