The Rock starts off an emotional post on Instagram by saying “I’ll cherish this moment with my mama.”
A somber moment for most, The Rock helped to lighten the mood as he sang while his mother, Ata played the ukulele at the grave of The Rock’s legendary grandfather’s High Chief Peter Maivia and his grandmother, Lia Maivia.
High Chief Peter Maivia spearheaded the Maivia/Johnson dynasty into the United States in the 1970s dominating the west coast and winning multiple championships in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. At different times, he held versions of the NWA Tag Team Championship with Pat Patterson, and Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. In California, he also formed a close relationship with “Superstar” Billy Graham.
In the late 1970’s, Peter Maivia rose to fame catapulting Samoan excellence in professional wrestling when he joined WWE. High Chief also helped train numerous future legends such as Graham, Wild Samoan Afa and Rocky Johnson. Rocky Johnson would later marry Peter’s daughter to which Peter hated. Sadly, Peter Maivia passed away at only 45 due to cancer.
Rocky Johnson would later help to carry on what he learned from the High Chief which he would then pass on to a young baby face draped in a brown checkerboard collar and blue party streamers known as “Rocky Maivia”. The rest of course, is the most electrifying history in sports entertainment.
