Dwayne Johnson: Footage of The Rock watching his father in 1984

Everyone knows The Rock. Whether it is from his escapades in the ring during his days in the WWE or his blockbuster movies, the 50-year-old is inescapable.

His 6’4, 118kg frame is recognisable to everyone, with his ‘tribal’ tattoos distinguishable to even the most old-fashioned grandparents.

However, yesterday a video of an 11-year-old Johnson as you have never seen him before went viral on Twitter.

Sat ringside, the future star watched his father, Rocky Johnson, in the WWF, 13 years before he himself made his wrestling debut.

The clip from 1984 shows Johnson Junior sporting slightly more hair with what would now be considered a retro zip-up tracksuit.

He looks a world away from his image today of a clean-shaven head complimented by a tank top or open chested shirt to display his aforementioned physique and tattoos.

Amazingly, Hollywood’s favourite macho man Johnson revealed that he was often mistaken for a girl in his youth. Speaking to NBC’s Sunday Today with Willie Geist, he remarked:

“I would say between the ages of seven and eleven, people though I was a little girl because I had really soft features and a really soft Afro hair”. Oh, how times have changed…

It will come as a surprise to no-one that Wrestling is in The Rock’s blood. Not only was his father a WWF World Tag-Team Champion, but his maternal grandfather – Peter Maivia – was also a Wrestler, passing down the genes that made Johnson the demi-God like figure he is today.

Perhaps it was fate that a young Johnson was cut from the Canadian Football League, as it allowed him to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in joining the WWF (later to be called the WWE).

11 year old Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson sitting in the crowd watching his father