.
[martial music]
- So Dwayne,
where are we exactly?
- Well, you know how I have my personal
gyms scattered across the country?
- Your Iron Paradises, yes.
- Forest Whitaker has these beautiful wine cellars.
- You have to address this Julien problem.
- What do you mean?
- I got numbers, baby.
- Right.
For those who don't know,
Dwayne's best friend is Forest Whitaker.
- Oh, come on. Randall is upset
because I didn't invite him
to a private lunch with me and Forest.
- No, I am not upset.
I just figured I would go with him
because we've been through this whole thing together,
and I just don't understand why now he would
decide to go off on his own.
- I'm uncomfortable.
- Well, Jamie's uncomfortable.
So I think we should just get back
to talking about why we're here.
- Of course. Sorry.
- It's okay. - So the election is one day
away, and conventional wisdom says that you should be
pounding the pavement in key battleground states
instead of being here in Forest Whitaker's wine cellar.
- I understand that criticism,
but I've always been one to forge my own path.
Are you up for a story while we wait?
- Always. - In 1996,
Vince McMahon thought I had potential,
but I was way too green, so he sent me down to Memphis
so I could learn the ropes,
and I was back living with my old buddy, Downtown Bruno.
- Hey, so how 'bout this trailer?
I don't if you noticed, but she moves on purpose,
not because of a foundation code violation
like that motel back in the day.
- Yeah, definitely a step up,
except for the no roof thing.
- Hm?
Ah, correction. There's a roof.
No ceiling. - Oh.
- Lost her to some black mold a couple of years back.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- Me too, brother.
- Since I'd lived with him ten years ago,
Bruno had quite the ride.
He had a successful run in the WWF
as Dr. Harvey Wippleman,
one of the best heel managers ever,
managing guys like Kamala and Giant González.
Now he was back in Memphis
working for Jerry "The King" Lawler's promotion again
as referee and head of the ring crew.
- So talked to Pat Patterson. - Mm-hmm?
- Him and Vince want you getting a ton of reps,
start working on a persona.
You decided on a name, yet? - Weighing some options.
- Rocky Jr, no brainer.
- Rocky Maivia. That's nice.
- Little Chief? - Now, I'd accept Rocky II,
even if Apollo Creed was actually based on me.
- Wild Half-Samoan.
- Half-Wild Samoan.
- Don't put too much pressure on this.
Most guys change names a bunch in their careers.
Undertaker used to be Commando.
- It goes "Rocky" I, then III, then II, then V,
even though I haven't seen it yet.
Call yourself any of those except Rocky IV,
too Russian.
- It's the beginning of a new chapter,
so want to make sure I get it right.
- Well, you definitely don't want my opinion.
My name used to be Dr. Lennerd Spazzinsky.
- Why? - Sounded like a guy
I wanted to party with.
[both laugh]
- Though I still wasn't ready for the WWF,
Vince and Pat decided to try me out in a tag team,
wrestling in Jerry Lawler's Saturday TV show,
the same one my dad worked years earlier.
Hey, Mr. Jarrett.
- Who the hell are you?
- Dwayne Johnson. - Hm?
- Rocky's son.
- Dewey! Aw, man.
Hey, your dad still owes me 40 bucks.
- Well, sounds like him.
Try not to hold it against me though.
I was really trying to be my own man,
and I didn't want my dad's baggage passed down to me.
Sometimes you can't choose how people know you.
- Hey, Billy Crane. I book the matches.
- Oh, hey.
- Announcers need your wrestling name.
You got one yet? - But sometimes you can.
Yeah.
It's Flex.
Flex Kavana.
- Hang on. Your name wasn't the Rock?
- No, not yet, not out of the gates.
I wanted to blaze my own path,
so I decided to create a name for myself on my own terms.
- But why Flex Kavana?
- Well, easy. Flex because you got to flex the muscles,
and Kavana because it sounded like a badass Polynesian name.
- Uh-huh.
- Well, trust me, you're not the only one
who didn't love it.
- Oh.
- Did he say "cabana" like some kind of beach bum?
- Did you not hear me when I listed
all the acceptable Rockys?
- Whoo! My new partner, Flex Kavana, sure looks
a lot like an inflated version of this Dwyane kid
I used to set up rings with back in the day.
One day it'll be me and you in the ring.
- Brian Lawler.
Man, you look a lot different from when we were kids.
- I got good-looking. [both laugh]
That's why my ring name is "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher now.
- I love it, Flex and Sex.
- So we'll do a promo where I introduce you
as the next big thing.
You'll talk, we wrestle.
You good on the mic?
- The mic is my bitch.
[cheers and applause]
For our first match, we were going up
against Brian's dad, Jerry Lawler.
He was the biggest name in Memphis,
so I wanted to impress him with my mic work,
show him what the new guy could do.
- I'd like to introduce you and all the fans
to this man right here.
This is Flex Kavana, baby!
[cheers and applause]
Me and Flex are walking out of here
as the new USWA Tag Team Champions.
[cheers]
- It's very short, quick, and simple.
We're very naughty by nature
and very violent by decision.
[crowd murmuring]
- What?
- Very violent by decision?
- Yeah, violently awful.
.
[laughter]
- I can't believe this dude said "very naughty" on the mic.
- I lost focus after how many "verys" there were.
- Yeah, yeah. Keep it coming.
Everybody rip on the new guy. I can take it.
- Hey, you are violent by decision though,
just definitely not by knockout.
[laughter]
- Bruno, no horsing around with my wrestlers
until you finish breaking down the ring.
- Oh. Yeah, you bet, boss.
Uh, Chilly? Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
- And it's max two pumps of baby oil.
Don't take advantage.
- Not sexy, bro.
- Meanwhile, even though they didn't love my new name,
my parents were still very invested
in my wrestling journey.
- You're not selling like I showed you.
When Lawler stomps on your big toe,
you got to act like you may lose your whole leg.
- Okay. Got it, Dad.
- Honey, make sure you tell Bruno
to keep sending tapes of your matches.
- Okay, great. - And I looked it up,
Kavana means "sincere feelings of the heart" in Hebrew.
What is that? - Okay, got to go.
Talk later, guys. Bye.
- No--don't--
- Give the boy space.
- No. He needs to know this.
I wish I had someone telling me this stuff
when I first started out.
- He is Flex Banana now,
because he's trying to find his own way.
- "Kavana," Mom. And that's what we're helping him do.
- The more you tell him, the less he will listen.
- [gasps] - The hell?
- Leave him be.
- Our cord!
- Here's what I don't understand though,
is "Too Sexy," like, too sexy, like, it's unrealistic?
- No. No, I'm too sexy for the haters.
I'm the perfect amount of sexy for me.
- I had a girlfriend once who was too sexy for me.
I ended it before she figured it out.
[laughter]
- Oh, hey, Bruno, what is that Crane guy's deal?
- Ah, it's just a bad case of "booker-itis."
You know, he sets the lineup card,
so he thinks he's the boss.
Power of the pencil.
- Dude looks like a pencil.
- All right. All right, hey, let's not go
getting on Billy Crane's bad side now.
- Why not? What's Ichabod gonna do?
- You want to showcase for Vince,
you want the best matches against the best guys.
Billy Crane waves that little pencil of his,
the only matches you're getting are in the Cracker Barrel
bathroom during shift change.
- Man, if I--
oh, Chilly, get down!
- What are you doing, man?
- You know these little towns around here.
"Population under 1K, duck and pray."
- [chuckles] - This town has a Black mayor.
- Its sister city is San Francisco.
- The comptroller is gay. - Sorry, old habits.
- The town mascot is a panda with an earring.
- Okay, I got it.
- I'm not even kidding, my dude.
- [grunts]
- Yeah! - You've got to be kidding me.
Crane wrestles too? - Oh, you are in for a treat.
- It's time for The Crane
'cause here comes the claw.
Oh, what am I gonna find?
A cruddy wrestler?
- Crane's heel gimmick was terrible...
[crowd booing] - That's right!
Get off.
- So he picked on Bruno to get a crowd reaction,
and I was getting tired of it.
- There it is! - It's over!
- One, two, and he got him!
- Man, look at that.
The last time I saw Steve,
he had a full head of hair, a dud gimmick,
and thought he was gonna get fired.
- Not no more. He's gonna be the next big thing.
- Get that piece of crap out of my ring,
because I proved, son, without a shadow of a doubt,
you ain't got what it takes anymore.
- Look at Jake. He's really milking his exit.
- I was at the birth of his snake, Damien.
- You talk about John 3:16.
Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!
- Ooh, that was good.
- That was really good, brother.
- That's the level I want to get to.
- Let's get to it. - Right now?
- I mean, you know, I--
I have the wings in the oven,
but--but after that.
We could do it after that.
- And I'm fixing to start running through all of you.
.
- You know, I remember watching that moment on TV.
Austin 3:16.
- Ah, man, it caught on like wildfire, just like that.
He sold more T-shirts to 15-year-old boys
than anyone in wrestling history.
- Until "Can you smell...
both: What The Rock is cooking?"
- [laughing] - Do the eyebrow?
- Oh yeah, I could do that.
- Are you doing it? - Yeah.
Right?
- Do you have Botox?
That's why. - Ton of it.
Anyway, uh, so you're working in Memphis.
- I'm working in Memphis, and man, it was a grind.
Eight shows in seven days, week after week.
[upbeat rock music]
♪
Although it did give me a great chance to start
building a relationship with the fans.
My grandma knew I needed some space to hone my craft
on my own, so she kept an eye on my parents.
- High Chief woke me up from my nap early.
Thank goodness he did.
- I was getting a lot better in the ring,
but if I wanted to get to the next level,
I knew my mic work, well, needed some work.
So Bruno started playing me cassette tapes
of legends working the mic.
- Like 100-megaton hydrogen bomb,
just getting bigger and bigger every day, brother!
- Okay, you hear his pace right there,
how he builds it up to an explosion?
- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Ric Flair, my belly's just a little big,
my hiney's just a little big,
but brother, I am bad, and they know I'm bad!
- You see how he self-deprecates?
- Mm-hmm. - That is being a babyface
as an art form.
- You talking to the Rolex-wearin',
diamond ring-wearin', kiss-stealin',
wheelin', dealin', limousine-ridin',
jet-flyin' son of a gun!
- Kiss-stealing? Come on, Flair!
♪
[crowd jeering]
Listening to those greats on the mic really inspired me.
- Look what I found.
- Now I knew I had to find my own voice.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! That's a foreign object.
- What? Come on! - And that's a DQ.
- Are you kidding me? - Ring the bell.
- What's this clown doing? - It's done. It's done.
- You're making a big mistake. - No, you can't use
a foreign object. - What the hell?
Come on! You're an idiot!
Hey, give me the mic. Can you believe
this little weasel was a manager in the WWF?
And now he refs for me,
15 bucks a match.
What a loser.
- You know what, give me the mic, okay?
- Oh, you want the mic? Here.
- That's enough out of you. - Take it!
[feedback whines]
- Crane, Crane, Crane, Crane.
There's only one thing worse
than white chocolate in this world,
and that's a bully.
[applause and whistles]
And I don't like the way you've been talking
to my boy, Downtown Bruno, the Tom Cruise of Memphis.
[cheers]
Oh, and I noticed your little finishing move.
It's really cute. What's it called?
- It's called "the Cra--
- It doesn't matter what it's called!
[cheers and applause]
You treat people the way you do 'cause you know your deformed,
beanstalk-looking body can't compete
with the greatest physique Memphis has ever seen.
[cheers and applause]
Your asparagus-smelling, Amy Grant-listening,
little baby bird-ass can't measure up
to the most athletic, dynamic,
hydromatic wrestler in USWA history.
- "Hydromatic?" - Who cares, he's on a roll.
- But if you ever do decide,
Billy lanky-ass, candy-ass, son of a bitch
that you want a piece of this...
[breathing deeply]
Then come get some.
[cheers and applause]
Flex Kavana out.
all: [chanting] Flex! Flex! Flex! Flex!
- Whoo! - Whoo-whoo!
- Oh, my God. - All right!
- Whoo-hoo! - Oh.
- Yes!
- Hell yeah! - Hell yeah.
Oh, brother, that was fun.
You know, but I-I--
Dwayne, I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't a little bit
worried about what Crane was gonna do.
- Hey, whatever happens, happens, okay?
I did what felt right to me, and I can live with that.
- Thank you.
[chuckles]
- As good as it felt to stand up for Bruno,
I was still like, oh, man, did I just screw up
my chances to get to the WWE?
And I promised all of you
that Flex would start the party.
[cheers and applause]
But my opponent, Bill Dundee,
hasn't even shown up to the party.
- Hey, Flex.
- Oh, that is not Bill Dundee.
Looks like The King's been summoned,
and that could mean bad vibes for Kavana.
- Flex "Cabana" tried to pick a fight
with my man, The Crane.
You talk a big game, but let's see you put your money
where your mouth is against The King--
with my belt on the line right now.
[cheers]
Ho! Ho, ho, ho!
On one condition--
if you win, you become champion.
But if you lose, you leave Memphis for good!
[crowd jeering]
[laughing]
[tense music]
[cheers]
- And there you have it, folks.
- I didn't know what was going on.
So in my head, I'm like, ah, [bleep],
Crane talked to Jerry, and now this match is a clever way
to boot me from the whole circuit.
[bell dinging]
[suspenseful music]
♪
What's going on?
[panting]
- Kid, you got the call.
You're headed to the WWF.
- What? - Congratulations.
- Oh, thanks.
- Now, enjoy it while I kick your ass.
Aah!
[crowd gasping]
["Hold On, I'm Comin'" by Sam & Dave]
♪
- I can't thank you enough, Ken.
[grunts]
Been a pleasure, Dave.
[yelling]
[groaning]
It never felt so good to lose.
[bell dinging]
.
- Wow, that was fast. You'd only been in Memphis for,
what, five months?
- Oh, it was crazy.
I couldn't believe it was happening either.
Vince wanted to fly me to Connecticut
to have another meeting, only this time,
he wanted to talk about my WWE debut.
I just had one thing to do before I left.
- I spared no expense. I got some Miller High Lifes.
Let's celebrate. - Nice.
- Hold on, something feels different.
- Oh, yeah? What?
- I don't know.
Something feels--
[soft music]
What the hell is this?
- Well, now you've got a roof and a ceiling.
You're lousy with head coverings.
♪
Thank you for everything, Bruno.
I appreciate all you've done for me.
- Shoot, I don't know what to say.
I love you, brother. - I love you too.
- Come on. Bring it in.
Hey, let's drink these High Lifes
before I get too emotional.
- High Lifes make you more emotional.
- Yeah, that's true. That is true.
- We heard about how you won the crowd over defending Bruno.
It's exactly what we're looking for in a babyface.
The fans need a new hero. - Thank you.
Yes, I love the sound of that.
- How's this for a debut:
Survivor Series, Madison Square Garden?
- Wow.
My dad and grandfather both wrestled at MSG.
- And now you will too.
Welcome to the show, kid.
- It's great to be here.
And I promise you, Flex Kavana won't let you down.
- Oh, by the way, hate that name.
[chuckles] You're a third-generation
wrestling legacy.
Let's own that, hm?
What do you think of the name "Rocky Maivia?"
- Well, my mom actually suggested that--
- Smart lady. - But I don't know.
I-I was kind of hoping to forge my own path.
- I get it.
You know, I'm a legacy guy too, Dwayne.
But family is what got us here.
You should honor that.
- He was right.
So eventually, I shortened the name
and I made it my own.
But yeah, I made my WWE debut as Rocky Maivia.
- So you really had your debut at Madison Square Garden?
- I did, and it was a magical night.
But eventually things would take a downward turn.
So--
- Whoa. Who are they?
- They're with me. He's a friend,
and I trust him completely. You should trust him.
- Yes, he said it in front of him.
[tense music]
- Yeah, I want the cameras on anyway.
seeing me finally face my tormentor would be
an inspirational moment for others like me.
- Mm-hmm. Others like you.
- Victims.
- The only thing you're a victim of
is your own delusions.
- Says the actor running for president.
- What the hell did you just say?
- Hm? - Hey, stop.
We're not in sixth grade anymore.
Let's be adults, and let's talk this out
over a bottle of wine, okay?
- You're absolutely right. I'm sorry.
I'm willing if he is.
- I'm here, aren't I? - As I've told Dwayne
over the years, there's no problem
that can't be solved by the perfect grape.
- Uh, what?
- So what we have here is a cabernet
from a monastery in the Swiss Alps.
I know you're wondering, how could you grow grapes
in such a cold climate on a cliff?
The answer is...
I don't know.
Maybe caves or something.
This wine will alter your outlook towards the world.
♪
- I mean, incredible. I'm changed.
- I prefer white.
- Julien, you're a tough hang.
- That's right.
- So like the nature of this wine,
let's try and gain a better understanding
of how this all got started.
Dwayne, can you tell us what happened,
how Julien was able to get underneath your skin?
- Well, he called me a liar,
and he said my dad wasn't my dad.
- I just asked the question. - Let my best friend talk.
- Thank you, Randall.
- But, why didn't you ignore him?
I mean, you knew the truth.
- Well, I love my dad.
We had a complicated relationship,
but the one true thing about him was he was the champ
and he was the greatest of all time.
And I guess when this kid tried
to take that truth away from me, I reacted.
- Thank you, Dwayne.
Now, Julien,
can you relate to anything that Dwayne just said?
- No. My dad and I had a great relationship.
He was my best friend.
I have a tattoo on my leg of his face
with the words, "Hey, another pizza,"
because that's what he was always saying.
He always wanted more pizza than he had.
- Oh.
- But...
I guess my mom and I had a complicated relationship.
She was very successful, a big shot lawyer.
She helped Prince turn his name into a symbol
to get out of a record contract.
- I tried to do that once to get out of a movie contract.
Long story short, it didn't work.
That's why I'm the voice of Thumper
in "Bambi: Return of the Hunt."
- I knew I heard that voice before.
- "Help me, Bambi, help me."
- Oh, that's it!
- Anyway, she was never around very much.
- That must have been hard, man.
- Yeah, growing up wasn't easy.
What made it harder was Dwayne trying to kill me!
- I didn't try and kill you. - You tried to kill me!
- If anything, you tried to kill me.
- [exasperated sigh] - Okay, well, forget it.
I appreciate it, Forest. Thank you.
This is a waste of time.
- I just thought that I'd found
the perfect grape,
but I didn't.
Is there any way to squash this public beef?
- No. - Yes.
[tentative music]
- What is it?
- Well...