Downtown Bruno Discusses Differences Between 'Young Rock' And Real Life

Former WWE manager Harvey Wippleman aka Downtown Bruno has seen a revival in his pre-Whippleman exploits thanks to being a featured character on the hit NBC program "Young Rock." 

Bruno recently spoke with "WrestleZone" and said that the show's writers still have to tweak some of the stories from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's life for TV.

"It's reality, but it's fictionalized," Bruno explained. "The stories are based on truth ... it's not a straight-up drama, but it's a comedy as well. I guess we say it's a 'dramedy' so they have to make it funny, they couldn't just make it 100% realistic or it wouldn't have any comedy to it. Basically, the stories are on the true side but fictionalized."

Bruno went on to explain how he helped Johnson buy his first car, but in the name of narrative economy the show portrayed Johnson's friend from the pizza shop as being the one to help the young Dwayne purchase the car from what Bruno charitably described as "bums." Though the show heightens events for comedic effect, he was adamant that there was a homeless person in the backseat of Johnson's car, exactly as it played out on TV.

Bruno has said that his decades-long friendship with Johnson changed his life, calling the Black Adam star "one of the five people I would literally die for." Johnson has also been grateful for Bruno's friendship, recently buying him a new truck for Christmas. "It just changed my life. He's a wonderful person."