Add Rocky Maivia to the list of next generation wrestlers competing in the WWF.
As the son of Rocky Johnson, and grandson of High Chief Peter Maivia, Maivia understands what it means to be a wrestler constantly on the road, travelling from arena to arena; rarely home to visit family and friends.
As a child, he journeyed around the world with his father. “That was the only opportunity I go to spend time with him. Everywhere he went, basically I went. That was good. A great experience growing up.”
Maivia thinks that many second generation wrestlers are a step ahead of newcomers to the sport. Like Canadian wrestling legend Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, whose father Stu wrestled for years, and now run son the of the best wrestling schools in the world.
A young Rocky Maivia in Toronto on Jan. 27, 1997 at a press conference announcing the signing of Tiger Ali Singh. — Photo by Greg Oliver
Bret’s been helping Maivia get to the next level in the WWF. “It’s kind of like he saw some things in me that he saw in himself 20 years ago,” explains Maivia. “And that’s the nature of growing up in wrestling. You pick up little things without even doing them.”
The 6’5″, 275-pound Maivia faces The Sultan on Friday on the WWF’s Toronto SkyDome Triple Threat card. “I expect to win. I expect everyone in Toronto to be behind me. I appreciate all the fan support,” says Maivia. “But then again, I’m not taking anything away from The Sultan. As you know, regardless of what he wears, or what his deal is, he is a fantastic wrestler.” Fans may recognize The Sultan as yet-another second generation wrestler, Solafa Fatu, son of Samoan Afa.
As for the future, Maivia doesn’t have a headlock on it as of yet. “I don’t know where I could be. Anything could happen. I would just like to be considered in a couple of years one of the best young talents around. One of the guys that the older guys pass the torch on to.”
But when asked about forming a tag team with his father’s most-successful partner Tony Atlas (who’s still wrestling), Maivia dismissed the idea. “There’s no chance of that. I’m not knocking Tony. He’s a great wrestler, he done great things but I do my own thing. Rocky Maivia by himself.”
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