The pro-wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revisited a very special day he spent with a wrestling legend as well as the start of a significant rift in his family in this week’s episode of Young Rock, a new comedy on NBC detailing the formative years of the wrestler-turned-actor.
The Rock’s grandmother, Ata (Ana Tuisila), hopes to make a statement against her rival promoter Greg Yao, who has been eliminating her best wrestlers one by one, in the sixth episode, titled “My Day With Andre,” according to IMDb. The episode follows 10-year-old Dwayne (Adrian Groulx), who is in Hawaii with his family as they prepare for the Island Battle Royale.
Yao even arranges for The Rock’s father to meet him for dinner at a restaurant. While the actor who portrays “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson (Joseph Lee Anderson) may be known to you, you might not know who plays Yao in Young Rock. We’ve got the information on the actor who portrays the show’s flamboyant antagonist, so don’t worry.
Greg Yao, a competing promoter, is portrayed by Ronny Chieng in Young Rock.
Ronny Chieng plays Young Rock’s flashy rival promoter Greg Yao, according to Slam Wrestling, and his brief appearance in the sixth episode of the series appears to be laying the groundwork for a bigger role in a future season.
According to Deadline, the Malaysian actor began his career as a stand-up comedian and is now a correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He has, however, made several appearances in movies and television programs over recent years, according to IMDb. Chieng’s most notable roles include Eddie Cheng in the ground-breaking comedy Crazy Rich Asians and Ronny Chieng: International Student.
Chieng was in fact “born to play” the role of “one of the many colorful cousins” in Crazy Rich Asians, according to the Los Angeles Times, which noted in its review of his performance that he portrays a “hilariously uptight, status-obsessed investment banker.”
We are eager to see what he will bring to Yao in upcoming episodes. Young Rock premieres new episodes every Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
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Roles in Film & Tv for Ronny Chieng
Additionally, Chieng made appearances in two of the biggest blockbusters of 2021: Godzilla vs. Kong and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings from the MCU. On the television series Young Rock, which, as its name suggests, centers on the formative years of former wrestler Dwayne Johnson, Ronny Chieng also played the role of wrestling promoter Greg Yao in 2021. Yao competes with Johnson’s grandmother Ata as a wrestling promoter. It’s still Chieng underneath, just hidden behind glasses and a mustache.
In addition to Young Rock, Ronny Chieng has a recurring part in the medical comedy Doogie Kameloha, M.D., which centers on a child prodigy (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who manages to balance being a teenager and practicing medicine.
The heart surgeon Dr. Lee is played by Cheing in the show, which is based on the Doogie Howser, M.D. series. In the near future, the actor will co-star with Allison Williams in the James Wan-produced horror film M3GAN and voice the title character in the animated film Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow.
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Who Is Greg Yao Based On? 
Additionally, as mentioned in a previous episode’s review, it appeared that Greg Yao was specifically playing John Wakayama, a former employee of Lia’s who was a pivotal player in an FBI investigation into extortion allegations against her and two associates.
Tonight’s episode went beyond what it had previously seemed poised to do with the real-life drama and started explicitly presenting the issues that would ultimately cause Lia’s expulsion from Hawai’i before she was cleared of the charges.
In particular, a demand made by Lia and her business partner Bob for Yao to book all venues and rings through her and pay a $5,000 tribute fee was taken directly from the original headlines of the Hawaiian wrestling scandal.
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It happened almost exactly as it did in this episode, except Yao was wearing the recording device. The $5,000 tribute fee demanded of Wakayama was captured on tape by the FBI after he had worn a wire to his meeting with Lia.
The heart of each story is ultimately conveyed, whether it be about Johnson’s first car, his extracurricular activities at The University of Miami, or Lia Maivia’s grave legal risk. This point has been made repeatedly in recaps of this show, despite how much the plots, settings, and characters skirt historical accuracy.
The decision to tell these stories in a documentary style is ultimately up to the audience, but the program is upfront about how it intends to present Johnson’s life story.
