“As Painful as It Was”: Dwayne Johnson Reveals the Deep Meaning for Wearing a No. 54 Jersey

Dwayne Johnson has transitioned successfully from a WWE superstar and a Hollywood actor. Since 2002, Johnson has acted in over 40 movies and has won the WWE world title multiple times. Recently, he is busy setting up the revamped XFL football league.

While talking about XFL, before becoming an actor and WWE Superstar, Johnson aspired to pursue an NFL career. However, he wasn’t able to achieve that dream and joined the family business.

Recently, Dwayne Johnson shared a post on his Instagram where he talked about the NFL. He wore the XFL jersey with the number 54, which he called a personal number.

In the caption, Johnson wrote, “Why I wear #54. There are 53 men on an NFL roster who ball out on Sundays and live their dreams. I was #54. I was that player who was told, “you’re good, but you’re not good enough….. thank you for all your hard work and this is where it all ends.”

Further Johnson added, “When you worked, lived and breathed a lifetime for something you were so passionate about, only to be told you’re not good enough and there’s nothing you can do it about. It became one of the biggest kicks in the gut I ever got and one of the biggest mental health challenges of my life.”

“But as painful as it was to accept the dream is over — it also created a hunger, intensity and it gave me the biggest fucking chip on my shoulder to attack life with a relentless ferocity. This is why #54 on my back is so deeply personal to me. Grit, resolve, ferocity, passion, relentlessness. Life is much different for me these days and I’m forever grateful, but that chip never goes away. Ever. dj#54#LFG”

The former WWE Champion played college football at the University of Miami and was on its national championship team in 1991. He aspired for a professional career in professional football but went undrafted in the 1995 NFL Draft. He then signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) but was cut from the team in his first season. 

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When will the Dwayne Johnson-owned football league XFL start?

The XFL will have its third chance on the national stage. Vince McMahon ran the previous two seasons, with the first one in 2001. He revived the league in 2020, but it was closed later due to the pandemic situation.

Moreover, Dwayne Johnson and ex-wife Dany Garcia purchased the league from Mr. McMahon and are eager to re-establish XFL on a bigger scale. The league is going to kick off in February 2023 as per the announcement by Johnson.

The new owners are eager for the launch of the league with new motivation next year. Johnson, whose first love was football, will try his best to get XFL on the top level in the United States.

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