The Rock gets "an intangible feeling" when he performs live before twenty to thirty thousand fans. "There's nothing like it in the world," he remarked. Contrary to public belief, the blood viewers see on television is real. In addition to the blood, there are chairs shot to the skull, body slams onto tables, and blows to the face. These moves, however are scripted and involve a great deal of training to prevent injury to an opponent. Despite the fact that The Rock says, "I have confidence that the other wrestlers in the ring are going to protect me from getting hurt," sometimes, injury can occur. Sometimes this injury can be tragic, as was the case with the accidental death of wrestling legend, Owen Hart who passed away as a result of an accident involving a unique ring entrance. Most recently, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin went down with a spinal injury which has sidelined him for months. As of May 16th, "Stone Cold" has only appeared for a short stint on a PPV and The Rock doesn't know how much his injury will restrict him from coming back to the ring in the future. "Steve has had neck surgery, and he is waiting for his neck bones to fuse. He's healing and enjoying his big Texas estate with his exotic animals (rattlesnakes)."
The Rock also silenced any belief that the violent nature of wrestling can be blamed for teen violence. He believes parents are directly responsible for determining what their kids are watching and doing. "Besides," he added, "wrestling is less violent than anything else you see on TV. No one gets killed or raped in the ring." Always careful about what he says and does on television, The Rock said, "I take what I do very seriously. I am very careful not to do anything damaging. Wrestling is com-plete entertainment, and I don't hate the guy I wrestle."
The newly instituted XFL raised some eyebrows among NFL executives, especially because of the WWF's partnership with rival TV network, NBC. However, The Rock says the league does not aim to compete with the NFL, and pointed out that the XFL season starts as the NFL season ends. He expects the games to be very entertaining, and thinks that the Miami team may be named, "The Rock."
The Rock has his own "Rock," and she's his number one fan. She is also his role model in life. "My mother is the rock of our family and the strongest woman I know."
The Rock, who recently turned 28, said that he would probably remain in the WWF for another five or ten years. After wrestling, he wants to pursue a career in acting. In fact, he has already started his acting career, having assumed a role in a new movie, "The Mummy 2". In addition to acting and writing, The Rock is involved in giving back to the community which he finds incredibly rewarding. The Make A Wish Foundation is a charity for terminally ill kids, and they are granted a wish, and sometimes that wish is to meet the person that they admire the most. The Rock has visited with many kids from this foundation and described the feeling as amazing, leaving even him "speechless" in terms of what the experience meant to him.
The Rock
