Fast & Furious star, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, showed his gratitude to a lifelong friend by gifting him a $30,000 truck.
Bruno Lauer was the one who helped Dwayne when he became homeless as a teen when his mother and him were evicted from their home in Hawaii. Again nine years later he came to the rescue when Dwayne was going through difficult times, making it as a wrestler.
Dwayne Johnson, 48, took to his Instagram to share a clip when he ‘returned the favor’ to Bruno by gifting him with a Ford F150 and told him that he’s ‘got him covered’ when he chooses to retire.
The former wrestling manager also known as Harvey Wippleman in the 1990s took in Dwayne aged 15, and they lived in Bruno’s trailer in Nashville. He also helped The Rock buy his first car when he was launching his wrestling career in Memphis.
It was Dwayne’s turn to surprise his friend with a new truck to thank him for his generosity which left Bruno overwhelmed and shedding a tear in the clip. Dwayne explained the story behind their friendship, which included Bruno purchasing The Rock his first car from ‘a crackhead’ for $40.
He wrote: ‘Merry Christmas, Bruno 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.’
The Rock gave Bruno a truck as a special way to thank his friend “Downtown Bruno” for all of his support.
“I love you man. Not ’cause of this,” Bruno says, referencing the truck the Rock gave away, “‘Cause of who you are… Thank you, Lord Jesus, for putting you in my life.”
