The Rock’s Rise to the Top of WWE Was Fueled By Early Morning Workouts and Nonstop Grind

Mark Henry didn’t hold back when sharing what it was like to witness Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson transform from a struggling star into the global icon he is today—and it all came down to work ethic that few could ever match.

During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes, Henry opened up about those early years in WWE, where The Rock morphed from Rocky Maivia into one of the most charismatic forces in wrestling. But it wasn’t charisma alone—it was a grind behind the scenes that shocked even Henry.

“It was amazing because I don't know if I've ever seen anybody work harder than him. Never. Work out twice a day… we were like brothers, more than roommates.”

Henry recalled Rock writing in a notebook constantly—logging what promos worked, what didn’t, and what he was going to test next in the ring:

“He would sit around and write in this book… ‘I'm going to try this tomorrow… I tried this, don't work.’ He was breaking wrestling down.”

He wasn’t just a student of the game—he was an obsessive technician. Before practice, The Rock would get in extra ring time with Tom Prichard, then hit the weights like clockwork.

“He would get in the ring with Tom Pritchard and wrestle like 30 minutes before practice. And then we would work out and learn wrestling.”

Meanwhile, Henry admitted he was out partying while The Rock stayed laser-focused—even acting like Henry’s personal coach. Henry then laid out the insane daily schedule that Rock still lives by today:

“He was like, ‘Man, you killing yourself, man. You need to get some rest. Like, this is hard. We here to work.’ Like he was like my coach.”

“He wake up at 4:00 every morning and go to the gym for an hour and a half to two hours. Then goes and eats breakfast and then does all his phone calls and business stuff for a couple hours. And then he go work out again. And then he'll get dressed and go do life… he like the military, man.”

And after watching it all unfold for years, Henry made it clear—this wasn’t luck. It was destiny built by discipline:

“His discipline was something out of worldly. I don’t know nobody like him. He had to succeed. It just ain't no way to fail when you trying to do everything right—and it makes you feel good to do everything right.”

The Rock may be known for catchphrases and Hollywood flair, but as Henry makes crystal clear—his real secret weapon was never the mic. It was the obsession to never stop grinding.

What do you think about Mark Henry’s backstage look at The Rock’s rise? Drop your thoughts and reactions in the comments—we want to hear from you.

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