LOS ANGELES – Professional wrestling superstar Dwayne Douglas Johnson also known by his ring name The Rock has surprised his ‘uncle’ – Tonga ‘Uli’uli Fifita – with a tricked-out Ford F-150 truck that retails for around US$58,000.

The Christmas gift was presented about two weeks ago.

It’s 20 years since a totally broke Johnson asked his Uncle Tonga – once a famous wrestler himself – to lend him his shorts for his first bout because he couldn’t afford any.

The 43-year-old actor and US-based celebrity thought it was about time to pay his uncle back.

He said on Twitter: “Wouldn’t be where I am today, had it not been for Uncle Tonga”.

Johnson shared the story, which linked to his wrestling career and lead to his success as a Hollywood star in films including the Fast and Furious franchise.

After he gave the gift to Uncle Tonga, Johnson went public and said : ‘Cool Christmas story to share with y’all – known my ‘Uncle Tonga’ since I was five years old.

‘My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, helped train him to become a professional wrestler in the 1970s.

“Throughout Tonga’s illustrious wrestling career he changed his name to King Haku and became one of the professional wrestlings’s most sought after ‘bad guys’ still known to this day for being one of the toughest and legit most vicious man in wrestling history.

“Years later and I get a call from WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment Inc) saying ‘Vince McMahon wants to see you wrestle immediately. He’s flying you to RAW (a sports entertainment television programme) tomorrow and you’ll have a tryout match’.

“I thought, holy shit that’s awesome, but there’s a few problems: For me, I wasn’t just having a tryout match, because I had never actually had a real match in my life. Ever.

“WWE thought that I already had multiple matches under my belt, but little did they know. What they also didn’t know was that I was broke as hell and didn’t actually own wrestling gear – no boots, knee pads or most importantly –wrestling trunks.

“I went to Sports Authority and bought some bright-as white volleyball knee pads, called my uncle and asked if he had any trunks I could use for my tryout.

“He said, ‘all I have is a pair of shiny purple trunks’ – (purple was his signature colour) – I told him, ‘I don’t care if the trunks are all the colours of Skittles, I’ll happily wear them’.

“When I picked the trunks up from him I’ll never forget the monster hug he gave me, look me in the eyes and said, ‘I’m so proud of you. Go get ’em nephew!’

“Here’s the picture of me wrestling my first match ever in Corpus Christi, TX in front of 15,000 people – proudly in my lucky purple trunks. And the rest was history.”

Johnson referred Uncle Tonga in his autobiography, The Rock Says.

Although not a blood relative of the Rock, Tonga has been a good family friend for all of Johnson’s life, as Tonga was very close to the Rock’s late grandfather, Samoan wrestler, ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia.

Recounting the moment he gave the truck as Christmas gift he gave to his uncle two weeks ago, Johnson tweeted: “My Uncle Tonga is a family man, humble man and champion. Most importantly one of the greatest human beings I know.

“So we walk outside and I said, ‘Uncle how do you like my truck?’

He said, “Whoooaaa nephew it’s beautiful, I love it!’ I said ‘good – because it’s yours.”

“He was speechless. Throughtears –manly of course –we monster hugged because I’ll never forget what he did for me when I had nothing.

“Merry Christmas Uncle and ofa atu. #LuckyPurpleTrunks.’

Tonga ‘Uli’uli Fifita, now aged 56, was born in Tonga and grew up in Kolomotu’a. He attended Tonga College before he joined a contingent of Tongan wrestlers who left for further sumo training in Japan while he was 14.

He was crowned King of the WWF in 1988, and teamed with Andre the Giant to defeat Demolition for the WWF tag team championships in 1989. He married to Dorophy Koloamatangi and they have four children and they are living in the United States.

- Kaniva Pacific/PNC