Young Rock is the NBC comedy series based on the life of Dwayne Johnson, from his childhood as the son of Rocky and Ata Johnson to his rise to stardom in WWE as The Rock.
In the past, the series has received mixed reactions to its casting choices of the wrestlers who played a part in The Rock’s life and career. While Becky Lynch was well-received in the role of Cyndi Lauper, Miles Burris’ portrayal of Triple H has been described as being “trash on purpose.”
More recently, the choice of actors to play the iconic roles of The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin was widely panned, with fans saying they looked a lot more like other wrestling stars than the ones they were meant to be.
Austin was unflatteringly compared to ECW Original Justin Credible, while Undertaker was said to more closely resemble WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash in his Diesel days and NJPW star Jay White.
Interestingly, another star of NJPW has recently revealed he was offered a huge role in the show.
NJPW star offered a role as Dwayne Johnson’s Grandfather in Young Rock
A key role in the show is that of Dwayne Johnson’s Grandfather and a wrestling star in his own right, ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia. While the part eventually went to Maua Fuifui, ‘Ultimate Weapon’ Aaron Henare says it was initially offered to him, but he had to turn it down due to touring commitments.
“Got offered to play Peter in the young rock movie but had a tour”
Got offered to play Peter in the young rock movie but had a tour 😭😭
— Aaron Henare (@HenareNZ) January 25, 2023
Responding to his United Empire teammate, Jeff Cobb praised Chavo Guerrero for at least trying to cast Henare, before offering to take on another role himself, that of the legendary Haku. While Haku is mostly known for his lengthy run in WCW, he also happens to be the father of New Japan’s Guerillas of Destiny – Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Hikuleo.