The movie and wrestling star surprised fans recently at a Dallas Target, where he made an appearance to promote his line of men's skincare products, Papatui.
Rodriguez met The Rock at a meet-and-greet inside the Target store on March 29. Johnson, who had previously stopped in New York and Memphis to promote the brand, chatted with fans and handed out products. Rodriguez asked Johnson to sign his arm, telling Johnson he would get the autograph tattooed. And the Final Boss obliged.
“After he finished his promo and told the crowd that he was leaving, I ran towards the exit where the Rock was headed,” Rodriguez tells the Observer. “He walks past me and I yelled, ‘Rock! If you sign my arm, I’ll get it tatted.’ He stopped and looked at me and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ He signed my arm, took some pics and walked away.”
Ruben's daughter knows The Rock as a Disney character, not as a wrestling superstar.
“She has watched a few shows with me but she mainly knows The Rock as Maui from Moana,” Rodriguez says. “After The Rock signed my arm and walked away, my daughter was asking me, 'Where is Maui going? Is he going home?'”
Rodriguez kept to his plans and got The Rock's signature tattooed on his arm. He let Johnson know right away via X, and made one request.
“Saw @TheRock at Target last Friday!” Rodriguez wrote on X. “Childhood hero of mine! I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life & I got to experience it w/my daughter. I told Rock that if he signed my arm, I would get it tatted & I’m a man of my word. Hook us up w/Wrestlemania Tickets. #IfYaSmell.”
The Rock tweeted back and surprised him with a trip to the biggest Wrestlemania ever, which is happening this Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7. Retweeting Rodriguez, The Rock wrote back:
“Dude holy shit you did it!! That’s the authentic real deal signature & bull right there! Looks amazing! You’re a man of your word, and so is the Final Boss … Pack your bags — because you and your daughter are coming to @wwe #WrestleMania. Your tickets, flight, hotel, transportation and food — are all on me! My team will be reaching out. See you in Philly brother. – Final Boss.”
Dude holy shit you did it!!
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 3, 2024
That’s the authentic real deal signature & bull right there!
Looks amazing!
You’re a man of your word, and so is the Final Boss…
Pack your bags - because you and your daughter are coming to @wwe #WrestleMania
Your tickets, flight, hotel,… https://t.co/2whkNI34A2
Ruben woke up to the news his family would be attending Wrestlemania 40 via a bomb of social media notifications.
“Funny part was that all my friends saw the tweet well before I did,” he says. “We have a [4-week-old] newborn, and he went to bed at 9 p.m., which means I went to bed at 9 p.m. So this morning, when I grabbed my phone, I had so many text messages with screenshots of The Rock's response. My urge to go back to sleep immediately went away.”
After The Rock’s tweet, friends, family, wrestling fans and other social media users congratulated Rodriguez on getting tickets to the sold-out event. X user MarylandsMandM tweeted to Rodriguez, “Dude, you’re so lucky! I live an hour from Philly and we weren’t able to get tickets. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signs Ruben Rodriguez's arm, and the gifts would keep coming.
Ruben Rodriguez
“Congrats to you and your daughter!!,” wrote Mike Honcho.
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Presented by the WWE, Wrestlemania is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the world. The showdown is known by many other nicknames, such as the Showcase of the Immortals, The Grandest Stage of Them All, The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment and The Show of Shows.
Over the past 40 years, Wrestlemania has evolved from a one-night extravaganza into an all-access weekend that includes panels, showcases and conventions leading up to the wrestling matches. Ahead of Wrestlemania, Johnson taped a show called WWE Smackdown Featuring The Rock at Dallas' American Airlines Center in Dallas.
“I’m still shocked. I’m excited. I’ve never been to Philadelphia,” Rodriguez says. "This would be my third Wrestlemania. I’ve attended the last two in Dallas.”
On Saturday, Rodriguez and his daughter will watch The Rock participate in a tag-team match with his cousin and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns against popular WWE superstar Cody Rhodes and WWE World Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
Dallas will also see some exciting ass-kicking when Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in July. But this year already has a clear winner: Ruben Rodriguez, who got a sweet vacay package to go with that awesome tattoo.
