Dwayne Johnson stepped into his father's shoes long before he became a Hollywood headliner.
In a 1999 episode of That 70s Show, the wrestler portrayed Rocky Johnson, his real-life father, as part of a wrestling-themed storyline.
The installment, titled "That Wrestling Show," was the 15th episode of the sitcom's first season.
It gave Johnson an early chance to show his acting ability while tying his family's wrestling history to the show's fictional world.
According to a report by Yahoo, the episode became the series' most-watched at that point.
It ranked second among first-season episodes and fourth among the show's most-viewed episodes overall.
A Backstage Autograph and a Glimpse of the Future
In the episode, the show's characters attend a local professional wrestling event.
Red Foreman, played by Kurtwood Smith, and Eric Forman, portrayed by Topher Grace, then head backstage hoping to get an autograph from Johnson, who appears with a hairstyle inspired by the 1970s.
Johnson received credit as The Rock while playing his father, an established professional wrestler.
The character discusses his young son's potential future, linking the sitcom's plot to the family's real involvement in the sport.
The appearance came as Johnson was starting to pursue acting beyond the ring.
Later in 1999, he earned a small acting credit in The Net and appeared in Star Trek: Voyager as an alien wrestler.
His move into major films accelerated in 2001 with The Mummy Returns.
In 2002, he took the leading role in The Scorpion King, strengthening his presence in Hollywood after years as a professional wrestler.
Rocky Johnson's own career gave the sitcom appearance added context.
According to WWE's official biography, Rocky and Tony Atlas defeated the Wild Samoans in 1983 to become the company's first African-American World Tag Team Champions.
Rocky also helped train his son for professional wrestling, contributing directly to Dwayne's development in the sport.
Their shared history reached another milestone in 2008, when Dwayne inducted his father into the WWE Hall of Fame.
