So I was an extra I wanna say 2015 at the Barclay Center in New York,
and I all I remember was him coming out of Gorilla.
Me and coffee standing next to each other talking about a match that
was gonna happen the next day, like a tryout match.
And then he walks past us and I was like that's the Rock,
I need to at least say something.
And I just like hi my name is Thea is like hi I'm Dwayne and
in my head on my can we curse on that?
Word for word I was like, yeah, like in mind like, the can't say that just,
like it just it felt like word vomit was just coming out.
And then he's like, okay, nice to meet you that's a cool name, and he walked away,
and then I saw him kinda like wave me over.
And he's like you look like you have something important to tell me, and
I was like what, yes.
I was like listen I don't care if I never even get to see you again I just wanna say
thank you, because I have all these amazing memories.
With my dad because of you, you were his favorite wrestler and
I went to the whole thing and told him literally everything.
And he just like well that's so nut what I thought you were gonna say at all, and
we shared the best hug.
We always call it like our special moment,
because that was the day that everything was going crazy around us.
But it felt like it was just him and I there, and it was the best hug ever,
cloud nine I was like, wow, this is so cool.
My dad knows about the rock, and I got to walk away from that feeling really,
I was easy that it's really cool.
And I wanna say two weeks later, we just started talking and
we became friendly after that.
And then he called me for fighting with my family, that was in 2017,
I wanna say, and he's like, hey, I got something for you.
Give me a couple days and I'll give you a call, I'm like, okay, cool,
I have no idea what it was not even the slightest clue.
He calls me hey, so I got this we're doing this movie on page and he's going, and
telling me about the documentary and everything.
Trying to stay on the train here try to stay on the thought, and so we're gonna
recreate the moment of her and AJ Lee after Wrestle Mania when she wins a title.
And you don't even have to audition for the parts already yours,
I want you to be my divas champion.
And I was like, what?
Like, it didn't even compute at the time, wait, what?
And he's like explaining this,
and I'm trying to like fathom what's actually happening, and it was crazy.
Because the next thing I know, I was bawling my eyes out,
this was such a cool opportunity that he completely trusted me with.
And it wasn't even hey, you gotta go audition,
nothing, he's the part's already yours, I know you can do it.
And no one, especially at that point in my life,
nobody had believed in me like he did.
And I was like, well, I have to not only do it I got to overdo it I got to make
sure that I go and kill it.
So from then on it was just training and getting to train with him for
the movie was really insane.
Because I was like, wow eight year old it is bugging out right now,
you're about to pin the rock that's like.
Cuz I had to show Florence the actress like had actually pinned somebody, and
so the move.
So yeah, we got to train with him for a couple of days,
and he helped me a lot with getting into the character and AJ Lee's mind.
And what she was thinking and how she was feeling during that moment, and
just all of it.
And he really helped me not just professionally, but
personally too to grow and I think, and it's funny.
Because the day that we were filming I got a text in
the morning cuz I woke up nervous as hell.
And I got this really long, it felt like a page long text of like you're my star,
you're gonna kill it, you're gonna do.
And just the best kind of encouragement you could possibly have gotten into
one text.
And I was like, okay and I can relax, and we did it and we,
it was right after Monday Night Raw the Staples Center.
And he went out there like he was God,
he was able to control the crowd like I've never seen anyone do before.
And to see it in person again it was just Intense so he kinda like let the crowd
know okay, this is what we're doing >> [LAUGH]
>> And whatever so,
it was insane to actually go out there and do it and
I remember when it was finally all done.
I fell to my knees and I just cried, because I was like,
this is the closest that I've ever gotten.
To becoming Divas Champion to be involved in WWE and
he was just one thing he stressed me was after everything just soak up that moment.
Whatever you do is it don't leave there without saying you lived in that moment,
because sometimes you get so caught up.
And life and work and whatever it is you don't just pause for a minute and feel it.
That's exactly what I did and it was it was crazy,
and he's been family to me like ever since, so yeah, it's pretty insane.