Before she was a WWE Superstar, Ivy Nile was a competitor on the NBC reality series The Titan Games, an experience she says “absolutely changed my life.” A huge part of that life-changing journey was her interaction with the show’s host and executive producer, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
As one of the biggest stars on the planet, The Rock’s influence and presence can be transformative. For a young athlete from a small town in Tennessee, a few moments and some key words of encouragement from the legend made all the difference and set her on the path to WWE.
A Surprise Encounter
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Nile recalled being a timid newcomer to television production, having never even been to California before. She was about to compete in her first event on the show when she received a surprise visit from The Rock himself.
“I was about to do my first event… And as soon as we were ready for the 3, 2, 1, go, and The Rock comes out, and then comes over, shakes my hand and says, Good luck. And I’m like [laughs] of course he did it right now. But yeah, it was nuts. And he was so nice.”
“This Is Just The Beginning For You”
While Nile performed well on the show, she did not win the competition. She revealed that after she was eliminated in the semifinals, The Rock personally sought her out to offer some words of encouragement that proved to be prophetic. She also gave immense credit to businesswoman Dany Garcia, The Rock’s partner and co-founder of Seven Bucks Productions, for the opportunity.
“After I lost in the semifinals, he made sure that he talked to me, and he had so many words of wisdom for me, because he just let me know that just because you lost doesn’t mean like this is [the end], this is just the beginning for you. I think he also, since that was on to bigger better things, I’m not really sure, but he just made sure, made sure to tell me that, you know, just because it didn’t work out for you in the show, like there’s, there’s a lot more meant for you… Dany Garcia, who’s the lady that ran the show, she changed my life… I tell her every time, she changed my life, because it led me to here… The Rock and Dany Garcia absolutely changed my life, if anything, I want them to know that forever, because they changed my life.”
The Rock’s prediction came true, as Nile’s performance on The Titan Games directly led to her getting a tryout with WWE. The Rock himself has since returned to WWE in a major way, joining the TKO Board of Directors earlier this year.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
