Dwayne Johnson has never forgotten his wrestling industry roots, and now those roots have led to the Hollywood actor and former WWE Champion delivering a memorable Christmas gift to a longtime friend. Johnson revealed in a post on his Instagram account that he gifted a brand new Ford F-150 to Bruno Lauer, known to longtime wrestling fans as former WWE manager Harvey Wippleman and Memphis wrestling personality Downtown Bruno.
Johnson reunited with Lauer on the set of NBC’s Young Rock, which is set for release in 2021.
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“Dwanta Claus,” as Johnson sometimes goes by during the Holiday season (or when he’s releasing spiked Egg Nog ice cream), wrote on Instagram:
Merry Christmas, Bruno [Santa emoji] Love you, brother! 100% crackhead free
My life (especially my teenage years) has been full of the wildest twists and turns – yet God and the universe had always found a way to put a few people in my path that would change the trajectory of the road I was going down.
Meet one of my lifelong friends, Bruno Lauer — or I prefer to call him, “Downtown Bruno”
My mom and I were evicted off the island of Hawaii and I was sent to Nashville, Tennessee to live with my dad.
When I landed in Nashville, I quickly found out I wasn’t gonna live with my dad.
s–t happens, plans change and that’s the way it goes.
Instead, I told I was gonna live with a guy named Bruno. Who at the time lived in a tiny room at a spot called the Alamo Plaza motel.
Bruno could’ve (and should’ve) said hell no, I’m not takin’ in some kid who I don’t know.
But he didn’t.
He took this punk kid in and we became lifelong friends.
Then ironically – about 9 years later when I had the infamous “$7 Bucks” in my pocket – I started my wrestling career in Memphis, Tennessee and AGAIN – had no place to live and Bruno took me and let me shake up in his trailer, til I could get on my feet.
And hell, when I was 15yrs old, Bruno even gave me his last $40 bucks so I could hustle a crackhead out of his car one night at a honky tonk in Nashville
But the hustle was on me, because when I took off down the road there was a SECOND CRACKHEAD passed out on the floor in the back!
Wild times at 15yrs old.
Merry Christmas, Bruno and since you helped me “buy” my first car – I figured I could return the favor and buy you one that 100% does NOT have a crackhead in the back seat.
I love you, brother.
Your kindness and heart – helped change my life’s trajectory.
And when you’re ready to retire from “the business” you just say the word.
I got you covered.
We’ll go “downtown”
Enjoy your new ride and give Walls, Mississippi my love and gratitude
#negativeforcovid
#positiveforherpes
#dirtyjokesneverstop
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