Oh, how quickly things could change. Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia ended up separating, however, their split was done on amicable terms. They kept in contact, with an open line of communication. However, on the business side of things, the relationship would only grow following their split.
Garcia was always hands-on with Dwayne Johnson's career from his days playing football in university, to his days with WWE. Dany always saw DJ as something bigger than he was during his time in Hollywood at the start. It would lead to Garcia leaving her high-profile job and managing DJ permanently.
We'll look back at how it all unfolded and what sparked the change. Clearly, given the success the two continue to enjoy, like buying an entire football league together, it is clear they made the right decision to partner up.
Dwayne Johnson's Career Was In A Tough Spot Before Dany Garcia
Prior to The Rock firing his team, the star was trying to fit in and conform with Hollywood. Ultimately, DJ realized this was a big mistake. DJ was losing weight for roles and in truth, he just wasn't himself. Upon this realization, everything changed.
''When I first got to Hollywood, Hollywood, they didn’t know what the hell to do with me. I mean, I was half-black, half-Samoan, 6 foot 4, 275-pound pro wrestler. I was told at that time, 'Well, you gotta be a certain way. You gotta drop some weight. You gotta be somebody different. You gotta stop working out. You gotta stop calling yourself The Rock.' I made a choice, and the choice was, I wasn’t gonna conform to Hollywood. Hollywood was gonna conform to me."
As it turns out, Dany Garcia played a crucial role in steering the ship. Not only did she become DJ's manager but she would also make it clear, it was time for Hollywood to conform with Johnson.
''So Dwayne and I had a conversation. He had lost a lot of weight to fit certain parts, and he said, 'I can't do this anymore. I need to be me.' I supported him and said, 'Let's do you. That's all we need to do. Let's make Hollywood make room for you.'"
Suddenly, DJ's career took a major turn.
Garcia Quit A Huge Role At 'Merill Lynch' To Represent The Rock
From the very beginning, way back to his days at the University of Miami as a football player, Garcia was always in the background, looking out for DJ's best interests given her experience in negotiations.
However, her work was on Wall Street, climbing up the financial ladder at 'Merill Lynch'.
She would ultimately make the bold decision to leave the prestigious job and take on Dwayne's career. As she revealed with Marie Claire, it was easy given that she was already negotiating for him throughout his career.
"From the time Dwayne was playing football at the University of Miami to wrestling in the WWE, to emerging in film, I was always in the background guiding him, giving counsel, and adding a business point of view to all the decisions."
"I was always looking at it from the point of view of, 'How will this work within an enterprise model?' That carried over to Dwayne, looking at him as this incredibly talented individual, and saying, 'Now, how do I build a corporation around him? How do I support him? Where is the marketing? Where are our extensions? Who are the partners who can help me duplicate?' It's like at Apple, except the technology is Dwayne Johnson."
Given that vision, it is quite clear that Garcia succeeded and then some.
Garcia And Johnson Continue To Build A Huge Empire Together
Johnson is on the road to becoming a billionaire and a huge part of that has been the vision of Dany Garcia. Sure, DJ is among the elite in Hollywood, however, that's just the start of what else the duo is working on. DJ has his own thriving apparel brand alongside Under Armour, 'Project Rock'. His tequila company 'Teremana' isn't doing too shabby either, and heck, he even has an energy drink 'ZOA', which also implicates Dany Garcia's husband Dave Rienzi.
As if that wasn't enough, the duo purchased the XFL and heck, they have their own production company, 'Seven Bucks Productions', which allows DJ and Dany to shoot films and shows exactly how they please and not conform with what Hollywood demands.
Clearly, the success of the partnership has been a remarkable one. Garcia's gamble paid off.