Young Rock Season 3 sees Dwayne Johnson getting betrayed in a shocking move fit for the WWE while trying to help the NBC show’s fictional nation.
NBC’s Young Rock has always delivered a slightly fictionalized version of Dwayne Johnson’s backstory. Fans do learn a lot of truth about Johnson’s business ventures, how he evolved after his football failures and how he transitioned from a wrestling superstar under Hulk Hogan’s stewardship to infuriating Warner Bros. execs over Black Adam. In the fictional world, the drama — and comedy — comes from seeing him in 2032 after failing to win America’s presidential election and just trying to stay off-radar.
In Season 3, his former rival President Tate entrusted Johnson with an important task that could help save the U.S. economy. He hasn’t adjusted well to working with his old enemy or having to keep it secret. But just when it seems like Johnson makes headway in the name of the greater good, he gets betrayed by another powerful figure in a plot twist that feels more like a WWE storyline.
Young Rock Season 3, Episode 9, “It All Goes Back to Childhood” has Johnson trying to quell unrest in the fictional nation of Gjelgjiughm, where he’s hoping to broker a deal that would allow the U.S. to import coffee. After President Honig turned down President Tate’s offer, he enlisted Johnson to mend fences. And when Honig gets flak from her own media for labor issues, Johnson uses his past experience — the norm on this show — to call a truce.
He explains via flashbacks how his dad Rocky got advice from Andre the Giant on set in 1987’s The Princess Bride. Andre’s words about loyalty led to Rocky putting his ego aside and repairing his relationship with the Wild Samoans. He also reunited his wife Ata and her mom Lia after Ata started a rival promotion called World Pacific Wrestling. The episode illustrates how every family (or in this case, nation) has fractures, but that those wounds can be healed with honesty. And that all sounds good, until yet another speed bump in the road.
Young Rock’s President Honig Backstabs Dwayne Johnson
Johnson’s philosophy of airing out differences has been dissected all season long, with him having heart-to-hearts with the likes of HHH to fix their feud backstage in the then-World Wrestling Federation. In “It All Goes Back to Childhood,” he believes he can pass his family’s lessons down in a diplomatic sense and prevent civil unrest. However, he’s stunned when Honig embraces his mantra in a different way: she breaks protocol and opens up about why Johnson is in her country.
She puts him on blast to reporters, taking the heat off her back by admitting he’s there to strike up a coffee deal. She goes on record publicly to tell Johnson his endeavors to convince her have failed as well. She backs her republic — her own family — and the PR disaster results in his pristine image taking a big hit. It’s a heel turn that feels almost scripted by Vince McMahon himself, and opens up the idea of how Dwayne Johnson can rebound when he goes from good guy to perceived bad guy in front of the whole world.
