How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Went From WWE Wrestler To Hollywood's Box Office Champ

During his wrestling days, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was known as the "People's Champion."

But thanks to franchises like "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Fast and the Furious," Johnson is now better known as Hollywood's box office champion.

In total, his movies have made $4.3 billion worldwide, which helped make him Forbes' top-grossing actor of 2013. This year, he ranked No.2 after pulling in a whopping $52 million.

This weekend, he appeared in Brett Ratner's "Hercules," which beat tracking estimates to bring in $29 million opening weekend.

Here's how Dwayne Johnson went from WWE wrestler to one of the top-grossing stars in the film industry.

Before he was "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson was born May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California.

Source: Biography

Wrestling is in Johnson's blood. His father, Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, was a member of the first African American tag-team champions and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, was of the first Samoan wrestlers.

Source: YouTube

But Johnson's first sport was football. After being a high school star, he joined college football team, the Miami Hurricanes. Over his tenure at the school, Johnson only started once but appeared in 39 games, had 77 tackles, and was a part of the 1991 national championship team.

Source: ESPN