Dwayne Johnson will induct his grandmother into WWE Hall of Fame
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is proud to announce he will be inducting his late grandmother, Lia Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.
In a joint Instagram post Monday with WWE, Johnson shared a video montage featuring Maivia who was one of the first women to become a powerful sports-entertainment promoter, according to a press release. She died in 2008 at the age of 77.
The clip began with a moment from Johnson's visit to his grandparents' cemetery at Diamond Head Memorial Park in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The pro wrestler explained in a voice over in the video that his grandmother "was a pioneer in our business of professional wrestling."
"She took over my grandfather's wrestling company here in Hawaii, and she made a promise to my grandfather when he was dying on his deathbed," he said.
After the passing of her late husband, WWE Hall of Famer "High Chief" Peter Maivia in 1982, Maivia took over control of the National Wrestling Alliance territory in Hawaii known as Polynesian Pro Wrestling where she became one of wrestling's first-ever woman promoters, the release said.
In the caption, Johnson paid tribute to Maivia calling her "a trail blazer," "protector of our family" and "the real Final Boss."
Among one of her biggest events she promoted was A Hot Summer Night, in 1985 which featured several WWE Hall of Famers including Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, Rocky Johnson (Maivia's son-in-law), Dusty Rhodes, Antonio Inoki, and many other notable Superstars. The event drew a crowd of more than 20,000, per WWE.
While announcing the news this week, the network added of Maivia, "her strong-willed business sense coupled with her love of sports-entertainment left a lasting and profound impact on the industry and the many people she influenced and impacted in her amazing life."
Maivia's induction ceremony into the WWE Hall of Fame will take place on Friday, April 5, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
