Dwayne Johnson and Nahnatchka Khan, is inspired by Johnson’s upbringing and examines important moments in his life. But, in its second installment, the parents of the title character get storylines of their own.
In Young Rock season 1, episode 2, “On the Road Again”, Rocky Johnson (Joseph Lee Anderson) is no longer wrestling for the WWF. All the same, The Rock’s dad is not quite ready to leave his glory days behind. He tells strangers about some of his best memories in the squared circle, sharing a story with his gym buddies about how he defeated Ric Flair in front of a packed arena. He also stops the mailman to reminiscence about the time he emerged victorious against Roddy Piper. While these bouts did in fact happen, and while Young Rock does find impressive doppelgangers for both Piper and Flair, “On the Road Again” doesn’t strictly adhere to how the matches unfolded in real life.
The episode first shows Johnson squaring off against Flair on April 16, 1982 for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. Flair won the contest. However, in Young Rock, the recollection is edited in such a way that it allows for the viewers to come away with the impression that Johnson was the victor. Near the end of the bout, just before the referee counts to three, the camera cuts away and Johnson finishes his story by saying that he’s won. Later on, when he’s battling Piper, the camera goes back to Rocky Johnson and the mailman without actually showing who won. The sitcom heavily makes the suggestion, winking to the wrestling fans in the audience who know their trivia.
On one level, it’s clear why this clever shift occurs. Rock’s dad is reluctant to let go of his past. Even as Rock’s mom, Ata (Stacey Leilua), takes on housekeeping jobs to keep up with finances, Johnson can’t resist seeing himself as a leading WWF performer. It’s understandable that he would selectively edit a true story in a way that makes himself look better. This tendency is noted by Ata herself in the episode. She says of her husband, at one point: “He always exaggerates to make himself look good when he doesn’t even have to.”
But if that’s the case, then why doesn’t The Rock correct the wrestling record when he’s telling the story to Randall Park? The star of Black Adam doesn’t outright declare his father the winner, though he doesn’t go out of his way to adjust his dad’s edits either. The crux of the episode is that Johnson thinks incredibly highly of his father, just as he did when he was growing up. He even risks losing out on a date with his high school crush to his father who is wrestling at a flea market. To the sitcom’s main character, it doesn’t matter if Rocky Johnson is wrestling for a prestigious championship or in front of no more than a dozen people, he’s a winner regardless.
It’s a sweet and sentimental message that manages to honor the records of Flair and Piper, by not outright saying that they lost, while still presenting the narrative in a way that allows audiences to better understand the characters. It’s also true of wrestlers, in general, that they can be quite mindful of getting themselves over or presenting themselves in the most favorable manner. Young Rock is keenly aware of this tendency, using it as a starting point to build out a fairly entertaining episode.