What a precious little future wrestling champ! There’s a good reason why Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is the most followed American man on Instagram with over 200 million fans. In addition to his killer motivational workout videos and sweet moments with his young daughters, he absolutely owns the category of awesome throwback photos of himself. On Oct. 22, Dwayne shared what might be his most special #TBT yet, as the 48-year-old posted a photo of himself at age 11, dressed in his father’s championship wrestling gear while making fun of his pre-pubescent body.
The Rock was shirtless with his dad’s blue and silver satin jacket on, showing part of his bare and hairless chest. He had his father’s large championship belt slung over his shoulder like a true victor, while wearing another one with a large gold buckle featuring a crown around his waist.
The off-white briefs Dwayne was wearing actually belonged to his dad, though they fit the pre-teen snugly. A pair of side lace-up old school wrestling boots came almost up to the future WWE superstar‘s knees in the photo. The Rock’s hair was seen in short curls, while he had a slight smile on his face. The year was 1983 and before CD players, as a large collection of music cassette tapes could be seen next to him in the photo.
The San Andreas star was inspirational in his caption, while also delightfully self-effacing as he mocked how his now famously buff body was still a long ways off. “A lil’ throwback action to 1983, when I was 11 years old – I used to LOVE putting on my dad’s wrestling trunks, boots, jacket and championship belts – dreaming of one day becoming a pro wrestling champion,” he wrote.
The Rock’s dad Rocky Johnson— who sadly passed away at age 72 in Jan. 2020 — was a professional wrestler, who along with partner Tony Atlas went by the nickname of “The Soul Patrol.” The men became the first black WWE tag-team champions in 1983, and Dwayne must look back on those days with so much pride. As an 11-year-old with a champion’s belt on, he already had the hunger in his eyes. The Rock went on to win his first world championship in the WWF in 1998, and later became a legend in the WWE.
Of course The Rock came up with something to make fans laugh before getting to emotional about looking at his young self with big dreams. “Only thing I forgot to wear was my training bra!!” he quipped about his less than muscular chest, adding “C’mon afro t*ts, you’re gonna be late for school!” with a laughing emoji. The Skyscraper star then added the hashtags,
#thankgodforpuberty #afrot*ts, #stillaBMF.” Hey, that prepubescent boy grew up to one day be named the “Sexiest Man Alive.”