The Rock pays tribute to grandma before season premiere

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The second season of “Young Rock” premieres Tuesday night on NBC.

The show follows a younger Dwayne Johnson through childhood moments, teen years and in college. The new season continues storylines from Season 1, while also introducing new chapters.

For the first time, viewers will meet Arlyn Broche as Dany Garcia, who Johnson married, had a daughter with, later divorced and remains as a business partner. Garcia is the co-founder of his company Seven Bucks Productions. Sean Astin is also expected to join the cast, playing Johnson’s childhood nemesis.

On Tuesday, Johnson took to social media to give a shoutout to his grandmother Lia Maivia, a trailblazer in pro wrestling, before the season premiere.

“She was one of the first ever female wrestling promoters and operated her business out of HAWAII with an iron first and some violence when she felt it was necessary,” Johnson wrote on Facebook. “Her tough business practices caught up with her as she was indicted by the FBI on extortion charges.”

Johnson said a federal jury acquitted his grandmother and her business partners, but the FBI came back with illegal alien charges, froze what little assets she had and deported her back to Samoa.

“By 1991 my grandma was homeless. In 1992 I was able to identify a legal loophole and get her back – legally – into the U.S. I was also able to secure social security for her – legally – and moved her into a little one room apartment in Tampa, Florida,” Johnson wrote. “Once I started making some decent money in WWE, I bought her a condo where she would live happily for the rest of her life.”

His grandma died in 2008.

“I miss her. Fa’afetai tele lava to the amazing @atuisila for bringing my grandma ‘back to life’ on our show,” Johnson said.

Season 2 is expected to bring new wild characters of professional wrestling.