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She's a boss lady!
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jan 19, 2020
Ever since word of Rocky Johnson — AKA The Rock's dad — passing has hit the Internet, fans have been wanting to find out more and more about Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's family and life. So, certainly, we learned a lot about Rocky Johnson's life, but the world is still wondering: who is The Rock's mom, Ata Johnson?
Given The Rock's extensive family connections in the world of professional wrestling, he was bound to enter the ring sooner, rather than later. But while his father was credited with helping him with his career — and for good reason; after all, he trained him and helped him develop a persona that became "The Rock" — his mother was just as seminal in helping him create a career that, to this day, remains unparalleled.
Let's look at what we know about Ata Johnson, The Rock's mother, who is a force of nature on her own.
1. Who is The Rock's mom? Ata Johnson was born Ata Fitisemanu.
Ata Fitisemanu was the daughter of Ofelia "Lia" Maivia, who was one of the first-ever women promoters in professional wrestling. The product of Ofelia Maivia's first marriage, Ata Fitisemanu would be adopted by Peter Maivia, the "High Chief," when he married Ofelia Maivia — and from that day forward, she became known as Ata Fitisemanu Maivia.
2. Johnson had a lot of respect for her mother and what she accomplished in the world of professional wrestling.
Recounting a story about how her mother got her start in the wrestling business, Johnson said that she really proved her mettle when she was trying to break up a fight that her father — the High Chief Peter Maivia — had been in, which he made look so realistic that it scared even her.
"My father was so protective of the business that for the first few years he even protected it from my mom and I. Hence during a match in London, England during the early sixties, my mom jumped in the ring, her stiletto heel in hand, to beat the pulp out of the guy that was beating my dad. And my dad was selling it so fantastic, that she was convinced he was done for. The fact that it made headlines the next morning, plus the injuries sustained by dad's unsuspecting opponent, led to a very serious discussion between Dale Martin Promotions and my dad to smarten the family up!" she said.
Johnson also said that it was her own mother who inspired her in her ventures going forward, too.
3. She began an affair with Rocky Johnson while he was still married.
Johnson met Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson when Peter Maivia competed with him in a wrestling match. While their sole child, The Rock, was born in 1972, it was later revealed that Johnson was still married to his first wife, Una, when The Rock was born. (It's unclear if Una ever knew about The Rock.)
However, when Johnson's divorce was finalized in 1978, he married Ata Johnson four days later. The duo would stay married until 2002.
4. Johnson has nothing but high praise for her granddaughter, Simone Johnson.
Simone Johnson is the eldest daughter of The Rock, the product of his first marriage to Dany Garcia. Ata Johnson said that she thinks her granddaughter is "intelligent, funny, talented, quick on the draw, and she's focused," and she would like nothing more than for her granddaughter to become a professional wrestler. (If Simone Johnson were, indeed, to become a professional wrestler, she would be the fourth generation in her family to do so.)
5. She has not yet publicly commented about her ex-husband's death.
While tributes to Rocky Johnson poured in from all over the world, Ata Johnson has not yet publicly commented about her ex-husband's death.
6. The Rock has nothing but love for his mother.
There were some times that The Rock and his mother were, quite literally, starving on the street. They got evicted from their apartment because she couldn't afford the $180 a week rent when The Rock was 14 (as he addressed in the post above), he saw their only car repossessed because she couldn't afford the payments.
So, frequently, The Rock takes to his social media to share all the ways he pampers his mother now that he's, well, The Rock. You can check out one post, where he surprises his mother with a private plane ride.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.