10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Nov 3)

4. The Rock Couldn't Afford To Buy Jim Ross Lunch In 1996

Rocky Maivia The Rock
WWE.com

Today, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson co-runs a production company called Seven Bucks Productions. There's a simple reason why the venture is called that, and it relates to a conversation The Rock had with Jim Ross way back in 1996. JR told the story during an interview with The Herd this week.

In '96, the WWF courted a young Rocky Maivia, and Ross (then a chief scout for the company) was interested in signing the youngster to a contract. During one meeting, the pair went out for food and Rocky was left embarrassed by his empty pockets. Flustered, the rookie told Ross he'd love to buy him lunch but only had seven dollars in his wallet.

Now, The Rock is one of the most wealthy stars in Hollywood, but he's clearly never forgotten his humble beginnings. Back then, he couldn't even afford to buy lunch, and apologised to JR for it. Ross likely wasn't expecting Rocky to buy anything anyway, but he found the admission touching.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.