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Dwayne Johnson Gifts His Lifelong Pal A New Car

Dwayne Johnson Gifts His Lifelong Pal A New Car

He wanted to say 'thank you' to his friend for giving him place to stay when he had nowhere to live as a child

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Dwayne Johnson has given a truck to one of his 'lifelong pals' who took him in when he had nowhere to live as a child.

The Rock gifted the car to his pal Bruno Lauer - who worked as a WWE wrestling manager under the name Harvey Wippleman in the 90s - as a thank you for helping him out when he need it most.

Sharing an emotional video shared on Instagram, the former wrestler explained: "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*** happens, plans change and that's the way it goes.

Instagram/Dwayne Johnson

"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."

Johnson then went on to say this wasn't the only time Bruno had helped him out. Nine years later when Johnson went off to kick start his wrestling career in Memphis - with just '$7 in his pocket' - once again, Bruno gave him a place to stay and helped him get on his feet.

Opening up about a slightly less savoury story about how he came to buy his first car, Johnson then added: "And hell, when I was 15 years 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.

Instagram/Dwayne Johnson

"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!"

And it was this bizarre incident that prompted Johnson to get his pal a truck, he explained: "Merry Christmas, Bruno and since you helped me 'buy' my first car - I figured I could return the favour and buy you one that 100% does NOT have a crackhead in the back seat."

In the clip, both men become emotional as Johnson shows Lauer his new car. Lauer tells him: "I love you man, and not because of this, because of who you are."

Aww.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram

Topics: Celebrity, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, WWE News, Wrestling, WWE