.
- Whoa. [chuckles]
so I can sit anywhere?
Ooh, can I lie down?
- Oh, not for takeoff, sir.
- Oh, right.
Oh.
This is so much better than the plane we took to Upfronts.
Oh, cashews. Fancy.
- Give it up for a true American hero.
Someone who's not afraid to speak truth to power,
Dr. Julien Echo.
[cheers and applause]
- Thank you very much, future President Taft.
When one victim is heard, all victims are heard!
Yes-- - [sighs]
He's the worst. - He is.
- And I can't believe he's speaking
at Taft's campaign rallies like this.
Thousands and thousands of people
are listening to this joker.
- We should have taken him out when we had a chance.
- Take it easy, Trigger Finger.
- Look, I grew up with a kid like Julien too.
Her name was Anastasia.
And if I could destroy her today, I would.
- Okay.
While Sandy plays out his revenge fantasies,
I think we should just stay the course.
Forget about Dr. Julien.
Let's focus on winning the election.
- We're only one week out,
and this is affecting your poll, sir.
People are feeling that you engaging in a public feud
with an average American isn't very presidential.
- Mm, Seems like you're at a real crossroads.
- I was thinking the same thing, Randall.
Reminds me of the time I had to move in
with my parents back in Tampa when I got cut from the CFL.
- This is a timely issue, Candidate Johnson.
We should really make a decision quickly.
- And we will, Casey, you know,
but sometimes you gotta talk things out.
- I agree.
So you were telling me when you got cut from the CFL,
you had your seven bucks moment.
- Yeah, that's right.
After I had dedicated my life to football,
that was all I had to show for my hard work.
I went back to Tampa
and started working as a trainer.
Not wanting to get into what happened in Calgary,
I told my boss that I'd signed with the Washington Redskins
and this was my offseason job.
- Have a good day, honey. - You too, Mom.
- See you, son.
- [exhales sharply]
- What'd I do?
- This isn't for you.
This is for the football Canadians who hurt him.
- When people signed up for new memberships,
they also got a free training session,
so I trained those new members
the only way I knew how: way too hard.
You got this, Pam.
You're gonna look so good in your new sarong.
- Can't wait to make my sister-in-law so jealous.
- Marianne is gonna wish she never booked that cruise.
- [grunts]
- Yes! Come on!
It had been weeks since my conversation with Dany,
and I kept replaying it over and over again in my mind.
- So what do you wanna do?
- Maybe I should give wrestling a try.
As a kid, I told everyone I wanted to be a wrestler,
but this was the first time I said it as an adult.
And only to Dany.
I hadn't told anyone else.
- Sir. Sir!
- Oh, oh. Sorry about that, ma'am.
Good set. Good set.
- Hey.
When do the muscles happen?
- Any-any chance you need a camcorder for your vacation?
I'd also gotten in on my dad's Circuit City hustle,
selling slightly-damaged electronics
instead of turning them over to the repairs department.
- Let me get this out the way.
I'm not sure if you're a wrestling fan,
but Tony Atlas and I were tag team champs.
- I can't feel my arms.
Can you get my checkbook for me?
It should be on the bottom.
- Telling my family I wanted to wrestle was hard
because I was coming off the greatest failure of my life.
My football dream was over,
and I wasn't ready to say another big dream out loud.
My mom was still plugging away,
selling vacation packages.
- ...for the seven days and six nights.
- And my grandma was glued to the O.J. Simpson trial.
She watched on that big screen TV I bought my parents
back when I thought that was just the beginning.
That trial really cut into my mom's soap opera schedule.
I was struggling with what to do,
so I exerted control over what I could
and I cleaned that apartment from top to bottom.
- Honestly, not the worst way to deal with stress.
In fact, you're doing the exact same thing now.
- What? No, I'm not.
Look.
[sighs]
They look better like this.
- Of course.
.
- My mind was going a million miles an hour,
and I had a lot of stuff
to sort out back then.
And I'm not ashamed to say that I needed a little boost.
So I went to a sports bar
and I wore my old Miami Hurricanes jersey.
- Oh, okay.
- Thank God. I thought drugs.
- I was hoping it was drugs.
[cheers]
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- What can I get ya?
- You got any drink specials on the board
for a former Miami Hurricane?
- Sorry. We only do specials for Gulf War vets.
- It's hard to push back on that.
[cheers]
- Best value on our menu is a Shipwreck'd Shot.
It's every kind of liquor mixed with Pepsi.
- Dewey.
- Yo, Carlos.
I hadn't seen my old teammate, Carlos, in a minute,
so I'd invited him out to watch the game.
Almost didn't recognize you with your shirt tucked in.
- Well, I recognize you immediately
since you're wearing your own jersey.
[both laugh]
- Oh man, Sapp. - Mm-hmm.
- He's in his first year, and he's already dominating.
- Hey, we knew he would.
So what you got going on here?
- Oh, State Farm.
Oh, your boy is a career man now.
On track to being a agent by 26.
Hey, so how did it go up in Canada?
- It went well, went well. I got cut, though.
It's kind of a numbers thing.
So, you know, just staying ready,
waiting for that next call.
And when the right opportunity comes,
sky's the limit.
- Hey. Hang in there, bro.
If football doesn't pan out, you'll find your State Farm.
[TV chatter]
- Oh, fumble! [cheers]
- My conversation with Carlos
just made me think even harder about my own path forward.
[TV chatter]
- A dangerous, dark rage burns within him.
Dubbed the Undertaker...
- I will fulfill my destiny.
- Run the hitman hard.
- The universe was sending me a message,
and it was getting louder.
- Live on Pay-Per-View--
- Dwayne, did you see there's a football league in Europe now?
There's a team in Hamburg. You love hamburgers.
[telephone rings]
- Hello? - Hello, Dwayne?
Coach Buono, Calgary Stampeders.
- Oh, Coach.
How are you doing? - Not too bad.
Listen, I'm calling with good news.
We got a spot for you next season.
- What?
- Maybe on the game-day roster
if things shake out the right way.
I can arrange a plane ticket,
get you back up here in a few days.
- This was the call I had been waiting for
because it forced me to make a choice.
Coach, I appreciate you calling,
but I think it's a no.
I think football's done for me.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Wait, you turned him down?
[grunts]
But he was offering you another chance to play pro football.
He was throwing you a lifeline for your dream.
- Yeah, I was surprised too.
But, in that moment,
I just felt like this was a confirmation
of everything that I'd been thinking about.
So I made a choice, and I knew it was the right one.
Unfortunately, my dad didn't feel the same way.
- It's the dumbest decision of your life!
- I thought you were gonna give football another shot.
- I've been thinking about it, but I'm done.
Football isn't my State Farm.
- What the hell does that mean?
- I wanna get into the business.
- What business?
- The wrestling business.
- [gasps] I knew it!
I always knew it!
[laughing] I gotta tell Mom!
Oh, and maybe open my own psychic business after that.
[giggles]
[soft dramatic music]
- [sighs] And I need you to train me.
♪
- No.
[Ata and Lia laughing]
- Wake up, Peter.
It's finally happening, High Chief.
The boy is fulfilling his destiny,
and we won't ever have to see an oblong ball again.
.
- What's going on? - I'm your son.
And you're gonna train me.
- What you think you got to offer?
Hmm?
- I don't know.
Maybe I'll suck, but I'm giving this a shot.
- You're not going to suck.
You're going to make it.
This is your calling.
- You say you won't train my grandson?
I'm getting my slapping gloves.
- If you don't train me, I'll find someone else.
Either way, I'm doing this.
So are you gonna help me or not?
- Okay. I'll train you.
- You will?
- Good. Don't have to use these.
- But this is gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done.
All that football training is gonna be a walk in the park
compared to the pain I'm gonna put you through.
- I'm ready.
We can start right now, if you want to.
- Can't right now. I gotta go to work.
- Plus, you ate so much breakfast, Rocky.
- No one can exercise after that many poached eggs.
- Of all the things that my dad said to me,
the thing that really kicked me in the gut was when he said,
"What do you think you have to offer?"
Because what he was really saying was,
"I don't see what you have to offer."
- Well, why did he react like that?
- That's what my mom wanted to know too.
- Hey, man, what's your deal?
- "Hey, man"?
- Our son is finally chasing his dream,
the right dream, this time. You don't wanna help him?
- I said I'd train him, didn't I?
- Reluctantly.
- Is this his dream or yours?
- Of course it's my dream!
It's been my dream for him since he was born.
What's your dream for him?
Selling laser printers out of a van in a parking lot?
- Hey, look around.
Look at where we are.
30 years in this damn business,
and this is all I got to show for it.
Maybe I don't want that life for him.
- Just because that was your experience,
it doesn't mean it's going to be Dewey's.
Wrestling is in his blood, from my side and yours.
He's going to be great.
Maybe you'll train the greatest champion there ever was.
- He's not gonna be greater than me.
I changed the boy's diapers.
- [scoffs]
You changed his what now?
- The pee ones, I did.
- That moment I fantasized about as a kid,
being in the wrestling ring, was actually happening.
It just wasn't a wrestling ring.
It was a boxing ring.
- And what's the difference?
- Well, the mat is a lot stiffer,
and it's got no give.
Getting suplexed on that
was like getting suplexed on your living room floor,
which meant big moves were out.
But that was the only option available,
so that's where my training began.
- Okay.
First things first: you gotta learn how to fall.
You wanna thrust your hips, tuck your chin, legs up,
and land right there, upper back.
And smack the mat so hard the audience can feel it.
What the hell was that nonsense?
- I was trying to pump up the crowd.
- Fancy moves don't win the crowd over.
It's psychological.
People can't feel your pain. They can only see it.
You gotta make them feel it.
Do it again.
Protect your head.
Tuck your chin.
Will you do it how I showed you?
Again.
You're not selling. - [grunting]
- Nope.
Again.
Again. Again.
Do you want this or not? Again.
- My dad was just trying to prove a point
by pushing me this hard.
And if I was gonna become a wrestler,
then I was gonna have to earn it just like he did.
And all those old-school trainers back then,
their job was to break the wrestler.
And if you came back after everything
they put you through, well, you've proven yourself.
- That's so intense. - It is.
There's a famous Hulk Hogan story where his trainer,
the legendary Hiro Matsuda, went bone-to-bone
and broke Hulk Hogan's ankle on purpose.
But weeks later, Hulk Hogan came back,
and that's when they knew this kid's for real.
- Mm. You know, I had to act like I broke my leg
on a wild seahorse in "Aquaman 5."
- Oh, brutal.
- Brutal.
- Wow. - Brutal.
- Well, even though my dad wasn't gonna break my leg,
he was gonna beat my ass.
And that's exactly what he did.
He made sure that I earned it.
[grunts]
- Do it to me.
- [groans dramatically]
You gotta make sure everyone who's not inside this ring
feels how bad you're hurting.
- [groans dramatically]
- Better.
This is your opponent.
Punch as close as you can without moving the string.
If you break this string's nose,
you get fired
and you get your ass whupped in the back.
- [grunts]
- Dewey, you're squaring up too much on your punches.
Angle your stance.
[energetic upbeat music]
♪
- Wrestling is all about trust.
If you don't trust your opponent,
neither you will put on a good show.
♪
- [grunts]
- There's another lesson for you.
You can't trust everyone.
Now, get up.
- Even though my dad's training
was monotonous and punishing,
I fell in love with wrestling like I was a kid again.
There's Vince and Pat.
Man, I haven't seen those guys forever.
- Two men with great hair.
One's is better, but I won't say who.
- It's one of the most exciting events in wrestling.
- Boy, come here. - [chuckles]
- Hey, hey. Look, look, look, look.
That is your cousin, Rodney.
"Yokozuna." - Japanese Sumo wrestler.
Kid's from San Fran. He loves chicken nuggets.
But he makes one hell of a WWF wrestler.
- Wait, he's is about to do the family move. Watch.
[cheers]
- Ugh, Samoan Drop.
Always pinches my rib skin, makes me feel fat.
- I miss you, my Peter.
For every Samoan Drop is a violent love letter to you,
High Chief.
[TV chatter]
- Somebody Samoan Drop me.
Just once.
Acknowledge me!
- By the way, that's my cousin, Joe,
who would later go by Roman Reigns,
future WWE champion.
- I have a cousin Joe too, but he's unemployed.
- [sighs]
Come on, Dewey. Let's wrestle.
- No, the world's not ready.
A match that big can only happen at "WrestleMania."
- That's gonna be Samoan-dropping somebody
on TV pretty soon.
- Dewey, how's wrestling training going?
- Yeah, it's going good, Uncle Tonga.
It's mostly falling down naked.
I feel like I'm at sexy clown school.
[laughter]
- I've wrestled sexy clown before.
Solid gimmick.
- I'm building him a foundation.
Can't build a house with just fancy moves.
Need a base.
You guys get me, right? - Yeah, yeah. Foundation.
- Yeah, like carbs on the food pyramid.
[cheers]
- See, these new kids don't know how to wrestle anymore.
It's all about flash, no substance.
And believe me, I love flash, but not without substance.
- Well, maybe there's a version where I do both.
Combine the old school with the new school.
- No, there's only one school. The right school.
[TV chatter]
- Who wants popcorn chicken?
- Tonga. [chuckles]
.
- I was doing everything my dad said,
but I was frustrated.
I still had no idea if I was any good.
- I can't hear your reaction.
- Well, sit closer then.
- I can't sit closer. You know why?
Because I'm Little Jeffy all the way up in the rafters.
This is my first live wrestling match.
And the only tickets my parents could afford
were the worst ones in the house.
Now, do you wanna tell Little Jeffy
the reason he can't feel your pain is because he's too poor?
- Little Jeffy drinks gin at noon?
- Just do it again! Louder!
- We've been training for two months
and you've barely taught me any moves.
All I'm doing is falling and selling, falling and selling.
- You wanna quit? - No, I don't want to quit.
I'm tired of punching a string and falling on my ass.
Can we at least try and find a real wrestling ring?
Bring in other guys so I can see if I'm ready?
- I'll tell you when you're ready.
Now do it again.
- How can you not know you were good?
I--oh, thank you, Aileen.
You're The Rock.
Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, but I wasn't The Rock yet.
Plus, I was coming off the biggest failure
of my entire life.
- Mm.
- I mean, I just didn't know, man.
- Mm.
- Nice shot. - Thank you.
- I had a feeling I could be good,
but with my confidence so low, I needed to know for sure.
[telephone rings]
- Pat Patterson, oui allo?
- Oh. Hey, Mr. Patterson.
It's Dewey. Dwayne Johnson.
Rocky's kid? - Dewey!
You-you know who was just talking about you?
- Who?
- Nobody! [wheeze-laughs]
- Pat still loved telling that joke.
The reason I called is because
I'm getting into the business.
- What business?
- The wrestling business.
- Why the [bleep] would you wanna do that?
- Well, my dad's been training me here in Tampa,
and I was wondering
if you'd maybe come out to see me wrestle.
- Are you any good?
- That's the question I'd like you to answer for me, sir.
- All right. Let's do something new.
Today, we gonna work on selling the Sleeper--
Pat Patterson?
- Rocky, hey. [chuckles]
- What you doing up in my gym?
Nah, nah, nah, nah, the backup gym.
Real gym is being used
for a Miami Sound Machine music video.
Did Vince send you here to bring me back as a heel?
Watch out now. I'm expensive.
- Actually, I'm here to see the kid.
- Thanks for coming, Mr. Patterson.
- You called him?
- I just wanted to see if I'm any good.
I have to know.
- Where's the ring?
- This is the ring.
- It's a [bleep] boxing ring. - I know, I know.
I can't do any big moves or go off the ropes,
but I'll still show you what I can.
- All right. Let's get this over with.
- We good?
- You wanna show Pat, let's show Pat.
- Were you concerned Rocky
was gonna tank your audition for Pat?
- No, I mean, to my dad's credit,
he never brought any of that into the ring.
- Mm.
- Almost.
- Sometimes I miss on purpose.
Keeps you humble, you know? - Mm-hmm. Sure.
And I did what he'd been teaching me.
[groans]
I showed Pat the psychological side of wrestling.
Most guys, when they audition,
they try to get all their high-flying moves in.
[groans]
Since I couldn't do any big moves,
I had to sell my intention and my emotion.
[groans]
I sold my pain and made the audience feel what I felt.
[groans]
- All right. Stop, stop.
Let me ask you something.
Can you work as a heel?
- Yeah. Sure.
[suspenseful music]
♪
- [grunting]
[dramatic music]
♪
- All right, all right. I've seen enough.
- So what'd you think, Mr. Patterson?
- Keep working, kid.
- That was it? Keep working?
- That was it. But that was all I needed.
I was at a crossroads in my life.
I just needed a little validation
to let me know that I was on the right track,
doing the right thing, and to not give up.
- Mm.
- Which is why we need to stay the course.
I'm not gonna meet with Julien and stoop to his level,
but I'm also not gonna attack him.
And look, if people think
that my behavior hasn't been presidential,
then they haven't been paying attention
to this entire campaign.
- That's right.
- Now, I've been in situations
a lot tougher than this, Randall,
and I've gotten through them by putting my head down,
working hard, and believing in myself.
I mean, I went from having seven bucks in my pocket
to less than a year later,
getting the phone call that changes my life.
[telephone rings]
- Hello. Johnson residence.
- Kid, it's Pat Patterson.
- Mr. Patterson. Hi.
Uh, thank you again for coming--
- Yeah, yeah. Listen.
Do you know who was just talking about you?
- [chuckles] Nobody?
- No. Me. To Vince.
He wants to take a look at you in a match.
You ever been to Corpus Christi?
[hopeful music]