Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Will Induct His Grandmother Lia Maivia Into the WWE Hall of Fame
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been able to parlay his long and storied wrestling career with the WWE into a massively successful acting career. The Rock has continued to maintain his presence in the wrestling world over the years, but he's far from the first in his family to find success in the WWE.
On April 1, the Fast X star announced on Instagram that he will be inducting his grandmother, the late Lia Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024. The tear-jerking video featured Johnson sitting at Maivia's grave and singing to her. Her life story was explored in Johnson's biographical sitcom Young Rock; Samoan actress Ana Tuisila, who played Maivia on the show, narrated the social media announcement detailing her life.
"One of the first-ever female promoters of professional wrestling," The Rock wrote in the caption. "She was a trailblazer. She was a protector of our family. She was the real Final Boss."
Maivia found herself thrust into the wrestling world after the death of her husband Peter Maivia, known as The High Chief, in 1982. She took over Polynesian Pro Wrestling (PPW) and produced a supercard in August 1985 called A Hot Summer Night. The event brought a buzzing crowd of 20,000 to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu and remains one of the biggest supercards in professional wrestling history with stars like Ric Flair and André the Giant entering the ring. She followed it up the next year with A Hot Summer Night II.
"My grandmother was a pioneer in our business of professional wrestling," The Rock stated in the video. "She took over my grandfather's wrestling company here in Hawaii, and she made a promise to my grandfather when he was dying on his deathbed, and she says 'I'm going to take over the company, and I'm going to make your dream come true.'"
Maivia died in 2008. That same year, Johnson inducted his grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame. Now, the Black Adam will be doing the same for his grandmother. The honor will be a family affair as she joins fellow Anoa'i Family members including The Rock's father Rocky Johnson, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "The Wild Samoans" Afa and Sika, and Rikishi in the WWE Hall of Fame. She's in good company this year with stars like Muhammad Ali are a part of her class.
The WWE Hall of Fame class of 2024 induction ceremony will take place April 5 after an episode of SmackDown that night.
