My Rocky Love Obession

 Those of you who knew me back in high school probably remember me for about three things: First, I was a marching band geek who dedicated all of my free time to color guard and the clarinet. Second I was quite quirky, and goofy. Thirdly, and probably the most notable - I'm a HUGE Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson fan. I still remember the first time I saw the Rock in the ring. I'm going to sound like a fanatic here, but I totally got goosebumps.

If you've seen The Rock wrestle you know he's a showman. He entertains you with his humor, amazes you with his athleticism, and who can forget that amazing eyebrow thing he does ? My Rock obsession started off really small at first. I started watching WWF with my good friend Michelle, and at first it was just a few shows here and there. Then it turned into a full on habit. We started watching Raw and Smackdown every week, and we begged her mom to order the Pay-Per-View wrestling matches that costs $30 a month. Thankfully she did. We bonded over our common love of wrestling. And, we went all out. We made posters and signs for Pay-Per-View nights, and often find ourselves yelling at the T.V. screen when one of our guys lost.

I can't say my love for The Rock was like a school girl crush. I didn't love 'The Rock' the way I loved LLCOOL J or NSync. Those crushes were superficial soley based on looks. My love for The Rock was much deeper.  The Rock's character was so confident, charming, and strong so many things I wasn't in high school. And, watching him lay the smack down on his opponents in the ring made me want to face my own demons like the kids that picked on me or the insecurities that held me back as a teen. While The Rock didn't cure those things he sure got my mind off of them for a while.

I then started collecting and buying anything I could find with the Rock on it. Through magazine articles, and his book I learned more about the man behind the character. What I discovered made me love him more.

These are just a few

I finally collected enough Rock magazines and article clippings to put together this massive fan book.

It's filled with magazine articles I can't count how many.

The son of a black father and a Samoan mother Dwayne Johnson had big shoes to follow. His father Rocky Johnson ( hence the name) was a wrestler in the 1960's. But, Dwayne had dreams of playing in the NFL. He played for the Miami Hurricanes in college, and had a real shot of going pro until an injury sidelined those dreams.  But,  Dwayne didn't give up. He packed up and went to Canada to play for the Canadian Football League in hopes of getting into the NFL draft. After giving it all he had, Dwayne came back home to train as a professional wrestler. His drive sparked something in me to dig deep, and push harder for the things I wanted. He really was a big motivator for me in high school. I found it so admirable that he never gave up, on his dreams. And, when things didn't work out he picked himself up and tried again.

This blog wouldn't be complete without writing about the one time I got to see The Rock wrestle live in Richmond. It was by far one of the best days of my life. Me, my friend Michelle, her brother, and our chaperone had nose blood seats. But, that didn't matter I was just happy to be there. I can still remember the anticipation I felt waiting for him to come out. And, when his theme music came on, "If you smell what the Rock is cooking," I broke down in tears. Yes the hysterical fanatic cry. I could barely see him, but I felt so happy to be in the same building as the Rock, to breathe his air, and scream from the tops of lungs how much I loved him. Maybe he heard me in the noisy arena. If the Lord ever blesses me to meet him face to face I might have a heart attack.

I followed The Rock's career past wrestling as well. I mean seriously this man can do anything. He made a single with Wyclef Jean, had several rocking  appearances on SNL, and now he's doing his thing on the silver screen. Did I mention that Walking Tall is my favorite Rock movie? Or maybe Be Cool, or Tooth fairy. I've seen them. I can get quite loud watching a Rock movie, clapping, and squealing when he's on camera.

I have a Rock cutout at my parents house, a Rock wrestling eyebrow pad, a pair of Rock glasses, and I seriously thought about getting a tattoo of the Brahma Bull on my arm like he has. Thankfully I didn't.  I don't quite have the muscular build to make it look cool. And, I always carry a digital camera around in case I happen to have a Rock encounter. The chances of meeting The Rock in my current city is quite slim, but a girl has got to be prepared.

 I think a good celebrity love affair can be quite healthy. One reason we're drawn to celebrities is because they often have a personality trait, or strength we lack. As someone who struggled to be confident in her own skin in high school, it's no wonder I'm drawn to such a confident, charismatic celebrity. And, the fact that most celebrities start off as regular joes like you and me shows that big dreams are possible. After almost 10 years of this Rocky love affair I don't think it's something that will pass. My future husband will just have to live with my Rock love affair. And, he'll have to realize that the man with the chiseled body, raising eyebrow, and tattoos is a man who made me when laugh when I felt like crying... helped me believe in myself... and made me look at any obstacle and think "Just Bring It"  I mean who remembers how their role models made them feel as kid? The superheroes  who made us believe anything was possible, and  even when its tough the good guys really do win....  To the Rock - for the laughs... the excitement... the inspiration.. As your biggest fan I'm grateful!