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Home / Sport

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson shows off his new tattoo

NZ Herald
28 Nov, 2017 02:12 AM4 mins to read

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Dwayne Johnson is even scarier than before. Photo / Instagram.

Dwayne Johnson is even scarier than before. Photo / Instagram.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has the biggest biceps in Hollywood, so his tattoo artist was always going to be in it for the long haul when asked to cover his right arm in ink.

Now, after 30 hours acting as the canvas, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) icon turned actor has revealed a stunning new tattoo that transformed a modest piece of work into something you hope you don't run into after dark.

Where Johnson once had a small bull's head now sits a much larger, much more imposing illustration of the animal's skull.

It took 30 hours and four sessions in the chair to finish the masterpiece, which Johnson showed off on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

After approximately 30 hours of tattooing (4 sessions) with my good bud and iconic artist @nikkohurtado, the story of my skull is complete. Flow of positive energy is constant thru the breathe of life. Horns always positioned forward. Not up, but forward - representing forward progress and always at the ready to dig in and dig deep. Eye is the mana - the spirit and the power. It’s everything. It’s where I draw my strength from all things I love and protect. As with my Polynesian tattoo on the left side of body, the symbolic mana lays over my heart. We all have mana. Our strength. You just have to find it. #BullDNA #Energy #Progress #Mana

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Nov 27, 2017 at 1:00am PST

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"After approximately 30 hours of tattooing (4 sessions) with my good bud and iconic artist @nikkohurtado, the story of my skull is complete," Johnson wrote underneath a video of him revealing the new ink.

"Flow of positive energy is constant thru (sic) the breathe (sic) of life.

"Horns always positioned forward. Not up, but forward — representing forward progress and always at the ready to dig in and dig deep.

"Eye is the mana — the spirit and the power. It's everything. It's where I draw my strength from all things I love and protect.

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"As with my Polynesian tattoo on the left side of body, the symbolic mana lays over my heart.

"We all have mana. Our strength. You just have to find it."

Earlier in the year Johnson posted his tattoo's progress — the before-and-after shot showing the dramatic transformation following his penultimate session.

View this post on Instagram

Evolution of the bull. Blood, sweat & years. After 3 sessions and 22hrs of tattooing with world renowned @NikkoHurtado, the story's almost done.. Every detail is a reflection of my own personal history. From the cracks and heavy damage in the bone representing life's hard lessons I've learned over the years. Just like scars and wrinkles - I'm so grateful to have 'em because they're earned. To the horns, not pointing up or out to the side, but pointing straight ahead representing relentless energy and forward progress. The core and anchor of this image is in the eye. Look closely and you'll find the life, energy, power and you'll feel the MANA (spirit). The eye tells the story of a disruptive positive energy always ready to dent the universe. Depending on the light and angle, sometimes the energy's subtle and sometimes it's glaring. But it's always alive and ready to disrupt the universe and love and protect my family and all things I love with intense passion and gratitude. Cheers to living, learning, evolving and growing. And to the positive disrupters ready to dent the universe. #EvolutionOfTheBull #TheDisrupter #TheMana #NowLetsBreakOutTheTequila

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Aug 11, 2017 at 8:26am PDT

"Evolution of the bull. Blood, sweat & years," Johnson wrote in his caption in August.

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"After 3 sessions and 22hrs of tattooing with world renowned @NikkoHurtado, the story's almost done. Every detail is a reflection of my own personal history.

"From the cracks and heavy damage in the bone representing life's hard lessons I've learned over the years. Just like scars and wrinkles — I'm so grateful to have 'em because they're earned.

"To the horns, not pointing up or out to the side, but pointing straight ahead representing relentless energy and forward progress.

"The core and anchor of this image is in the eye. Look closely and you'll find the life, energy, power and you'll feel the MANA (spirit). The eye tells the story of a disruptive positive energy always ready to dent the universe.

"Depending on the light and angle, sometimes the energy's subtle and sometimes it's glaring. But it's always alive and ready to disrupt the universe and love and protect my family and all things I love with intense passion and gratitude.

"Cheers to living, learning, evolving and growing. And to the positive disrupters ready to dent the universe."

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