I think The Rock Farted and Joe tried to tidy up (The Rock Says: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment - The Rock and Joe Laydon)

Member Name: iamasadlittleboy

Product:	The Rock Says: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment - The Rock and Joe Laydon
Date:	15/02/08 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intresting in look into The Rocks young life

Disadvantages: Egotistical, badly written in parts, out of date

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, AKA the Rock, AKA that wrestler dude who's now a big time charlie of an actor. This book details his life from his early years, and his rise to superstardom in the late 1990's. The book published around the turn of the millenium is already out dated though (this is what happens when your still active in a sport and do biographies/autio-biographies, please note this Mr Hamilton, Mr Khan and Mr Rooney), and as a resuly doesn't aknowledge his acting roles, or anything post 2000 (argueably 2 years when The Rock was at his prime).

So this already a complaint with the book, and all biographies wrote before people have completed (at least the marjority) of their career, which Mick Foley ("Have a nice day" and "Foley is God") and away from football Roy Keane's "Keane" was at the end of his footballing days (of course we all know he'll do one at the end of his management days, but their 2 hugely different parts of his life).

Now the book starts with Dwayne's upbringing and how he was brought up in the business (his mother's father was the legendary Peter "High Chief" Mavia and his father was Rocky Johnson, both highly rated wrestlers). His grand-parents not wanting their daughter to marry a wrestler. Before going into "school days", where the Dwayne speaks about his days at school, getting in fights, nearly getting stabbed. Next comes girls, and a show of his arrogance and pure down right cockyness (which he aknowledges, so it's not like I'm calling the bloke names) and the loss of his virginity (which of course we all wanted to know about).

In College he was part of the Miami Hurricanes (The College Football team) in which he covers over a few chapters, in which he basically says he wallowed in self pity, before getting a good kick up the arse.
With this kick up the arse came better academic achievement and meeting the love of his life** (who since meeting her has married her, and from what the book seems to say, has stayed loyal to her despite hard times).

At the end of college he wasn't drafted into the NFL as a football player*, so went into a peroid of having an agent look for a team for him to join (the team ended up being a Canadian team in the CFL). This team was based in Toronto as seemed like it wasn't worth the time or effort for poor Dwayne, as he'd have to sleep on urine stained matresses, survive on spaghetti and miss his girlfriend (who was still living in Miami). This got too much and he didn't sign on for a second season, instead he took up what we all know him for.

Under the guidance of his father Dwayne started to learn how to wrestler, and after a few months called up a family friend (some may know this friend as Pat Patterson) who Dwayne was wanting to come and give him tips. This quickly helped him earn experience and have a trial at a WWF (now WWE) dark match***.

The rest they say, is history. And Sadly this is where the book has it's major downfall. Unlike Foley's books which are all written by Mick, the Rock had a ghost writer, which basically means the bloke spoke into a tape machine, and the writer (Joe Laydon) wrote it into a book.
It seems by the time that the book actually got onto the guy got onto his wrestling career Joe had quit and Dwayne, as The Rock, wrote it in the third person. At first it seemed a little bit silly and gimmicky, before becoming annoying and irratating. Almost forcing me to put the book down never to pick it up again. As if Johnson had gone, "Hang on Joe...I'll write this, I'll aim it at wrestling fans as opposed to people intrested in reading about me" and instead it becomes "Hey look at me, I think I'm being dead funny, but I'm coming across as a complete arse". This continues for 1998-1999 talking about the major PPV's of the day, and his matches from the great Ladder Match with HHH to the Wrestlemania XV match with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which completely the feeling of the event, which could have been made out to be amazing.

Overall the book is decent for the best part, but it does have it's flaws, and isn't worth spending more than a few quid on. I got it for £3 from a charity shop, and I'd say thats about all it's worth tbh.

*The draft occurs in American sports, where College students are picked by a major Franchise team (NBA, NFL, MLB and MLS I think) are all drafted into the roster of the teams. Players who aren't often don't make the grade and are either left to play at minor leagues or turn to a whole new life.

**In 2007 after 10 years together Dwyane Johnson and Dany Johnson (Nee' Garcia) announced they were to divorce).

***A "Dark Match" is a non televised match often usedas a test, or to warm up the fans waiting for the proper roster.

Summary: Read only if your a huge wrestling fan or a fan of The Rock